Amazon Australia has opened applications for the 2023 Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grant.
Start-ups and brands with an innovative product and have plans to scale their business this year are invited to apply and have an opportunity to receive a grant package valued at more than AU$90,000 which includes:
- $20,000 cash.
- Substantial out-of-home support nationally courtesy of JCDecaux.
- Opportunity to apply for up to $10,000 in AWS Activate Credits.
- A ‘Selling on Amazon’ bootcamp experience over two days in Sydney, Australia, with flights and accommodation provided for those based outside 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.
For the first time in the grant’s three-year history, ten finalists will be chosen to pitch their entry in person at Amazon Australia HQ in Sydney to a panel of judges for a chance to win one of four grant packages. 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.
Finalists will have the opportunity to hone their pitch, receive feedback and network with some of Australia’s leading founders and industry experts, with flights and a night’s accommodation provided for those based outside Sydney.
“Through our Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grants we are excited to be able to nurture the ingenuity that Aussie entrepreneurs are so famous for and help the winners expand their businesses to reach more customers in Australia and around the world in Amazon’s stores,” Amit Mahto, Country Manager, Marketplace at Amazon Australia and Singapore, said.
“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 Aussie start-ups 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 like Fulfilment by Amazon,” Mahto added. “As the retail sector continues to digitise, we are proud to empower more than 14,000 Australian businesses who sell in our stores globally, and [we] look forward to welcoming a few more this year from the Launchpad program.”
According to Amazon Australia’s latest SMB Empowerment Report, Australian SMEs who have chosen to transform their offering for a global audience are benefitting from international expansion, despite uncertain economic times. Over half, 53 per cent, of SMEs surveyed as part of the report who export their goods increased their revenues in the year to July 2022, versus 35 per cent for those who did not export.
The Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grants entry period is opne until Friday 14 April 2023. The four Amazon Launchpad Innovation Grants winners, from across Australia, will be publicly announced in May 2023.
