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After running the world’s first Indigenous Accelerator in November 2016, Barayamal is now running its second accelerator program in Victoria on the 7th September 2020 – thanks to LaunchVic!

Five innovative First Nations businesses will be selected for the Barayamal Accelerator at the Victorian Innovation Hub. The three-month program will support First Nations businesses to break through the COVID-19 challenges to grow their businesses by providing mentoring and training by industry experts, $50,000 in grant funding and showcasing their businesses at the national Demo Day & Awards event on the 27th November 2020.

“I really liked the accelerator program. We’ve got an amazingly strong community built on trust and cultural principles…the connections we made were everlasting.” Kayla Cartledge from Our Songlines, 2019 Barayamal Accelerator participant.

“We’ve met other really great Indigenous entrepreneurs, shared our experiences and learnt from each other” – Niyoka Bundle from Pawa Catering and Events, 2019 Barayamal Accelerator participant.

“Just in the half an hour after receiving the award, I had many people walk up to me saying that they thought we’d done a really good job and they could see the message and they can see the value and they want to help. I’ve got a pocketful of business cards that I can’t wait to get back home and start calling. And, and you know, making these contacts and building these relationships… just been unbelievable. It’s gone past what I thought it would be…and I’m very proud and honoured to be a part of it.” – Stewart Stacey from Binary Security, 2019 Barayamal Accelerator participant.

Barayamal

At Barayamal, we believe First Nations Entrepreneurship can change the world for the better.

We do this by running an Indigenous business accelerator, free events, the Indigipreneur podcast, school-based education, building technology solutions and by investing time and funding Indigenous startups, which are the high-growth economic and employment solution.

Barayamal means ‘Black Swan’ in Gamilaraay language. Black swans were first seen by Europeans in 1697 but before that, Europeans had only known of a white swan. In this instance, the black swan represents Indigenous entrepreneurs who have not been noticed in the world for their innovative businesses. Barayamal plans to show the world that Indigenous entrepreneurs exist and they can also build global businesses.

Barayamal acknowledges the support it receives from LaunchVic.