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$850k Funding Grant, Smart100 Winner and Potential for $1m from Google…

These are Just some of the recent successes of the Remarkable Alumni!

The Remarkable Accelerator program has now worked intensely with 20 startups, over the past three years, taking them through the 16 week accelerator program. We’re proud of the alumni community we are building and almost every week, we get news of more success stories. There is so much going on that it’s hard for us to keep up with it all!

We asked Autism Swim, AbilityMade and Xceptional to share what they have gone on to achieve since graduating from the Remarkable Accelerator and what is coming up next for them. We think you’ll be impressed and by the time you read this newsletter, it’s likely they’ve added more accolades to their list!

 

Autism Swim logo

Erika Gleeson, Founder, Autism Swim
Erika Gleeson, Founder, Autism Swim

Autism Swim is an international social enterprise, specialising in wandering and drowning prevention for those who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or other abilities. Children with ASD are 160 times more likely to drown than their peers – our mission is to change this, by giving everyone the opportunities and support to thrive and survive around the water.

In order to do this:

1. We certify swimming instructors and aquatic therapists as Autism Swim Approved. This means that they are equipped with training, resources, skills and support in order to most effectively teach their swimmers with other abilities. To find your closest Autism Swim Approved provider, please visit our locations page.

2. We work with parents, providing them with the necessary knowledge and practical skills on all things wandering and drowning prevention.

3. We run a range of events, including modified nippers and surf awareness. We also equip others to run their own events, including Surf Life Saving Clubs and therapists.

4. We ensure the community is educated on their role in keeping everyone safe and happy around the water, and striving to ensure that inclusivity becomes the norm.

Greatest achievements since graduating from the Remarkable Accelerator in July 2018?

We have been lucky enough to win the Anthill Smart100 award (from 700 nominations) and the Westfield Local Hero.

We’ve also experienced a lot of growth;

  • We now have two new Occupational Therapists on the books
  • New website launched
  • New Learning Management System launched
  • New tech in development (haven’t announced it yet)
  • Doubled the amount of customers

Is there anything you’re working on now that you want to share and ask people to get behind?

The next stage for us involves bringing corporate and industry partners on board, particularly ahead of our new tech product launch. We’re always looking for opportunities to meet potential partners.

How would you describe the impact Remarkable made on your startup?

Remarkable is the one-stop shop for all things start-up development and growth. The experience connects you with leading industry professionals as well as peers, all of whom are are committed to seeing your organisation (and you as a founder) mature. Additional to the overarching support that you receive, you develop skills and expertise in such a wide breadth of areas, and such a deep understanding of your business and subsequent direction emerges. Remarkable yields the absolute definition of acceleration. For those considering applying, hesitating to do so will be your only regret.

For more information, visit autismswim.com.au

AbilityMade

We’re a for-purpose technology company that develops products to help kids with disabilities. We’ve developed 3D printed leg braces (called ankle-foot orthoses, or AFOs) that can be made faster and more precisely than traditionally-made AFOs. We’ve also developed a 3D scanner that instantaneously models the leg, to replace the slow, messy and distressing process of traditional plaster-casting.

Greatest achievements since graduating from the Remarkable Accelerator in July 2017?

AbilityMade Team
AbilityMade Team

We’ve just finished our 6-month clinical trial, which found that our 3D scanning method was much less stressful for children and parents and that our AFOs improved kids walking abilities just as well as traditional (polypropylene) AFOs.

Our clinical trial was generously funded by the Australian philanthropic community and 350 crowdfunding backers.

Our collaborations have been fundamental to our success, and we’ve been very fortunate to have partnerships with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Northcott, Northcott Innovation, and other global-leaders in orthotics and prosthetics.

We’ve raised $2 million in grants and equity, including $500k in impact investment earlier this year. We’ve recently been awarded an $850k Disability Sector Scale-Up grant from NSW Department of Industry to give away 10 free 3D scanners to NSW orthotics clinics.

Last year we also won the 2017 National Disability Awards!

How would you describe the impact Remarkable made on your startup?

Before Remarkable, we were a team of 2-3 people working 1.5 days a week. Now we’re a team of 10 (6 full-time and 4 casual), two successful products, investment, and a real office! Remarkable embedded us into Australia’s largest network of mentors, investors, and social entrepreneurs – all who share our drive for positive impact. We’re eternally grateful to Remarkable for accelerating our growth and helping us have the biggest impact possible.

For more information, visit abilitymade.com

We are an award winning software testing and recruitment company that recognises the unique strengths of people with autism and creates meaningful employment opportunities for them across Australia. 65% of Australians with autism are not employed or underemployed. This impacts personal dignity, forces them below the poverty line and causes lost productivity of approximately AU$1.2 billion annually. Thousands of carers are also unable to work due to their responsibilities.

Xceptional
Xceptional

Many people with autism have an incredible eye for detecting patterns in data and an ability to sustain superior levels of concentration, making them uniquely qualified to make exceptional contributions to tech and data teams. Our goal is to inspire other employers to recruit in a way that focuses on strengths rather than perceived weaknesses. Right now we are developing an anxiety-reducing app to address the massive challenge of autism unemployment. We’re already working with businesses big and small across Australia to create employment opportunities for people with autism, from Westpac, to Infosys and many more.

Greatest achievements since graduating from the Remarkable Accelerator in July 2018?

Our growth since beginning the Remarkable program has been incredible. We have seen our business pipeline go from 20 B2B sales conversations in our pipeline before Remarkable program to now more than 200 firms that are interested in our services, including 3 of the top 5 US tech companies.

We also won a 2018 Rainbow Jane social enterprise grant of worth $10,000 to kick-start our anxiety reducing app, graduated from the Optus Future Makers accelerator with a grant of $85,000 and we’ve just been announced as a finalist for the Google.org Impact Challenge! We have a confirmed grant of $250,000 towards our app and are in the running to win $1 Million.

PLEASE VOTE!

 

How would you describe the impact Remarkable made on your startup?

Remarkable has had a truly massive impact on Xceptional, both in terms of growth but also in preparing us well for sustainability. During the program we grew tenfold on at least 3 metrics: In terms of cash-flow, business opportunities in our pipeline and in staff size. We are now on the verge of winning $1million from Google, something that would have been unthinkable before the Remarkable program.

The founder health program was key in ensuring that our core staff were well-prepared for all the attention that came with launching a fast-growing startup that was featured on national TV. Without this assistance we could have easily gone out too hard and fast and paid for it later.

The mentor help was also critical, both with the input that the Remarkable staff provided and also the external mentors we were connected to. It is so helpful to learn from others who have gone through similar journeys.

For more information, visit xceptional.io

 

Applications for the 2019 Accelerator Program are now open. If you’ve got a startup or you know someone who we should talk to, please get in touch.

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