Five Aussie businesses vie for $40,000 grant as part of inaugural LiftHER APAC cohort

An AI-powered personal health assistant and businesses revolutionising cancer detection and redefining waste are among the five women-led emerging Australian startups that will form part of Liftwomen Group’s inaugural LiftHER cohort.

Last week, Australia’s first women-focused go-to funding marketplace announced that 10 finalists across the Asia-Pacific region – including Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Hong Kong – had been selected from over 300 applications to form part of the cohort.

The Australian founders and businesses included are Anh Van and Hiu Tek Wu from Brisbane-based startup La Foundary; Ariella Heffernan-Marks from OVUM Technology; Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks from Missing Perspectives; Rina Gocaj-Bekiri and Floriye Elmazi from Sisterwould; and Samira Sadeghi from Oncorevive.

The Australian finalists will join five other startups to undergo an eight-week intensive business and crowdfunding coaching program, culminating in March in Melbourne, where they will pitch to a curated group of investors, partners and backers for their chance to win a $40,000 grant, divided into three awards: The Best Project Award, The Best Innovation Award, and The People’s Choice Award.

The Lift Women Asia Pacific Grant Pitch Night will be held in Melbourne on Wednesday, March 27, with tickets to the event still available.

SmartCompany spoke with LIFTwomen Group founder and CEO Irene Tsang, who said the finalists were chosen for their innovative solutions and commitment to making change. 

“The program consists of three pillars – education, funding and fellowship – and it’s a 12-month fully sponsored programme,” she said.

“The first part, education, is mainly focused on coaching and giving business education, particularly around how to do and prepare for a reward crowdfunding campaign, because Lift Women is now Australia’s first nation-leading reward crowdfunding platform. 

The Sisterwould co-founders. Source: Supplied

“We want to be able to empower female entrepreneurs to be able to equip that skill because we think crowdfunding is very effective and great funding tools.

“It’s an alternative compared to traditional fundraising. So we think it will be very, very beneficial for great entrepreneurs to equip that skill. 

“So we wanted to put together a structured programme to coach them, teach them and help them prepare and get ready.

“We also connect them with incredible mentors … from Australia, Asia, Hong Kong, to support the founders.”

Tsang said the opportunity to pitch on stage in March to win the $40,000 cash grant will give the finalists another opportunity to reach their funding goal and support their venture development.

“We also think fellowship, the third pillar, is really important as we don’t just want to give the grant to the participants and then go off. We want to support them along the journey by checking in with them regularly and making sure they are on track.”

Tsang said that having five finalists from Australia this time is incredible.

“And of course, because we are Australian-based ourselves, we have a very solid community here as well and quite a lot of applicants are from Australia,” she said.

“These ten finalists are from very diverse industries and I’m very keen to bring together female entrepreneurs from different countries.

“We all know it’s a challenge for women to start a business and get funding, but now we’re providing very practical solutions and tools.”

The LiftHER Grant Challenge aims to empower 20 early-stage impact-led women entrepreneurs with a comprehensive package of grants, scholarships, coaching, mentorship, and marketing support, valued at over $300,000 over two cohorts over two years.

The full list of the top ten finalists for the LiftHER cohort are:

– Anh Van and Hiu Tek Wu – La Foundary – Australia

– Ananda Amelita – Yippy – Indonesia

– Ariella Heffernan-Marks – OVUM. Technology – Australia

– Anna Beatriz Suavengco – Urban Farmer TV – Philippines

– Audrey Tangonan – Sinaya Cup – Philippines

– Eugene Siu – Petaife – Hong Kong

– Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks – Missing Perspectives – Australia

– Rina G and Floriye Elmazi – SISTERWOULD – Australia

– Salma Dias Saraswati -Tenang AI – Indonesia

– Samira Sadeghi – Oncorevive – Australia