Launching the Connected Futures Hub: Meet Our New Cohort
The numbers don’t lie, and frankly, they’re confronting. Women make up 22% of Australian start-up founders, yet solely women-founded teams secured just 9% of capital-raising deals and 0.7% of total capital raised. Add a regional factor, and the challenge grows — regional women face additional barriers to reaching investors, funders, and growth networks.
That’s exactly why the Connected Futures Hub exists — and this week, the program welcomed ten incredible regional founders ready to change the game who span agrifood tech and sustainable production, edtech, medtech, logistics, family services innovation, and community-driven accountability platforms.
Across the group, some clear themes emerged at the session including funding and growth strategies, strategic partnerships, government support, capital for prototypes, new product development, IP protection, trademarking, networking, business development strategy, tech development, investment literacy, impact investment, and community scaling.
Innovation Cluster Managing Director Dr Natasha Teakle who unpacked the funding landscape — from matching funding options to each strategic stage of growth, to understanding investor types, the role of advisors, and the power of storytelling in winning investor confidence.
Thank you to John Hill from Tallystone who walked founders through the critical documents needed for investor readiness — and the behaviours that signal you’re not ready, flagging the red flags investors watch for.
Over the coming months, our founders will dive into hands-on workshops, tailored one-on-one sessions, and direct introductions to investors — capped off with one of the biggest events on the innovation calendar with a week at West Tech Fest!
The Connected Futures Hub is supported by the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification through the Innovation Pathways Program, funded by the New Industries and Innovation Fund, and partners West Tech Fest and Wrays | Intellectual Property.
