State Library Victoria’s startup support service, StartSpace, announced the recipients of the inaugural Lisa Ring and Family Scholarships are Anna Taylor for her business idea, Podcard which creates and sends personalised podcasts and David Hartley for his business idea, SoundSmith which connects musicians with viral creators.

The scholarships will support the two early-stage business founders to grow their knowledge, skills and networks with $10k seed funding, mentoring and StartSpace Loft membership.

Selected from a pool of 85 applicants, Ms Taylor and Mr Hartley stood out for their ambitious new business ideas, especially with regard to the key criteria around market, solution, fit, traction and impact.

Philanthropist Lisa Ring said she is thrilled to be able to contribute to the growth of these two emerging businesses.

“With so many talented business founders to choose from, selecting the scholars was a tough decision, however both Podcard and SoundSmith stood out for their originality and clear application,” Ms Ring said.

“That they both help foster connection at a time when that is more important than ever is a bonus.” “I wish them both my congratulations, and I look forward to seeing what they achieve over the coming months.”

President of the Library Board of Victoria Christine Christian said it was wonderful to see so many early-stage founders put forward their business ideas.

“We had a huge amount of really promising applications, spanning a range of industries – from healthcare, to the arts and logistics – including from members of our very own StartSpace community,” Ms Christian said.

“It goes to show there are many early-stage business founders in Victoria looking for this kind of support. I am so delighted to be able to offer it, in particular to Anna and David, with the generous support of Lisa Ring and her family, and more broadly, through StartSpace’s ongoing programs.”

“With our StartSpace community growing, we are building out its offering to include more in-person workshops and events. We are also looking forward to providing many more opportunities like the Lisa Ring and Family Scholarships in the future.”

About StartSpace

StartSpace is a startup community for people starting out on their business development journey. Membership is free and gives you access to hot desks, a business development program and a like-minded community.

StartSpace offer a range of programs to help you develop your business idea, including training, workshops, mentoring and networking events. You’ll meet and work alongside a community of people at the same stage as you, and will have the chance to build networks and partnerships.

StartSpace have two spaces. The ground floor has space for 125 members at a time, with our paid StartSpace Loft area available for up to 48 members.

Enabled by the Christine Christian Foundation, StartSpace is in the Ideas Quarter at State Library Victoria, in the centre of Melbourne.

Find out more about how StartSpace can help you with StartSpace membership, as well as available facilities and opening hours of the spaces.

Upcoming Events at StartSpace

StartSpace Tours

Join a tour if you’re looking to kickstart your business journey, and check out State Library Victoria’s space for new business founders.

StartSpace is a business support service for new and early stage founders based in Victoria. The StartSpace coworking space is located within State Library Victoria, with opportunities for access available to StartSpace members.

This free tour will introduce StartSpace to potential members and provide an opportunity to learn about the community, how they can connect and what benefits are available.

Starting 10 Jan 2022 - Register now!

Goal Setting for Entrepreneurs
with Adam Jelic of MiGOAL

In this free workshop, Adam Jelic of MiGOALS will share his guide to goal setting and explain how it’s different to a new year resolution. Adam will run a practical workshop to help you tackle your business priorities and bring structure to your to-do lists.

This workshop will be especially helpful for small business owners, startup founders and entrepreneurs.

Limited spaces for 9 Feb 2022 - Register now!