Home Articles QUT Creative Enterprise Australia launches Australia’s first creative tech accelerator

QUT Creative Enterprise Australia launches Australia’s first creative tech accelerator

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QUT Creative Enterprise Australia (CEA) has today launched the Collider Accelerator Program, Australia’s first ever startup accelerator specifically designed for the creative industries.

The program will give 10 early-stage creative tech startups the opportunities to grow and scale their businesses, with access to seed capital of $20,000 per startup, as well as international facilitators and mentors, hands-on masterclasses and CEA’s co-working space and extensive network of like-minded startups.

CEA’s Collider Accelerator is the latest program to be launched with support from Advance Queensland, which is investing more than $400-million to position Queensland as a hub of innovation and growth.

“We’ve been seeing so many great opportunities for tech companies when it comes to getting access to global accelerator programs. But when it comes to the creative industries startups there’s a significant gap,” says CEA’s Executive Manager Mark Gustowski.

“Technology is everything these days, and we want to be able to support entrepreneurs with creative ideas to fuse with technology to build a commercial model that will be sustainable in this digital age.”

“The creative industries contribute around $90-billion to Australia’s economy every year, yet there is limited recognition and programs targeting this sector. We know there are already successful creative tech accelerators run in the UK and USA, so we are looking forward to delivering a first for Australia.”

What will happen at the Collider Accelerator?

CEA’s Collider Accelerator will run for five months from the start of June. The first 12 weeks will include on-the-ground structured content delivery tailored specifically to the creative tech sector, with the option to complete an additional 8 weeks of support for execution and growth.

The creative industries cover areas such as wearable technology, virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing, robotics, games, interactive content, music tech, IoT, film and digital media.

The Collider Accelerator is the latest move by QUT Creative Enterprise Australia to support the creative industries. With specialisation of over a decade in this verticle, CEA already run an accelerator program specifically designed for the fashion industry, and has a startup fund for creative tech which can invest up to $150,000 in each company, as well as provide co-working and incubator facilities.

Applications for Collider are open now and will close on May 4th