Press Play Ventures has a easy purpose – assist extra girls turn into startup founders.

The 12-week accelerator program gained the GSD (Get Sh*t Accomplished) Award, supported by Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, on the Startup Every day Finest in Tech Awards 2025 after delivering a dramatic impression for girls founders in simply 12 months.

Press Play was based by Jumpstart Studio’s Sangeeta Muchandani, three-time founder, angel investor Preethi Mohan from NiceTo, Isaac Jeffries, and Poonam Advani – Finest in Tech Future Chief of the Yr finalist – in early 2024 and was backed by LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund, which backs girls founders.

The premise is obvious: A program for girls trying to step exterior their company, scaleup or startup jobs to turn into a startup founder.

In simply 18 months, they delivered a 12% uplift in girls founders in Victoria, additionally having a broader impression on who will get to construct, how help is delivered, and what inclusive innovation seems to be like.

Press Play has already helped 120 girls to launch 104 startups. It’s a dramatic shift when girls symbolize simply 20% of startup founders and get lower than 2% of VC funding.

The pre-accelerator helps girls transition from employment into entrepreneurship by way of absolutely funded and partial scholarships (between 85% and 100%), zero fairness, and hands-on, high-touch help.

A snapshot of expertise

The alumni is its personal outstanding snapshot of expertise – 65% are mid-career girls over 35, 62% are multicultural, and 73% new to startups.

Their startup roster spans MedTech, AI, DeepTech, Round Trend, FinTech, and extra, together with GonGlobal which raised a $1.6 million pre-Seed spherical; and Umbrellus, which partnered with RMIT for ClimateTech analysis and was accepted into LaunchVic’s CivVic Labs for the Round Agtech Problem.

Now they’re scaling Press Play Ventures nationally, with two streams: a web-based program for girls throughout Australia and an in-person stream in Victoria, guaranteeing accessibility for girls in regional and distant areas.

“Our purpose is to create a strong pipeline of various, investment-ready women-led startups throughout Australia after which develop internationally,” Mohan explains.

“We’re additionally co-designing new initiatives with universities, incubators, and councils to embed inclusive startup schooling into mainstream techniques, ensuring gender fairness is baked in from the start, not added as an afterthought.”

Easy methods to GSD

The group’s method proves that when the surroundings is correct, girls thrive. 

Accepting the GSD award, Mohan mentioned it’s felt like whirlwind since launch, however wanting again they actually did Get Shit Accomplished. 

“One of the best suggestions we get is from our founders, however that is the ecosystem really recognising us, which is so particular as a result of we actually are a program the place we join founders to the ecosystem. And to get that recognition is unbelievable,” she mentioned.

“I feel the most important factor anybody can do [in the startup community] is lean in and help the individuals which can be supporting the ladies. As a result of we’re already there placing within the arduous yards and dealing with girls to make it a heat and welcoming expertise. And we want the remainder of the ecosystem to assist them keep and flourish.”

So what’s one concrete factor the startup ecosystem can do to assist GSD?  

“That is one thing that we at all times inform our girls founders. Accomplished is best than excellent,” Mohan mentioned.

“So it’s higher simply to place an thought on the market and iterate and get it the place you need it to be than simply ready and sitting in your palms. So any girls watching this? Simply get shit accomplished.”