Start, Scale, Grow

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The Seedlab Program

Seedlab Sisters Cradle Coast Program

The Seedlab Sisters Cradle Coast program will enable women who are curious about what their business dreams could become, to feel more confident and empowered within themselves. They will be supported to make their own business dreams real, and to tell their own stories with impact and conviction.

Specifically, the program seeks to inspire entrepreneurial women interested in agri-food industries in North-West and West Tasmania, and equip them with confidence, skills and networks to develop their ventures. Women from other regions may also participate in the events.

Women do not need to have a business already, they may be at any life stage and simply interested in finding out more about how to develop a business, or want to learn new business skills.

Seedlab Sisters will be presenting a series of 5 Workshops and 3 Seedlab Tasmania Bootcamp Programs in 2022. The 5 Workshops will take participants on a journey, and thus we welcome women to participate in all of them, to build on their knowledge and sense of community.

For more information and to register for the Workshops:

https://seedlabtasmania.eventbrite.com.au

The program is funded by the Tasmanian Government Department of Communities ‘Supporting Women to Succeed’ Grant Program. The project partners are Seedlab Tasmania, Cradle Coast Authority, Switch Tasmania, and is led by Swinburne University’s Centre for Social Impact RegionxLink Office.

Bootcamp

Start working on your idea or business with Germinate Bootcamp where Seedlab will help you build core business skills and more. We’ll help you develop your story and pitch, a simple but focused business plan, and you’ll understand more about being export-ready.

Accelerate

Develop your business and proposition further with the Cultivate Accelerator – a more intense 6 month (online) program of training and coaching with experts. Startups will develop their Minimum Viable Product, market test it, and progress to being Investor-Ready.

Incubate

Once you have completed Cultivate and are ready to scale and grow, Propagate – the Incubator – provides access to specific assistance just for your startup business to help become export-ready. Propagate also includes Masterclasses from global topic specialists on a wide range of topics, available to the Seedlab community and the wider food network in Tasmania.

Seedlab Australia

Woolworths backed Seedlab Tasmania from the start, and has now invested $4 million to take the project nationwide. Seedlab Australia will help producers of food, non-alcoholic beverages, home and personal-care products to start, scale and grow through training and support from industry experts spanning business strategy, production, range, distribution and branding. Once ready for retail distribution, producers will have the opportunity to pitch directly to the Woolworths buying team.

Producers and manufacturers wanting to develop their products for retail distribution can register their interest with Seedlab Australia online and find more information at seedlabaustralia.com.au

“We were proud to support Seedlab Tasmania as a trial. Tasmania is renowned for its food culture and innovation and coupled with the reputation of the team that started Seedlab Tasmania for being leaders in their fields, made it very hard to resist! We have really noticed the energy and the enthusiasm of the participants and the Seedlab team. They are very passionate and engaging and all supportive of each other. They have even got our store teams energised!”

Paul Harker, Chief Commercial Officer, Woolworths Supermarkets & Metro.

“The University of Tasmania is part of a developing Tasmanian entrepreneurial ecosystem focused on the creation of new enterprises that leverage place-based assets across the regions of Tasmania. We supported Seedlab Tasmania as it is also part of the Tasmanian entrepreneurial ecosystem. Seedlab Tasmania has successfully supported the founders as they are the ones that have developed start-ups and new enterprises. The University of Tasmania looks forward to these new enterprises driving job generation, increasing productivity and increasing the number and value of exports, to increase off-island income back to our island, so that it can be shared across our Tasmanian peoples and communities”.

Prof Anthony Koutoulis, Deputy Vice Chancellor Research, UTas.

"FermenTasmania supported Seedlab as it too recognised the lack of industry wide support and advocacy to grow and empower the agrifood and beverage sector in Tasmania, and was happy to help the fledgling program get off the ground. The problems solved and opportunities realised through the collaborative nature of Seedlab is impressive, from improved packaging and brand work to new sales channels and innovative new products.”

Kim Seagram, FermenTasmania.

“I see food, beverage and agritourism as a very important part of Tasmania’s economic future. People involved in these industries have a wonderful passion for their products and a will to share it with others. Small business is a brave venture today and I feel if those of us that have experience share it, we can help people turn their passion into something that can be successfully shared with the world. I love the Seedlab village. The fantastic levels of support for each other in the village has been achieved in such a short time, but I’ve no doubt will now last many a lifetime of caring and sharing with each other”.

Ray Butcher, InoPlus Pty. Ltd.

