About theJessica King Fellowship
Launched in 2022, the Jessica King Fellowship gives aspiring entrepreneurs with disability (EwD) – or even those intrigued by entrepreneurship, the opportunity to explore the world of startups.
The Jessica King Fellowship was created in memory of Jessica King who was a founder of abilio, a transport and navigation app that enabled people with disability to move throughout the city. Without her lived experience it is unlikely that the startup would have made it off the ground. abilio aimed to make the world accessible, to equalise independent access to life.
This Fellowship has been made possible with support from Steve King, Intopia and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.
"People with disability should be less afraid to share what we know and how we feel. Our insights are valuable. We are not failures because, sometimes, we need to approach life a little differently."
- Jessica King
Frequently Asked Questions
The 8-week part-time experience includes:
- Access to a $5,000 grant to spend towards opportunities exploring entrepreneurship
- Connections to mentors
- Opportunities to attend weekly masterclasses, learning alongside early-stage startups and research projects going through the Launcher Program
This is to invest into you and your growth in entrepreneurship. So think about things like startup conferences like _southstart, SXSW, Sunrise, and many others. Think about short courses, maybe at General Assembly, Academy Xi or Udacity. And maybe there are some support needs you will have to access these things – like travel or accommodation, etc. A few of us will be heading to _southstart, so you might like to attend that.
Anyone who identifies as a person with a disability over the age of 16yrs, and is based in Australia.
One of our superpowers is our network, so we will do what we can through that to help you achieve your goals. Like all startup founders, sometimes we might have to pivot these as we go. But aim for the stars and let’s see if we can help you get there!
The Fellowship will commence 6th February 2024 and will be weekly “after regular work hours” sessions that go through until 27th March 2024.
In 2024, there will be 5 Jessica King Fellows.
The Fellowship will mostly be a 2-3hr time commitment per week that will include mentoring, masterclasses and some check-in’s. Outside that, the Fellowship is designed to be flexible to fit your schedule and your needs.
Great that you have such ambition, and we would really love that never-ending packet of TimTams as well, but the reality is, the fellowship has a budget of $5,000 per recipient, so think creatively how you can get the biggest bang for your buck (all 5,000 of them!).
Supporting Partners
