Are you building an innovative business that will make Canberra a better, more amazing place to live and work?

From your business model through to accessing capital, an accelerator program will fast-track your business while connecting you to important networks and a supportive ecosystem.

The GRIFFIN Accelerator is a three-month intensive program run by a group of seasoned Canberra entrepreneurs who invest in, host, coach and mentor selected startups to create successful high-growth businesses.

The program is packed full of workshops, seminars, mentor meetings, expert sessions and one-on-ones to keep businesses accountable and on track.

The accelerator is run from the Canberra Innovation Network, and businesses participating in it get a dedicated desk in a thriving community of entrepreneurs and innovators, and take part in a calendar of events to meet and connect with some of the most successful entrepreneurs in Australia.

The heart of the GRIFFIN Accelerator program is the mentors. They bring substantial experience in startups, investing, raising capital, sales, business development, and significant industry and investor networks.

Mentor investors Anne-Marie Perrett and Marcus Dawe have been supporting the GRIFFIN Accelerator since the very first cohort in 2014. They believe in giving back to the Canberra business community that has supported them through the years.

“I love watching companies grow from an idea to a real company,” says Anne-Marie. “If I can help in any small way to make that happen, it is worth my time.”

The GRIFFIN Accelerator is not just for tech startups. Retail products, apps, research spinouts, health programs and creative tools are all ideas that have graduated the program.

“I am not wedded to one sort of idea, but I’d love to see a wide variety of ideas, particularly those that are forward-looking,” says Anne-Marie. “By that I mean thinking about what might be next, post-COVID-19, in the way we live and work.”

At the conclusion of the program, applicants will have the opportunity to pitch to the mentors for up to $100,000 to boost their business and open pathways to securing further investment.

“I like ventures that use technology to solve issues for business that have a good social aspect,” says Marcus. “Whether helping reduce waste, improve resource circularity, protect the environment, or improve the lives of people and communities.

“You don’t know what we could do for you and your venture if you don’t try. Without acceleration, most early-stage ideas just don’t get off the ground. It takes a team to raise a venture and we give you a path, a program and a network of expertise and funding to help you accelerate.”

Applications for the GRIFFIN Accelerator close on Wednesday, 28 July.

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Article originally published on RiotACT.