Press Play Ventures has a easy objective – assist extra ladies turn out to be startup founders.
The 12-week accelerator program received the GSD (Get Sh*t Performed) Award, supported by Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, on the Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards 2025 after delivering a dramatic affect for ladies founders in simply 12 months.
Press Play was based by Jumpstart Studio’s Sangeeta Muchandani, three-time founder, angel investor Preethi Mohan from NiceTo, Isaac Jeffries, and Poonam Advani – Finest in Tech Future Chief of the 12 months finalist – in early 2024 and was backed by LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund, which backs ladies founders.
The premise is obvious: A program for ladies trying to step outdoors their company, scaleup or startup jobs to turn out to be a startup founder.
In simply 18 months, they delivered a 12% uplift in ladies founders in Victoria, additionally having a broader affect on who will get to construct, how help is delivered, and what inclusive innovation appears to be like like.
Press Play has already helped 120 ladies to launch 104 startups. It’s a dramatic shift when ladies characterize simply 20% of startup founders and get lower than 2% of VC funding.
The pre-accelerator helps ladies transition from employment into entrepreneurship by means of absolutely funded and partial scholarships (between 85% and 100%), zero fairness, and hands-on, high-touch help.
A snapshot of expertise
The alumni is its personal outstanding snapshot of expertise – 65% are mid-career ladies over 35, 62% are multicultural, and 73% new to startups.
Their startup roster spans MedTech, AI, DeepTech, Round Vogue, FinTech, and extra, together with GonGlobal which raised a $1.6 million pre-Seed spherical; and Umbrellus, which partnered with RMIT for ClimateTech analysis and was accepted into LaunchVic’s CivVic Labs for the Round Agtech Problem.
Now they’re scaling Press Play Ventures nationally, with two streams: a web-based program for ladies throughout Australia and an in-person stream in Victoria, guaranteeing accessibility for ladies in regional and distant areas.
“Our objective is to create a sturdy pipeline of numerous, investment-ready women-led startups throughout Australia after which develop internationally,” Mohan explains.
“We’re additionally co-designing new initiatives with universities, incubators, and councils to embed inclusive startup training into mainstream programs, ensuring gender fairness is baked in from the start, not added as an afterthought.”
The way to GSD
The staff’s method proves that when the setting is true, ladies thrive.
Accepting the GSD award, Mohan stated it’s felt like whirlwind since launch, however wanting again they actually did Get Shit Performed.
“The very best suggestions we get is from our founders, however that is the ecosystem really recognising us, which is so particular as a result of we actually are a program the place we join founders to the ecosystem. And to get that recognition is unimaginable,” she stated.
“I believe the largest factor anybody can do [in the startup community] is lean in and help the folks which might be supporting the ladies. As a result of we’re already there placing within the arduous yards and dealing with ladies to make it a heat and alluring expertise. And we want the remainder of the ecosystem to assist them keep and flourish.”
So what’s one concrete factor the startup ecosystem can do to assist GSD?
“That is one thing that we at all times inform our ladies founders. Performed is healthier than good,” Mohan stated.
“So it’s higher simply to place an concept on the market and iterate and get it the place you need it to be than simply ready and sitting in your arms. So any ladies watching this? Simply get shit accomplished.”
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