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Curtin Accelerate
Transform your innovative product or service into a thriving scalable business.
Curtin Accelerate is a free program available to Curtin researchers, staff, students and graduates Tailored for our next generation of startup founders, Curtin Accelerate will grow your entrepreneurial capabilities and give you the tools to take your innovation to market quickly and effectively.
Curtin Accelerate runs one day a week for 12 weeks. Each day comprises four sessions that address a fundamental aspect of building a startup.
Founders receive detailed instruction from our network of world-leading entrepreneurs, innovators and investors – similar to previous cohorts who learned from high-profile Perth-based venture consultant Larry Lopez, Kanopy founder Olivia Humphrey and Silicon Valley-based investor Bill Tai.
In addition, founders receive a $5,000 equity-free grant, benefit from access to Curtin infrastructure and resources and networking opportunities, and gain the capability to build great products or services.
At the conclusion of the program, founders present their innovative idea to Western Australia’s business leadership community, at our Accelerate Demonstration Night.
Program details
Curtin Accelerate is designed for founders of early-stage startups with a connection to Curtin. To be eligible, at least one of your team members must be a Curtin researcher, staff member, student or graduate, or have participated in a Curtinnovation initiative such as Curtin Ignition or the Curtinnovation Awards.
If you missed Curtin Accelerate 2022 and would like support to develop your innovation, apply for one of our other Curtinnovation programs.
Curtin Accelerate for 2023 will be on Wednesdays from 1 February to 19 April. The Accelerate Demonstration Night is on Thursday 20 April.
Curtin Accelerate founders receive the following benefits:
$5,000 grant: You’ll receive a $5,000 equity-free grant for your participation.
Improved investment attractiveness: Accelerate is an ATO-recognised Accelerator for early-stage innovation companies (ESICs). Your company can apply to be an ESIC, which will give investors a 20% tax offset.
Improved support services: Accelerate is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Activate participant. Accelerate companies can apply for up to $100,000 AWS Activate credits to support them in scaling their company.
Curtinnovation membership: You’ll join our supportive network of business founders and entrepreneurs and use our coworking space, which hosts exclusive innovation meetups, mentoring sessions and other events.
Access to Curtin’s Venture Studio: You’ll have access to various Curtin facilities, experts, tools and talent to help develop your product or service.
Be considered for a $50,000 Safe Note: If your idea is assessed as having considerable commercial potential and a clear pathway to market, you’ll be considered for a $50,000 Safe Note investment from Curtin through our Kickstart + Program.
Two tickets to West Tech Fest: You’ll receive two complementary tickets to attend the next West Tech Fest event that showcases innovation, investment and entrepreneurship in WA.
Golden Ticket to Plus Eight Bootcamp: One graduate company of the program will receive a golden ticket to Spacecubed’s Plus Eight Bootcamp, providing an opportunity to be selected into the Plus Eight Accelerator program.
Compared with our Curtin Ignition program, Curtin Accelerate has a greater focus on identifying and developing your unique capabilities, skills and business mindset, and applying these to establish and grow your own company. Founders graduate from the program with:
improved professional skills:You will increase your business acumen and pitching skills and be able to apply key tools and frameworks to develop a successful startup.
improved personal skills:You’ll develop your skills in essential areas including time management, project management, communication and interpersonal engagement.
stronger entrepreneurial mindset:You’ll learn how to think and act like an entrepreneur and understand how entrepreneurial strategies can benefit your business activities.
2023
Wednesday 1 February: Curtin Accelerate program begins
Wednesday 19 April: Curtin Accelerate program ends
Thursday 20 April: Accelerate Demonstration Night
Success stories
More than 60 businesses have participated in Curtin Accelerate, moving on to launch highly innovative products, receive substantial investment funding and win industry awards.
VetChip
VetChip is a world-first smart technology providing accurate, real-time analytics and health monitoring for animal owners and veterinarians.
Curtin engineering graduates Ross Khambatta and Zyrus Khambatta participated in the Curtin Accelerate 2021 program along with co-founders Garnett Hall and Maxwell Hall to finetune their innovation. Later that year, the team submitted their innovation to the Curtinnovation Awards and won the Science and Engineering Prize.
Fibre Economy is a social enterprise working towards a world without textile waste. The organisation established a workwear recycling program that provides donation systems at remote mine sites across Western Australia along with community workshops addressing textile waste through education and awareness.
Curtin fashion design alumni Molly Ryan and Claudi Janse Van Rensburg and co-founder Shannon Itzein have trialled their system for the past two years, collecting more than 700kg worth of mining uniforms.
Hyprfire is a cyber-security company developing software solutions to detect and mitigate malware transfer and denial of service attacks.
Its products are based on cybersecurity research at Curtin, which won the overall Curtinnovation Awards prize in 2017. Curtin PhD candidate, Stefan Prandl then participated in the Curtin Accelerate 2018 program to build the business model and go-to-market strategy. The company has now raised $2.25 million and is actively selling its software solution.
