More than 130 participants are expected to take part in the Brisbane leg of the Female Founder Festival, to be held on 7 June at the QUT Kelvin Grove Campus.
Female Founder Festivals are a series of free events delivered by the Accelerator for Enterprising Women, a national program funded by the Australian Government under the Women Leadership and Development grant. The program is designed to empower Australia’s emerging female founders and future businesswomen to develop their careers as entrepreneurs.
Participants can expect to learn how to turn their bright ideas into successful ventures courtesy of some of Australia’s most inspiring female entrepreneurs who will share their experiences and knowledge.
As part of the festival, there will be a panel discussion that will feature renowned female entrepreneurs, including:
- Ami Bateman – co-founder and CEO of the waste-free, non-toxic Australian-made cleaning products business Pleasant State.
- Mundanara Bayles – indigenous advocate, co-founder and managing director of BlackCard, a cultural capability training and consultancy service.
- Ellie Degraeve (pictured) – award-winning founder and owner of Australia’s largest toxin-free and waste-free store Go For Zero and #1 in Inside Retail’s 2023 Top 50 People in E-commerce.
- Elly Desmarchelier – notable disability rights campaigner and speaker.
The festival will also feature workshops hosted by Caitlin Judd, co-founder of the lady-brains podcast which helps early-stage founders grow their businesses.
Archer’s Lab, the virtual reality experience designed to help with pitching business ideas, will also be showcased on the night.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to enter the Enterprising Women Kickstarter Challenge which offers $60,000 worth of prizes including intensive full-day workshops, mentoring, pitch feedback and graphic design support.
Last year’s Kickstarter Challenge winner, Hailey Brown, will also share her insights about developing her audio app Vacayit, which has revolutionised travel for people who are blind or have low vision.
“Our research shows women are inspired by other women…sharing real-life stories gives others the confidence to start out on their own,” Mim Rizvi of the Accelerator for Enterprising Women said. “However, one of the greatest barriers identified is not knowing where to start. Female Founder Festivals have been designed to provide women with both inspiration and the tangible advice they need.”
