Accelerating NQ Female Founders Program

Are you a female founder with an innovative idea, product, or service but uncertain about the best way to commercialise it? The journey from concept to market can be especially challenging, particularly when navigating complex business environments. The Accelerating NQ Female Founders Program is specifically designed to help you overcome these challenges, offering hands-on, practical support to turn your innovative ideas into successful businesses with the potential to scale beyond North Queensland.

What Makes Our Program Stand Out for Female-Led Businesses:

Our program empowers you by providing the tools, know-how, and connections necessary to build sustainable commercial pathways. We understand that each business journey is unique, which is why our program is tailored to meet your specific needs as a female entrepreneur. Here’s what sets us apart:

• Practical Support from Experienced Advisors: Our advisors aren’t just mentors—they’re partners who have walked this path before. They bring real-world experience and insight to help you overcome obstacles and seize opportunities, equipping you with the tools to carve out your own pathway to success.
• A Cohort of Like-Minded Women: You’ll join a group of driven, like-minded women who share your ambition and passion. Together, you’ll form close-knit bonds, support one another, and inspire each other throughout the program and beyond.
• Comprehensive, Formalised Support: Over a 9-month period, you’ll receive structured support, including mentoring, advisory board catchups, and industry networking events. But our commitment doesn’t end there—we’ll continue to support your business with ongoing advice, visibility, and advocacy long after the program concludes.
• Flexible Delivery: Aside from the program launch and two key industry networking events, all elements will be delivered in a hybrid format—attend in person or online, with sessions recorded for later viewing. Financial support may be available to help cover travel costs for key events in Townsville, ensuring that female founders across North Queensland can fully participate, regardless of location.
• Proven Track Record: We’ve successfully delivered numerous cohorts of similar programs, supporting hundreds of businesses over the past four years. This experience makes us well-equipped to guide you through your journey. Our approach has been refined over time, ensuring that you receive maximum value.

Program Overview:

The Accelerating NQ Female Founders Program, fully funded by the generous support of the Queensland Government, is a comprehensive initiative designed to empower and support female entrepreneurs throughout North Queensland. Our program is specifically tailored for female founders who are leading Innovation Driven Enterprises (IDEs)—businesses that emphasise innovative solutions as a key driver of growth, competitive advantage, and value creation. These enterprises focus on developing and commercialising new products and services to achieve their strategic objectives, with the potential to scale beyond North Queensland.

We place strong emphasis on supporting women in regional and remote areas and First Nations Female Founders, recognising the unique challenges they face and providing the resources needed to overcome them.

Examples of Innovation Driven Enterprises (IDEs):

• • • A retail business that disrupts the market by using innovative, customer-centric approaches to revolutionise the shopping experience.
    • A healthcare service offering novel approaches to patient care, significantly improving existing models through innovative use of design thinking, AI, or virtual care.
    • A tourism enterprise developing distinctive, culturally immersive experiences utilising technology that can be scaled and replicated in other regions or global markets.
    • A creative arts business leveraging new mediums or technologies to reach and engage wider audiences and redefine how creative content is consumed.
    • A food and beverage company introducing innovative, sustainable solutions (e.g., blockchain/provenance tracking, sustainable packaging) that challenge industry standards and have the potential for widespread adoption.

These examples demonstrate that IDEs are not limited to technology companies; they can be found across all industries including, but not limited to, agriculture, advanced manufacturing, technology, healthcare, creative arts, and tourism. What they share is a commitment to innovation, growth, and scalability beyond their local market.