BLOG
Women rush for $60,000 biz prize amid financing dip
- A safety app to prevent child deaths in hot cars, Shazam-style technology for heart complaints and an ex-Olympian’s game-changing idea among 2025 Kickstarter Challenge entries
- Entries have increased four-fold from last year in the first month of launch
- Education announced as a fifth new category
A $60,000 competition for budding women entrepreneurs has experienced an early flood of entries amid a deepening investment drought for female-led businesses in the past three months.
For a fourth year, the Accelerator for Enterprising Women’s Kickstarter Challenge has launched a national search for the top business ideas among females aged 18+, with the health and wellbeing sector proving the most popular category for entrants.
The spike in submissions comes as the latest data from Cut Through Venture revealed that teams headed up by female founders attracted less than 0.5 per cent of capital in the last quarter.
Only 11 deals featured a woman founder, with the report warning 2025 was shaping up to be the worst year on record.
Accelerator for Enterprising Women spokesperson Fleur Anderson said it was critical that government and investors address the funding disparities hindering female-led ventures.
“The fact that only 0.5 per cent of capital was directed to female founders in the last quarter is deeply disappointing, and is a sign that there remains a lot more work to be done to tear down the barriers to their success,” she said.
“At the Accelerator for Enterprising Women, we know this is not due to a lack of talent, passion or drive.
“In fact, we have been blown away by the calibre of business ideas so far in 2025. We are seeing a growing trend of women embracing apps, AI, and innovation to make our communities better places.
“Some of the ingenious app ideas this year aim to prevent child deaths in hot cars, get immediate help for domestic violence victims, help busy families organise their lives and even connect with a community network of EV charging stations in people’s driveways. The judges will have a battle on their hands to choose the winners of the 2025 Kickstarter Challenge!”
A panel of expert judges will select finalists in five categories:
- Community Impact
- Education
- Environment and Sustainability
- Health, Wellbeing and The Care Economy
- Technology
Each finalist will pitch to a panel of judges at the 2025 Kickstarter Challenge Grand Final event at Parliament House in Canberra on November 20.
The winner will take home $30,000 and the four runners-up will win $7,500 for their start-ups.
The Kickstarter Challenge is an initiative of the Australian government-funded Accelerator for Enterprising Women delivered in partnership with the Council of Small Businesses Australia (COSBOA).
Nicole Walsh, COSBOA Head of Programs, said the latest quarterly data proved a stark reminder that significant work remained to achieve true gender parity in entrepreneurship.
“The Kickstarter Challenge is a golden opportunity to gain the funding, exposure, and expert guidance women need to take their business to the next level,” she said.
Entries close Wednesday, October 1 at 5pm (AEST).
Jessica Ritchie
