StartVic is on the hunt for a new wave of tech startups that they can help turn into unicorns — companies valued at more than $1 billion.

The Victorian start-up agencies 30×30 program was developed with the goal of helping 30 startups reach $1 billion in value by 2030, and is now open to expressions of interest.

LaunchVic 30×30 was launched last year to support the state’s fastest growing scaleups, with a group of startups including Mr Yum, Seer Medical and July participating in the HR, operations and finance lead oversight program. Nine companies participated in 2022, eleven of which will be selected for the cohort this year.

During the four-month program, they team up with mentors from leading local technology giants, including Atlassian, Canva, Culture Amp, Judo Bank and Carsales, to address common challenges as they grow.

The selected companies will also receive $6,000 in new market entry funding from Global Victoria, the Victorian government’s trade agency.

Zhoe Low, general manager of the July luggage startup, said the 30X30 program helped the company through a significant period of growth with the return of international travel.

“The 30X30 program provided us with a rare opportunity to connect with our scale-up colleagues to share and learn from their experiences and those of our mentors,” she said.

“This couldn’t have come at a better time as we were experiencing a period of exponential growth and the program helped our management team sharpen our focus and shape our business for further expansion.

“We are pleased to have gone through the program armed with both the hard and soft skills needed to achieve our long-term goals.”

This week, July announced the appointment of Joanne Smith, formerly chief financial officer at Little Birdie and deputy CFO at Kogan.com, as its first CFO.

To qualify for 30×30, the company must be a Victorian registered company with headquarters, with the founder/CEO also having their primary residence in the state.

The company must also meet LaunchVic’s definition of a startup and additionally meet at least one of the following measures:

• at least 50 full-time employees or;
• A valuation of more than A$30 million but less than A$200 million or;
• Monthly sales of at least $1 million per month or;
• Raised a single VC round of over $5 million.

Scaleup founders can find more information at: launchvic.org/30×30

Expressions of interest close on Friday 17 February.

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