Startups are vital to Australia’s economic prosperity, and yet women innovators and entrepreneurs aren’t being fully leveraged.
Only 22 per cent of Australian startups are founded by women, and only 0.7 per cent of private startup funding in 2022 went to all-female founding teams, according to Deloitte Australia.
And female-only founding teams have received just 4 per cent of the total capital raised by founders so far in 2024, according to the latest Cut Through Venture report.
Looking towards change, support programs can have big, positive impacts on women founders.
“Society generally underestimates the value of articulating our challenges, our plans and our dreams to those who are outside our standard network of family and friends, or even work colleagues,” says Jo Jacobs, a facilitator for CSIRO’s ON Innovation Program.
Jacobs is widely regarded as one of Australia’s top startup mentors, and she tells Women’s Agenda that “getting the chance to express what is going on and what we want to happen, gives us a pathway to action”.
“For startups and businesses seeking growth, mentorship can help clarify the business vision and overcome barriers. And it can help make new connections and achieve growth.”
CSIRO’s array of programs not only support startups, small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and women founders, it also has an innovation ecosystem full of women who are championing change.
ON Innovation program
Poppy Sykes became involved in CSIRO’s ON program because she wanted her career to be focused on working with people “who genuinely wanted to make the world a better place”.
Through a series of events and experiences, the program empowers Australia’s publicly funded researchers with the skills, networks and pathways needed to translate their big ideas into real-world impact.
As the ON Innovation Program Manager, Sykes says “ON is unique in that it’s science domain agnostic, so we bring together innovators from across the research and deep tech ecosystem as cohorts to work through their challenges.”
Alongside a deep network of facilitators, experts and mentors, Sykes is passionate about increasing diversity across the board– a focus that starts with the ON program.
“That diversity of perspectives enables cross-pollination of thinking and ideas that is incredibly powerful, especially in the early stages of research translation.”
Having worked alongside Sykes, Jacobs describes ON as “the most important research translation program in the country”, as it creates “a bridge from research into action, impact and benefit for Australia”.
“Australia has always had an innovation culture. But where we lag behind the rest of the world is in turning research into products, processes and services that customers want and use,” says Jacobs. “The ON program is laser focused on transforming research into impact.”
CSIRO Kick-Start
For Dr Megan Sebben, Program Manager at CSIRO Kick-Start, her biggest motivation is SME advocacy. In particular, amplifying the voices of diverse founders.
“I’m passionate about championing the incredible founders within Australia’s innovation ecosystem and providing equity of opportunity for them to be successful both here and internationally– if that’s their goal,” Sebben says.
She champions this work through the CSIRO Kick-Start program, an initiative for innovative Australian start-ups and SMEs, providing funding support, facilitation and access to CSIRO’s research expertise and capabilities to help grow and develop their business.
“To get the most out of your Kick-Start project, the business should be operational and have ‘sense-checked’ their idea,” she says, adding that they should also “have a good idea of their pathway to market, or the direction they would like to pivot to.”
“Kick-Start can help connect them with the expertise, facilities and funding to undertake the required research and development that will help bring these commercial ideas to market,” Sebben says.
RISE Accelerator program
The India Australia Rapid Innovation and Startup Expansion (RISE) Accelerator supports startups and SMEs who are working on innovative technology and are considering overseas expansion between India and Australia.
Focusing on environment and climate technologies, the nine-month program enables Australian and Indian innovators and industry partners to tackle shared national and global challenges.
“To be in business, in a small-to-medium sized business, is to be brave”, says CSIRO’s Program Director of the RISE Accelerator program, Tamara Ogilvie.
“It’s a privilege to support the brave founders of these companies. Founders wear several hats, put out all sorts of fires in a day, but are passionately pursuing the growth of their company because they are even more passionate about solving some of our greatest challenges.”
While Ogilvie says that scaling technologies for local and international markets “is complex” and “takes resolve” from founders, the RISE Accelerator program is there to offer the support they need.
“A program like the RISE Accelerator gives innovators an expert and peer network with whom you can workshop your company’s challenges and growth strategy, as well as an avenue to crucial connections,” she says.
CSIRO support in action
A multidisciplinary engineer and researcher, Dr Asma Akther knows firsthand the importance of supporting emerging science leaders in Australia.
Her research delves into Australia’s water bodies, and she was recently a finalist in the 2024 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards within the Emerging Leader in Science category.
“During my postdoc position at CSIRO, I have been extremely fortunate to receive exceptional support from various teams and initiatives,” Dr Akther tells Women’s Agenda. “I was hired under the ‘Impossible Without You’ banner, which allowed me to freely explore my research and prototype new technologies for monitoring water bodies.”
Dr Akther says CSIRO’s support has helped her maintain balance between her career in science and family, as well as providing her with the freedom to explore her ideas and take initiative.
“CSIRO has also given me incredible opportunities to present my work, allowing me to share my findings and engage with peers through workshops and conferences. The exposure and experience I have gained have been invaluable for my career development.”
When it comes to supporting other emerging science leaders, Dr Akther believes doing so will “help address Australia’s national challenges and keep our environment safe and sound.”
By doing so, we can bring fresh ideas and innovative solutions that can help the nation adapt and build resilience for the future,” she says, adding that the country “needs more STEM engagement to be competitive with the global research sector.”
“We can achieve this by inspiring young STEM stars, transferring knowledge, and nurturing new science leaders. As we all know, science is inherently a global endeavor, and introducing new science leaders is crucial to help shape the world.”