INCUBATOR
flair
INCUBATOR
Welcome to the FLAIR Incubator, where we are preparing to support five female-led businesses on a four-month journey to advance their aspiration to run an international operation from regional Australia.
why join an incubator?
Throughout the program, the FLAIR cohort will learn the skills they need to start and grow their international business, to develop the behaviours to maintain their business and personal wellbeing as well as preparing their families for the journey, and to establish an understanding of the culture and customs that exist as part of building relationships and making the connections needed in another part of the world.
The journey will involve time together in person as well as connecting virtually. These are part of the skills required to operate a successful international business. Regular ‘residentials’ will strengthen the relationship between the cohort and mentors, and provide a proving opportunity for the support network at home.
Guiding the program is our diverse team of entrepreneurs with experience in starting and growing businesses domestically and internationally, and supporting others to do the same.
They, along with our mentors and coaches from around the world, are eager to listen, share, offer suggestions and make introductions to encourage each individual within each team to grow in confidence and continue moving forward.
Female-Led
FLAIR is about supporting organisations with a female founder or co-founder, to grow beyond our local domestic market.
The incubator is not a ‘women-only’ environment. We believe that diversity of thoughts, ideas, experience and contribution is essential, and this can only come through having a diverse cohort, team, mentors and coaches.
Where there is a woman in the lead of a venture, the statistics show lower failure rates & more capital-efficient companies.
Aspiring to be International
The program is designed to support both startups that are looking to be global from day one and existing domestic market businesses considering entering into an international market.
Your aspiration may be to fulfil a need that exists globally or to service a specific geographical niche.
Trading internationally does not have to mean export of a physical product, although it can, it also could be supplying digital products or providing services.
Regionally-based
Living in regional, rural or remote Australia comes with many benefits such as strong communities, affordable living and a safe environment for raising families. However, it also comes with challenges for business owners and entrepreneurs that are not fully understood by our metropolitan peers.
The program will be delivered as a hybrid of in-person sessions held in Toowoomba, Queensland and online. There is no boundary line for participation.
Empowered {wo}men, empower women
incubator program
As the program is open to any type of business to apply, the program will be adapted to suit the teams that are invited to participate.
Our team is very familiar with adjusting the level of learning to suit the needs of the cohort based on the stage of their business lifecycle, the industry they are in and the audience they are servicing.
There are three main elements that we will focus on:
Skills – knowledge and technical capability…what, why and how
Behaviours – actions and reactions
Connections – introductions, relationships and culture
Examples of the topics that will be introduced
- Lean business model concepts
- Validation and experimentation techniques
- Channels to market
- Customer segmentation
- Holistic time management techniques
- Minimum Viable Product
- Product-market fit
- Unique Value Proposition
- Customer acquisition strategies
- Business model iterations
- Customer relationships
- Market channel fit
- Partnerships & strategic alliances
- Revenue streams, finances & venture capital
- Government programs and grants
- Capital raising
- Pitching skills
- Preparation for Demo Day
- Future direction opportunities
- International landing pads and accelerators
the flair team
Our team are all excited to be sharing this part of your journey with you. We have each spent years developing our own businesses, networks and skills both locally here in Australia and extensively around the globe and are ready to share all that we can to support to develop a successful and sustainable international business.
Ian Mason
Entrepreneur-In-Residence
Ian is a multiple-time founder, CEO of a number of scale-ups and successfully exited from one of these after an 8 year period of rapid growth.
He has been an active member of the global start-up and scale-up ecosystem for over 15 years, most notably in his role as co-creator of Virgin StartUp, Sir Richard Branson’s not-for-profit for entrepreneurs looking to start, fund or scale their business.
Joy Taylor
Program Director
Joy has developed and delivered programs for new entrepreneurs across Asia and Europe, as well as regional and rural Queensland providing entrepreneurial skill development and networking to women who live outside of metropolitan areas.
David Masefield
Head of Partnerships
David is also part of a large, connected network of startup supporters around the world as a Global Facilitator for Techstars.
