To be eligible to apply you must:
- be a current Victorian resident.
- be over 18 years old at the time of application.
- be working on a lawful, early stage business or startup idea.
- have your application submitted within the published application dates.
- have completed and provided all requested information.
- be able to enter into a scholarship agreement for the period of January to June 2023, by no later than 2 December 2022.
For more information on eligibility see the full Terms and Conditions here.
To apply you need to complete and submit the application form by 11.59pm on Sunday 30 October 2022. The applications for the Lisa Ring and Family Scholarships are now closed for the 2023 scholarships.
Applicants can indicate any specific access requirements as part of their application. Enquiries can also be made to staff via [email protected].
The option to submit responses to the application questions in video or audio format is available for those with access requirements. Please contact [email protected] to discuss before submitting via video/audio.
Not sure if your business counts as early stage? We use the definitions in City of Melbourne’s Startup Action Plan (PDF – page 41) and LaunchVic’s Startup Framework (PDF – page 14).
One aim of these scholarships is to provide seed funding, tailored mentoring and support to business founders at the very start of their business journey, as a majority seed funding and support across the startup ecosystem tends to be aimed at more established and growing / scalable startups.
The scholarships are designed to support businesses at idea stage or just starting out with their Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that are pre or low-revenue.
There are no application fees or equity taken to take part in the scholarship.
Please contact us at [email protected] if you want to discuss any barriers to your participation.
The scholarship was designed to allow scholars to give more time and focus on their business over a 6-month period.
The seed funding could be used to fast track business growth or alternatively be used to cover other costs associated with focusing on your business (such as helping with living expenses and transport to and from StartSpace).
Part of the scholarship includes a bespoke program of support which may include mentoring, coaching, training, conference, events and StartSpace Loft membership for up to 3 team members.
The StartSpace team will work with the scholars to plan and develop a tailored program focused around what the scholar is looking to achieve with their business.
Scholarship are for individuals though we understand the benefits of teamwork and co-founders. It may be possible for 3 team members to access StartSpace Loft memberships alongside the scholars for the duration of the scholarship – subject to meeting membership criteria and approvals.
Scholars will work with StartSpace staff to create goals and milestones at the beginning of their 6 month scholarship from January to June 2023. Continued funding and participation in the program will be conditional upon being able to demonstrate meeting those goals, milestones and other reporting requirements.
You should expect to hear back from the StartSpace Team by no later than the week commencing 12 December 2022.
Details of the library’s COVID-safe plans, FAQs and conditions of entry can be found here.
You can contact the StartSpace Team with questions about the Lisa Ring and Family Scholarships by email at: [email protected] or phone: 03 8664 7111.
