Australian start-ups looking for funding no longer have to head overseas to find investors, with a new program to raise $5 million for local start-ups being launched recently.
Online start-up creator Pollenizer has launched an Information Memorandum, aimed at raising dollars from investors to fund start-ups in Australia and South East Asia.
“It’s our aim to introduce a wider range of investors to the potential of tech start-ups than what the industry has previously seen,” says Phil Morle, Pollenizer CEO.
“To ensure the continual growth of the ecosystem, it’s important to build the investment potential locally.”
Morle says they have received positive interest from local investors, as well as investors around Asia.
“Global investors are increasingly paying more attention to the Australian start-up space, as they can see the high investment value on offer,” says Morle.
With start-up activity in Australia growing rapidly, Morle believes local investors need to take advantage of this growth and prevent great new businesses from going overseas.
He says that while local investment options are slowly improving, with Blackbird Ventures recently launching its $30 million fund, it’s still not enough to stop the steady flow of entrepreneurs leaving Australia.
“Lost entrepreneurs are a loss of innovation, lost value creation, lost employment, lost export dollars, lost returns for investors, and most importantly lost hope,” Morle says.
Pollenizer has spent the past five years partnering with entrepreneurs to launch 20 start-ups, growing these businesses from initial concept through to commercialisation.
The new program will be focusing on industries that are going through the biggest changes in the next 3 years, including media, retail, professional services, and finance.
The investment capital raised from the program will be used to launch new start-ups, fund the growth of existing portfolio companies, and to support the expansion of Pollenizer’s activities in south east Asia.
The Information Memorandum is available to sophisticated or professional investors.
