Amazon Australia is calling for startups and brands with an innovative product to apply for the 2023 Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grant package, valued at more than AU$90,000. After launching in 2020, this is the third time Amazon Australia has offered Australian businesses the opportunity to apply for and to win an Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grants package.
What does the Amazon Innovation Grant package entail?
Each Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grant package includes:
- $20,000 cash
- The opportunity to apply for up to $10,000 in AWS Activate Credits
- Substantial out-of-home support nationally thanks to JCDecaux
- Support provided by third-party experts Export Accelerator, Podean and Airwallex
- A ‘Selling on Amazon’ bootcamp experience over two days in Sydney, Australia, with flights and accommodation provided for those based outside of Sydney
- Featured Seller placement on the Amazon Launchpad homepage during key events such as Prime Day and Black Friday
- Marketing, PR and merchandising opportunities throughout 2023
In order to enter, Australian business startups and brands must have an impressive innovative product as well as plans to scale their business in 2023. This year, for the first time ever, ten finalists will be chosen to pitch their entry in person at Amazon Australia headquarters in Sydney to a panel of industry expert judges for a chance to win one of the four grant packages.
Finalists will have the opportunity to hone their plans, pitch and strategy, receive feedback and additionally, network with some of Australia’s leading founders and industry experts, with flights and a night’s accommodation fully provided for those based outside of Sydney.
According to Amazon Australia’s latest SMB Empowerment Report, Australian small businesses (SMBs) who have chosen to transform their offering for a global audience are greatly benefitting from international expansion, despite the country’s uncertain economic times. 53 percent of SMBs that were surveyed as part of the report who export their goods increased their revenues in the year to July 2022, versus 35 percent for those who did not export.
This year’s judges are Kate Glazebrook, Head of Impact at Blackbird; Amit Mahto, Country Manager, Marketplace at Amazon Australia and Singapore; and Lauren Capelin, Startup Ecosytem Manager at Amazon Web Services. A team of credible experts for this competition.
The Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grants entry period is currently ongoing until Friday, 14 April 2023 which is the deadline. Terms and conditions apply. The four Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grants winners, from across Australia, will be publicly announced in May 2023.
What are the key remarks about the Amazon Grant?
Amit Mahto, Country Manager, Marketplace at Amazon Australia and Singapore, said, “Through our Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grants we are excited to be able to nurture the ingenuity that Australian entrepreneurs are so famous for and help the winners expand their businesses to reach more customers in Australia and around the world in global Amazon’s stores.”
“I’ve spent my entire career at Amazon helping sellers succeed, and I know firsthand the value of a program like Amazon Launchpad that helps Australian startups and brands reach their online potential through access to Amazon’s customer base, opportunities to expand globally, and access to marketing support and logistics services such as Fulfilment by Amazon.”
“As the retail sector in Australia continues to digitize, we are proud to empower more than 14,000 Australian start-up businesses who sell in our stores around the world—and we also look forward to welcoming a few more this year from the Launchpad program,” Mahto said.
Previous Amazon Launchpad grant winner, Rikki Gilbey from WAW Handplanes said, “The Amazon Launchpad program gave us the support we needed to launch and optimize our business. The ongoing mentorship for a small business like ours has been invaluable and it has really helped us grow, seeing results both here in Australia and also internationally.”
