Stone & Chalk expands International Women’s Day Scholarship to accelerate equity in the tech industry

SYDNEY, Australia, 8 March 2023 — Stone & Chalk, Australia’s home for emerging technology, has announced the second iteration of its International Women’s Day (IWD) Scholarship to support and accelerate women in the technology industry.

Stone & Chalk’s IWD Scholarship was introduced last year in Melbourne to counter the underrepresentation of women and minorities in technology. Following its successful launch, the scholarship will now be rolled out nationally across all of Stone & Chalk’s Innovation Hubs in 2023, with two scholarships to be awarded in each Stone & Chalk Hub across Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

The six-month program will support founders who identify as women through curated services that drive impact, growth, recognition and investment. Each recipient will receive exclusive support to scale their businesses, including access to Stone & Chalk’s renowned innovation ecosystem of like-minded startup and scaleup founders, while also receiving expert advice tailored to meet individual needs, and introductions to the Group’s network of investors, mentors, and more.

"It’s time for us to come together and take action to address the diversity challenge in the tech industry,” said Stone & Chalk Experience, Group Executive, Juliette Connolly. “The current lack of female representation limits the potential for innovation and creativity. Emerging technologies are critical in shaping Australia’s economic future, so it’s paramount that women-led ideas and businesses are set up for success and supported in the way they need to play a significant valuable role in driving tech. For that to happen, we need to broaden the entry pathway and do it quickly.”

Fulle, the AI battery platform for powered equipment and Flamingo Tech, a personalised financial platform, were the two IWD Scholarship Recipients in 2022 and experienced high levels of success working within the Melbourne Stone & Chalk Hub. Both female founders evolved their startups by engaging with industry mentors and networks whilst participating in respected industry events and expanding their network to international markets.

“The experience at Stone & Chalk was electric. Being in an environment surrounded by other entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries of what’s possible empowered me to shoot for the moon. I started thinking bigger, pushing harder and taking risks that I might not have taken otherwise,” said Fulle Founder and CEO, Molly Fulle. “In the last year, we’ve travelled to San Francisco’s Verge Conference as part of the Australian Climate Salad delegation and were also selected for the Studio X elite accelerator SixLab program based in Texas. These opportunities have proven invaluable to not only the growth of Fulle but myself as a leader.”

“At Stone & Chalk, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion across our community. We are proud to have achieved equal pay across genders and gender parity throughout our organisation, but recognise there is still considerable work to be done to remove barriers to entry and support females in tech,” said Stone & Chalk Group CEO Michael Bromley. “International Women's Day is an important opportunity to reflect on the progress made by women in the technology industry whilst acknowledging the ongoing work needed to promote, support and enable diversity and gender equality in the sector.

Through this scholarship, our goal at Stone & Chalk is to provide women with the necessary skills and support to succeed and foster a culture that values diversity and inclusivity.”

ENDS

About Stone & Chalk Group

Stone & Chalk Group is the largest innovation community in Australia. We support startups, scale-ups, corporations and governments, at every stage of their innovation journey. We foster a community of founders, mentors, experts, corporates, partners, and collaborators to help entrepreneurs and businesses build, grow, and commercialise ideas. Ensuring they have everything they need to adapt and thrive in an age of technological disruption.

For more information, visit: www.stoneandchalk.com.au

Media Contact

Courtney Phelps, M: 0452 663 095, E: courtneyphelps@slingstone.com
Tom Finnigan, M: 0408 867 367, E: tom.finnigan@stoneandchalk.com.au