The Lisa Ring and Family Scholars for 2024!
The StartSpace team are very excited to announce the 2024 Lisa Ring and Family Scholars are:
Dr Anushi Rajapaksa co-founder of MISTI – who are developing a consumer-grade next generation nebuliser that will enable better home management of viral infections like influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus.
Edward Barraclough co-founder of Drone-Hand – an AI-driven, automated flight-app designed to work with drones that allows easier monitoring of livestock across all terrains.
Pictured above: Dr Anushi Rajapaksa and Lisa Ring at StartSpace, Wednesday 13 December 2023
Pictured above: Lisa Ring and Edward Barraclough at StartSpace, Wednesday 13 December 2023
About The Scholarships
The 2024 Lisa Ring and Family Scholarships, offer two scholarship programs to ambitious new founders looking to develop their knowledge and grow their new venture.
The scholarships are made possible by a generous donation from the Lisa Ring family who are passionate and committed to supporting new entrepreneurs and enabling their growth.
The Lisa Ring and Family Scholarships are designed to offer seed funding, sponsored co-working space, tailored coaching and support to new business founders in the very early stage of their business journey and help them advance to the next stage.
The benefits of the program
The scholarships include:
$10,000 AUD of seed funding for your business
12-months of StartSpace Loft membership for each scholar and one other teammate, and
Tailored mentoring and coaching program
Got questions about the Scholarships?
Watch the recording of the Lisa Ring and Family Information Session below for key information, tips for applying and insights from 2023 Lisa Ring Scholar Aiden Rayner, Founder of Don’t Move Until You See It.
Applications and eligibility
Applications for the 2024 scholarships close 11.59pm Sunday 12 November 2023.
All Victorian based early stage founders, age 18+, who are working on their new venture and able to commit to a scholarships program from January – December 2024 are eligible to apply for the scholarships.
Applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, LGBTIQ+ people, and people of all ages 18 and above and all abilities are welcomed.
To be eligible to apply for the 2024 scholarships you must be able to enter into a scholarship agreement no later than 2 December 2023, and commit to the scholarship program period of January to December 2024.
For more information on eligibility visit our FAQs or see full Terms and Conditions here.
Application criteria
Applications will be assessed based on responses to the following criteria:
1. Market & problem (20%)
- What is your business idea / business model?
- How did you come up with it?
- Can you demonstrate a clear understanding of: target customers, the problem you are trying to solve and the addressable market for your business?
2. Solution & Innovation (20%)
- Demonstrate how your service or product solves this problem for customers or fills a demand in the market? (i.e. product market fit)
- What’s new and innovative in your solution?
3. Founder Strength & Fit (20%)
- Demonstrate how you (and Co-applicant if applicable) are particularly setup for success to deliver your solution
- Why are you best placed to deliver on this idea e.g. lived experience, skills, networks, knowledge.
4. Scholarship Impact (30%)
- Describe how this Lisa Ring & Family scholarship and its benefits will change the runway of your business?
- How much of a difference would this scholarship make to what you are trying to achieve?
5. Traction (10%)
- Demonstrate what you have achieved so far and what goals have been set to be undertaken in the next 12 months?
For more information on applications visit our FAQs or see full Terms and Conditions here.5
Other key information
The following individuals and/or organisations are ineligible to apply for the Lisa Ring and Family Scholarships for 2024:
Founders of established businesses or startups deemed too advanced and no-longer early stage.
To determine early stage we are guided by the definitions in :
City of Melbourne’s Startup Action Plan (PDF – page 41, Welcome/Found), and
LaunchVic’s Startup Framework (PDF – page 14).
The scholarships will be awarded to individuals (“Primary Applicant” in the application) – though there will be options provided to offer a co-founder or team member (one additional person) of the scholarship winners a 12-month membership of the StartSpace Loft coworking space.
Please note: StartSpace does not take any stake in the business in exchange for the seed funding; equity remains with the founder.
If you have any questions or seek more information please contact the StartSpace team: [email protected]. We also recommend you read the FAQs and Terms and Conditions provided.
