Startups focusing on Indigenous health, sports protection wear for women win Amazon Australia innovation grants

An Indigenous-owned and operated health food business and a startup aiming to empower a new generation of women sport participation through pioneering protection garments are among the four Australian startups to be announced as the winners of Amazon Australia’s Launchpad Innovation Grants initiative for 2023.

Amazon Launchpad is designed to celebrate and support the growth of Australian startups and small to medium-sized businesses and aims to accelerate the four winners’ businesses with a cash grant, a ‘Selling on Amazon’ bootcamp experience, and more. The program awarded grants valued at more than $90,000, including $20,000 in cash to four innovative startups from across Australia following a competitive pitch process.

The 2023 winners include Gold Coast business BSKT Wholefoods, founded by former Gold Coast Titans players Ryan James, Greg Bird and Selasi Berdie; Perth business AntiBeauty, founded by Benjamyn Gardner; GiveWrap, which is based in Sydney; and Melbourne-based business Zena Sport. 

“An endorsement that can’t be measured”

Zena Sport owner and co-founder Donna Johnson, who is married to former AFL player Brad Johnson, said winning an Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grant is “huge” for her team. 

“Amazon has been amazing in supporting Australian startups through this program. This grant will not only help Zena Sport scale but it will also give us the opportunity to develop more women-specific products as well as creating more brand awareness,” she told SmartCompany. 

“It gives us the opportunity to introduce our product to a whole new audience and reach new Amazon customers. It gives us access to an amazing support network and mentors who can help support us as we scale the business through marketing, advertising and mentorship.

“Starting a business is extremely difficult, especially as a woman founder. When a huge organisation like Amazon Australia awards you with an award that includes an Innovation Grant it really gives the business a boost. It gives your product an endorsement that can’t be measured and also gives you a belief that your product has a purpose and motivates you to keep working towards achieving your goals.”

Johnson says the cash boost to the business alone will be amazing and allow it to fulfill its dreams of expanding its product range on a global and local scale. 

“It will also go towards developing further women-specific products through science-based research and technology. We are really excited to invest more in digital advertising with the help of our mentors at Amazon Australia,” she says.

Johnson says the idea for Zena Sport came to her while having coffee with a friend. 

“Her daughters had just started playing football and we were discussing the injuries that had occurred over the weekend. It concerned me that adolescent girls were playing contact sports without any form of chest protection at such a crucial stage of their development. I went home and did some research about breast injury in women’s sports and also discovered that there were no suitable products on the market for girls to wear in competition. So it was from here I did two years R&D to develop the Zena Sport Impact protection Vest,” she explains.

“The thing that sets our product apart from the rest is that it is the first product of its kind to include breast and rib protection suitable for all sports. We use a technology that allows the garment to be lightweight (only 160 grams Z1 and 100 Grams Youth) while being able to absorb high impact. It is non-restrictive and allows the athlete to perform at their best while reducing the risk of injury. We want to empower a new generation of women athletes to play with confidence.”

Johnson is focused on building Zena Sport to be a global brand.  

“I believe every woman should be able to perform at their best while reducing the risk of injury while also placing importance on recovery. We need to normalise the conversations and educate about the risks of breast injury in sport,” she says. 

“I would like to see us expand our product range and design specific women’s products for specific sports. I hope that Zena Sport not only gives women and girls the confidence to participate in sport but to also stay in sport and remain active. I also hope that I am an example for other women founders to pursue their ideas and persevere.”

Amazon Australia said it received hundreds of applications for this year’s Launchpad Innovation Grants initiative, from which 10 finalists were chosen. The ten finalists then travelled to Amazon Australia’s Sydney HQ to pitch their entries in person to a panel of expert judges.