PushStart unveils eight start-ups for $20k accelerator program

Start-up mentor network PushStart has revealed the eight successful start-ups for its first-ever PushStart Accelerator program, with each one set to receive $20,000 in addition to mentoring.

Since its launch in March last year, PushStart has worked with more than 1,200 Australian start-ups and has enabled more than 800 mentor-start-up matches.

Its new program, which kicks off this week and will finish in mid June, is designed to help web and mobile start-ups develop their businesses, get to market, and prepare for additional funding.

At the end of the program, which is being held in Sydney, teams will pitch to investors over several demo days.

As part of the program, each start-up receives $20,000 in cash and is offered support from more than 40 high-profile tech founders, investors and executives, including Rebekah Campbell of Posse.

Other big names include Mitchell Harper from Big Commerce and Rod Johnson of SpringSource.

The start-ups also receive more than $100,000 in other free services from Ninefold, the Microsoft BizSpark Plus Program, Deloitte and DLA Piper.

They will also receive three months of office space and business services at Sydney co-working space Fishburners.

PushStart founder Kim Heras says although the selected applicants have very different ideas – from surfboard-swapping to an online baby journal – there is a common thread among them.

“[They all have] great teams of founders working on solutions that have the potential to solve large market problems in innovative ways,” Heras says.

“They all have so much talent, and I can’t wait to see how they evolve over the next few months. As great innovators and entrepreneurs, they have so much to offer Australia in the future.”

The successful teams are:

• Bleeply, which describes itself as “social media for the enterprise, without the bloopers”. To avoid social media blunders, Bleeply offers a time delay for companies’ social media updates.
• GimmeQuotes offers “service quotes done right”, promising better leads for business and better service for customers.
• Rezon8 provides digital advertising solutions using cutting-edge technology, while Matewire is an activity-based mobile social network for like-minded people.
• Make Tonight Count is an iPhone app that allows users to share and discover plans for their night.
• Werdsmith, which describes itself as “Github for writers”, is an iPhone app to help writers organise, share and collaborate on their projects while on the go.
• Quiverizer is the world’s first surfboard-swapping site, and Tinybeans is an online journal for busy parents.