Start-up Gippsland recently received $180,000 from the Victorian Government’s LaunchVic fund to deliver the Start-Up Gippsland Ecosystem Activation Program. 

Latrobe City Council was successful in securing the funding on behalf of Start-Up Gippsland and will lead the Ecosystem Activation Program designed to build relationships between business founders and industry mentors.   

The Start-up Gippsland Ecosystem Activation Program will drive engagement within the community by running large and small events for start-ups across Gippsland and establishing an online community to build connections between new business founders and mentors.  

Start-Up Gippsland is a business kick starter run in collaboration with Bass Coast Shire, Baw Baw Shire, East Gippsland Shire, Latrobe City, South Gippsland Shire and Wellington Shire councils. 

Founded in 2017 to ensure that Gippsland business founders had access to the same opportunities that exist in metropolitan areas, Start-up Gippsland provides mentoring and programs run by leading experts to help entrepreneurs launch their ideas and expand their businesses.  

To date more than 150 local businesses have been supported by Start-up Gippsland’s programs including their Business Igniter program, Startup Bootcamps and Scale Up Accelerator. 

In 2021, Start-up Gippsland’s Scale Up Accelerator program; a first of its kind delivered solely for Gippsland entrepreneurs, supported 12 established start-up founders to scale their businesses for national and global markets.  

The new Gippsland Ecosystem Activation Program is expected to stimulate business connectedness for 600 local start-ups and entrepreneurs.