The Andrews Labor Government will invest $2.4 million to boost access and participation in the state’s booming startup sector.

The funding will be invested through LaunchVic to support 15 projects across 26 local government areas in Victoria – ranging from from $50,000 to $400,000 to support startup and entrepreneurial activity in local regions.

Member for Dandenong, Gabrielle Williams, was today pleased to announce that local entrepreneurs across Dandenong would benefit from over $298,250 in funding.

The City of Greater Dandenong will receive $100,000 in funding through LaunchVic to activate the Greater Dandenong Start Up Hub which will accelerate local entrepreneurship skill sets through workshops, hackathons,  coworking memberships, mentoring and masterclasses – supporting a culturally diverse and business-minded municipality.

The City of Casey, in partnership with Cardinia Shire Council and Federation University, will receive $198,250 to run The INNovation Crowd, a program that will deliver events including meetups, hackathons, masterclasses, workshops, a bootcamp and a major Business Expo and Pitchfest. The program will also offer mentoring via an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Casey Cardinia Business Hub and online. Five local founders will have the opportunity to be selected for kick-starter funding.

LaunchVic’s annual Mapping Victoria’s Startup Ecosystem survey revealed only 3 per cent of the state’s startups are based outside inner Melbourne, and are distributed across just three regional centres in Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat.

This latest investment complements LaunchVic’s Startup Guide and Toolkit released late last year to help councils secure funding to implement programs and activities that nurture startup activity and encourage greater participation within their communities.

For more information on funded programs visit launchvic.org.