CORE Start Award supports resources technology startups to reach their full potential

For new technology startups, overcoming the “valley of death” in their early stages, with limited access to resources, increasing overheads and the need to establish valuable connections, represents one of the biggest challenges to their new businesses surviving.

To address this, CORE Innovation Hub has opened applications for the third round of the CORE Start Award, sponsored by CORE foundation partners NERA and WesTrac. The initiative addresses these common challenges by providing promising early-stage energy and resources technology startups with three months of co-working at CORE Innovation Hub, coupled with facilitated industry connections, mentoring and network links to support the growth of their business.

As a foundation sponsor of CORE and the CORE Start Award, NERA has been a key supporter of the collaborative working space and the first and second rounds of the CORE Start Award.

NERA CEO Miranda Taylor said CORE Start can form an important elementary step in nurturing the next generation of Australian energy resources entrepreneurs.

“CORE Start not only provides a unique co-working space for early-stage startups, it’s an invaluable opportunity to connect them with an ecosystem of technology entrepreneurs that encourages collaboration and the transfer of knowledge and skills – all vital building blocks that support innovators design, develop, commercialise and scale new technologies and services,” Ms Taylor said.

CORE Innovation Hub General Manager Aaron Schier is looking forward to supporting the next round of innovative startups with disruptive technologies that can deliver significant value to Australia’s energy and resources sector.

“We are currently accepting applications from startups to pitch their business and describe how their tech can transform our industries, comprising mining, oil and gas, resources, energy, defence and space. The next two recipients of the CORE Start Award will be provided an environment that fosters connections between the tech entrepreneurial ecosystem and industry,” he said.

Previous CORE Start Award recipient Chironix has recently moved into larger office space in Perth.

“We’ve had an amazing time and must thank everyone at NERA and CORE Innovation Hub. Your support over the last year has been invaluable to the growth of Chironix as we have scaled from a team of 4 to 14 and counting. We couldn't have asked for better industry champions,” said Chironix Managing Director Daniel Milford.

Applications for the CORE Start award are open until 17 August 2019. To learn more, visit: http://www.corehub.com.au/core-start, or to discuss application details, email CORE Innovation Hub General Manager Aaron Schier: info@corehub.com.au.

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government.