10 new Indigenous start-ups backed by Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation
Australia has a proud record of delivering incredible innovation — and there are high hopes for these entrepreneurs vying for a share of funding from Andrew Forrest. See the full list.
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The Hills hoist clothes line, the black box flight recorder, the bionic ear and spray-on skin: Australians are renowned globally for their innovation.
But bringing a concept to reality is not always straight forward.
And it can be even harder for First Nations and female innovators.
A report released earlier this year by the Creative Co-Operative (CCO) found just 0.03 per cent went to black women and women of colour.
Generation One, an initiative of Minderoo Foundation, is delivering the program, which this year includes a youth program for entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 30.
Brisbane-based Dr Ngaree Blow said she never viewed herself as a “founder of a start-up”.
“It has given me so much confidence [and taught me] the language to use in business … because my background has only been in healthcare and medicine,” Dr Blow said.
The program culminates in a finale on Thursday night in Melbourne, in which five finalists from each cohort (youth and adult categories) will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas and business for a share in $150,000 of seed capital.
Chairman Minderoo Foundation Dr Andrew Forrest said he hoped Indigenous owned and run businesses would help end disparity for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders.
“Because you not only create wealth, you not only help communities thrive, but Indigenous businesses are up to 100 times more likely to hire an Indigenous employee than other businesses,” he said.
Finalists in the Youth Program include:
Alinta Tatana
She now splits her time between running the Youth Koori Court (YKC) in Sydney, and the self-titled clothing brand she launched during Covid lockdown in July 2021.
The Alinta. Co brand has a strong family connection – her company logo of an echidna, which is also Ms Tatana’s totem, was drawn free hand by her mother and artist Betty Felton.
As she says on her company website, it’s a deeply personal logo.
“Every time I see a living echidna I know it’s my Nan and Ancestors letting me know everything is going to be OK.”
Alisha Geary
Entrepreneurial blood runs through this young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman.
She went on to co-found Thirsty Turtl, a skincare brand that incorporates native plants such as the Australian desert tomato and white cypress pine, with all products predominantly sourced from Indigenous suppliers.
Her latest venture is known as Provvy and will be the subject for her Dream Venture Masterclasses pitch. Provvy is a unique tech platform that empowers artists to claim ownership of their work as well as monetise it through tokenising their art into NFT’s (non-fungible tokens) and selling usage rights.
Cleveland McGhie
Like many great ideas, Mr McGhie’s business has deep roots in his family.
Born in Wollongong and raised in the Dharawal community in the Illawarra, this Wiradjuri man and his partner wanted to create cultural learning resources for their children — and that from that their business Yaali Collective was born.
Mr McGhie has plenty of experience, having been born and bred in his traditional country where he learned and respected the diversities of Aboriginal cultures.
In addition to developing Yaali Collective, he has had an impressive career in diverse, cross-cultural and complex environments such as justice, child protection, disability, health and education.
He is currently working as the business relationships director for Indigenous Allied Health Australia.
Sarah Gorst
It instilled a love in her for the sea and Indigenous aquaculture. Today she is a passionate marine conservation advocate and co-founder of south coast Seaweed, an Indigenous aquaculture initiative on the far south coast of NSW.
The initiative focuses on the revitalisation of traditional knowledge to create modern resources using seaweed. south coast Seaweed has developed research around the cultural significance of seaweed in Australia to build knowledge and create educational resources around seaweed, cultural fishing practices conservation and marine science.
Skye Hunter
A love for native plants and bush medicine has inspired Ms Hunter, a Taungurung woman who lives near the beach on Bunarung country.
Her passion has led the 27-year-old to start creating her own skincare products using native plants in her formulations.
She joined the Dream Venture Masterclasses program to help her take the next steps with her ideas, which she hopes will expand her knowledge within traditional practices and Australian regulations to create innovative products.
Alana Kennedy
Alana is a descendant of the Waanyi and Kalkadoon tribes of North West QLD and has successfully pioneered a 10-year sales and marketing career in the beauty industry.
The business makes a versatile sunscreen infused with ethically sourced native Australian botanicals, which are known for their powerful skin-healing properties.
As Ms Kennedy’s business has grown, so too has her commitment to Indigenous and vulnerable members of the community.
A large portion of profits are reinvested to provide social modular housing, employment and programs for victims of domestic violence, through the social impact venture, Yaba Homes.
Carla Egan
Ms Egan identified a gap in the market for an online directory that connected businesses who needed specialised help but didn’t know where to start, with Australian or New Zealand coaches.
The Coaching Directory has provided a centralised online platform where connections can be made between businesses and qualified coaches.
Darryl Lyons
The goal of his business, Rainstick, is to integrate Indigenous sustainable practices with modern technology to address the climate and planet impact modern agriculture has.
He hopes to use Rainstick to increase productivity, reduce waste in a more sustainable way and investigate and adapt Indigenous sustainable practices into modern agricultural systems.
Kaley Nicholson
Ms Nicholson, whose family lines cross a number of nations throughout Victoria and NSW, co-founded Yilam — ethically and sustainably sourced camping equipment and experiences.
The word ‘Yilam’ comes from the language of the Taungurung Nation – the First Peoples of the rivers and the mountains in the highlands of Victoria. Pronounced ‘yil-um’ this word directly translates to ‘camp’.
It also means ‘home’ which speaks to Yilum’s brand ethos.
Ms Nicholson wants to teach people to connect with and value nature – to treat Country as if it were their home.
Yilum organises a range of experiences, including family overnight camps. Ms Nicholson’s professional background is in policy development, legislation reform and social sciences, and she is committed to creating space for all people.
Dr Ngaree Blow
Dr Blow is an inspiring voice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and is dedicated to improving health inequalities for First Nations Australians.
Currently living on Yuggera and Turrbal lands in Meanjin (Brisbane), she works in Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
Dr Blow became a familiar face during the Covid pandemic, sharing health messaging to empower First Nations communities with health knowledge.
Dr Blow is currently Director of First Nations Health for medical education at the University of Melbourne and as the Specialist Medical Engagement advisor for the Vaccination program for the Department of Health in Victoria.
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