Applications for the 500 Melbourne accelerator program are now open. Apply here.

This year, 500 Startups will launch our 500 Melbourne office to deliver a comprehensive series of startup and investor education programs and events to help support top Aussie startups, angel investors, VCs, and the larger Australia startup community. We are doing this in partnership with LaunchVic, Victoria’s innovation support agency. 500 Melbourne will work alongside local accelerators, corporates and other startup investors to develop and grow the Australian startup ecosystem and help connect Australia with investors and mentors in the Silicon Valley tech community and around the world.

The 500 Melbourne core acceleration program will accept 20-25 startups annually from Australia and the APAC region, and provide the same caliber of mentorship and expertise our Silicon Valley startups receive. In addition to the core program, the 500 Melbourne team aims to invest in startups alongside angel and VC investors from the local market, host pitch coaching sessions, do customer acquisition and growth marketing, and deliver local tech investor education programs such as our VC Unlocked investor training in Silicon Valley.

Why Australia

The Australian ecosystem is at an inflection point, with more venture funding available than ever before and government championing an innovation agenda to legitimize and support startups.  The time has never been better for 500 to bring its expertise, network, and early-stage know-how to Australia’s startup and investment community.  

500 has invested in thousands of startups in over 60 countries around the world. We have also made investments in 20 Australian companies to date, including Canva, HappyCo, and UpGuard, among others. 500 aims to bring the best of Silicon Valley mentorship and investment as well as global market experience to Melbourne. The programs we have planned for the local market will help identify and promote top Australian investment opportunities to Silicon Valley, and to our global network of angels and VCs.

500 is more excited than a kangaroo on a trampoline to expand our global reach to Australia, and we expect 2017 to be a fantastic year both for 500 and for Australia.

To get in touch with us about 500 Melbourne, send us a message at melbourne@500.co  

About Ecosystem Development at 500

500 partners with governments, corporates, and startup organizations around the world to invest in the critical elements of emerging ecosystems. We run startup programs in Asia-Pacific such as the 500 Kobe acceleration program in Japan, and our Series A programs in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. We run investor education programs with Stanford and Berkeley in the San Francisco Bay Area, and we are now taking these programs abroad in the coming year. We’re also expanding our work with corporate innovators, to help larger companies discover, partner, and invest in new breakthrough startups.  To get in touch with us about our ecosystem development programs, you can reach us at https://500.co/contact-us/.