Seedlab moves in the innovative, value add and farming sector a perfect fit for Regional Investment Corporation with our vision to support farmers and assist in building stronger communities. “The Seedlab Village is so exciting all the time, with new things to eat, drink and enjoy. It’s about enriching people’s lives whether they are building a brand or styling their life to better understand what being in business means, and how to not get burnt out when growing your business. In this Village everyone has a voice, in fact it’s a global voice which is what we have come to expect. Hazel has a very long reach to people all over the world, dying to be picked to be a part of Seedlab Tasmania and the Village. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else”.

Susie Lohrey, Regional Investment Corporation.

"NTDC sees Tasmania's boutique food and beverages as a huge competitive advantage and Seedlab's aim to help participants grow their business and exports aligns perfectly with our economic development goals. What we have valued is the real collaborative spirit that exists in Seedlab, and how so many people with different skillsets work together with a common purpose. NTDC believes in competition but we believe the competitor isn't the business around the corner, it's the business around the world and for Northern Tasmania to succeed as a relatively small region, we must work together."

Mark Baker, CEO Northern Tasmania Development Corporation.

“We work to ensure local brilliance thrives, and Seedlab Tasmania recognised that Tasmania is rich in amazing food, drink and agri-tourism businesses and we wanted to help Seedlab Tasmania start-ups to grow and flourish by supporting them to protect and leverage their intellectual property. The business owners are inspired and passionate about their products and we have noticed that Seedlab Tasmania has brought structure and discipline to their business operations, creating clarity of purpose and providing a springboard for greater achievements in a collaborative environment. Intellectual property is a building block of business success and we have valued partnering early with Seedlab Tasmania business owners to help identify and protect their intellectual property to support their success, which has been incredibly satisfying for us”.

Sally Foreman, Davies Collison Cave.

Are you Ready?

Working with Seedlab is an exciting, uplifting process with endless possibilities.
We don’t fish for you, we teach you how to fish. Let’s get started.

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Frequently Asked Questions.

Here are some answers about Seedlab

What types of businesses will Seedlab Tasmania help?

The Seedlab Tasmania Incubator is for Tasmanians: people with an idea and startup (start-up, or early stage) businesses developing food and drink products that may have potential for export markets, or agri-tourism ventures for international visitors.

Is the assistance from Seedlab Tasmania free?

Seedlab Tasmania is supported by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science through Incubator Support initiative funding as part of the Entrepreneurs’ Programme. In addition to sponsorship from other Tasmanian and Australian institutes/companies. This support funds the time of the Seedlab team to develop and deliver the programme, and for materials and some travel and other costs for eligible startups to access the program. It does not cover all the costs required for you to start, scale and grow a business. We will “teach you how to fish”; we are not there to fish for you.

What is the definition of a “startup” (“start-up”)?

Startups are “innovative, adaptive, early stage and scaleable businesses”. Generally, a startup will have been trading for less than 3 years and would not yet be investor-ready.

What does “export-ready” mean?

“Export-ready” means that at some point in the future, you have the interest and will to export your products or services outside of Australia. There is no defined time-frame for this – it could be within 5 years. For agri-tourism ventures, “export-ready” means your idea would potentially attract international visitors to Tasmania.

Is it for me?

Yes – if you can answer “Yes” to these questions:

Is your idea related to food, drinks, agri-food or agri-tourism?

Are you (or do you intend to be) based in Tasmania?

Have you been trading for less than 3 years, or not at all yet?

Do you intend that a significant proportion of jobs and economic growth created by your activity will occur in Tasmania?

Do you have an interest in selling your products/services beyond Australia in the next 5 years, or in attracting international visitors to your agri-tourism venture

Which types of business aren’t eligible for support from Seedlab Tasmania?

Your business or idea isn’t eligible if: you are already an existing company with a long trading history, are setting up a new division or a new entity within a consolidated group, are creating an Australian office for an established multi-national, or you are a Small/Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) with a proven sales record and credit history that could access finance for your new idea.

When do Seedlab Programmes happen – and how often?

We have three (3) cohort groups for Bootcamp: Feb 2020; October 2020 and April/May 2021. Applications will close around 3 weeks before each Bootcamp. We have three (3) rounds of Cultivate too; each of which runs for 6 months and starts a few weeks after Bootcamp.

The Seedlab Tasmania Project is supported by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through Incubator Support initiative funding as part of the Entrepreneurs’ Programme. In addition to sponsorship from other institutes/companies:

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