Imogen King
Incubator Support
Interacting with teams across Asia, Europe and the US, Imogen understands the complexities and communication barriers that can be present in cross continental relationships. Imogen is also an Area Director for Toastmasters International.
Mentors and Coaches
Our networks expand into every continent on the globe, and the list of wonderful people who want to assist regional female-led businesses to grow a successful international business is long. We will introduce them here as the program progresses, based on the needs of the cohort, such as the stage they are at, the audience they are seeking and the connections they are needing.
If you would like to be included on our available mentors and coaches list, please reach out to us via flair@canvascoworking.com.au and provide your details and we will keep you informed of the team’s progress and needs.
applications close in
Day(s)
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Hour(s)
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Minute(s)
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Second(s)
Selection Bootcamp
Thursday 6 & Friday 7 August 2020
Incubator Commences
Monday 31 August 2020
Showcase & Finale
Wednesday 16 December 2020
Flair incubator Schedule
The schedule includes a mix of group sessions and private session, delivered via a hybrid model of intense residential weeks onsite in Toowoomba, with virtual mentor sessions and weekly masterclasses, as well as regular progress check-ins.
Applications Open
Thursday 25 June 2020
Applications Close
Thursday 23 July 2020
Bootcamp Invitations
Friday 31 July 2020
Notification by phone and email to shortlisted applicants to attend the Selection Bootcamp
Selection Bootcamp
Thursday 6 & Friday 7 August 2020
Held in Toowoomba at Canvas Coworking
In-Person attendance required
Whole team are welcome to attend
Incubator Cohort Announced
Friday 14 August 2020
Incubator Commences - 1st Residential
Monday 31 August 2020 – Friday 4 September 2020
Held in Toowoomba at Canvas Coworking
In-Person attendance required
Whole team are welcome to attend
Consists of various sessions to build skills, behaviours and connections
Weekly Masterclasses + Private Mentoring and Coaching (virtual)
Weekly from 7 September 2020 to 7 December 2020
Masterclasses will be with the cohort (group)
Held online via Zoom
Attendance by the person relevant to the topic
Whole team welcome
Topics will vary depending on needs of cohort
Approx 3 hour session
Private Mentoring and Coaching
Arranged at a mutually convenient time between participant & mentor/coach
Approx 1 hour per session (number of sessions will vary depending on need)
Regular check-ins with Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Private session with participant and EIR at a mutually convenient time
Daily Stand-up via Slack
2nd Residential
Monday 28 September to Wednesday 30 September 2020
Held in Toowoomba at Canvas Coworking
In-Person attendance required
Whole team are welcome to attend
Consists of various sessions to build skills, behaviours and connections
3rd Residential
Monday 26 October to Wednesday 28 October 2020
4th Residential
Monday 23 November to Wednesday 25 November 2020
5th Residential
Monday 14 December to Thursday 17 December 2020
Held in Toowoomba at Canvas Coworking
In-Person attendance required
Whole team are welcome to attend
Consists of various sessions to build skills, behaviours and connections
Incubator Cohort Showcase Day and Finale Celebration
Wednesday 16 December 2020
Held in Toowoomba
In-Person attendance required
Whole team are welcome to attend
Presentation Showcase Luncheon by invitation only
Evening Showcase and Celebration at Canvas Coworking
Everyone welcome, including community, family and friends
We realise that this is a new concept and you probably have a lot of questions.
In addition to a list of FAQs that you can read, we hosted a few online information sessions, to share some more information and give plenty of time for you to ask all your questions.
This is a recording of one of those sessions. We encourage you to watch it and then reach out if you have any further questions.
This project received grant funding from the Australian Government.
Along with financial support from:
Advancing Regional Innovation Program – Darling Downs & Maranoa
Canvas Coworking
Startup Toowoomba
and in-kind support from our generous community of global mentors and coaches
THANK YOU!
There is no cost to apply or participate, and we will not be taking any equity in your company.