The Minderoo Foundation has announced a major investment initiative aimed at increasing funding for women entrepreneurs by partnering with the Startmate accelerator and addressing long-standing gender disparities in venture capital investment in Australia.
Under the partnership, Minderoo Foundation has invested $2 million into the Startmate Accelerator Fund and plans to contribute up to $8 million over four years. The initiative is designed to expand access to early-stage capital for women-led startups, which currently receive only a small fraction of total venture funding in Australia despite evidence suggesting strong performance outcomes.
The collaboration focuses on strengthening the startup pipeline for female founders by improving access to capital, mentorship, and accelerator programs. It aims to increase participation of women in high-growth entrepreneurship, where they remain significantly underrepresented at both founding and investment levels.
The announcement highlights research showing that female-led companies often achieve comparable or higher returns than male-led teams while using capital more efficiently. Despite this, women remain underfunded, with structural barriers limiting their entry and growth in the startup ecosystem.
Startmate, one of Australia’s leading startup accelerators, will use the funding to expand its support for women entrepreneurs. The accelerator has already increased the share of women-led startups in its cohorts, with recent programs showing significant growth in female participation and funding success rates.
The partnership also reflects broader efforts by Minderoo Foundation to advance gender equality in innovation and investment markets, including support for women-focused venture funds and financial inclusion initiatives across the Asia-Pacific region.
Overall, the initiative aims to close systemic funding gaps and build a stronger, more inclusive startup ecosystem by increasing the flow of capital to women founders and supporting long-term economic participation.
