Accelerating local startups to create a global impact: Introducing Plus Eight powered by muru-D

After almost two years in development, this week we unveiled our latest programme to support Australian tech startups, Plus Eight - powered by muru-D.

This is exciting new accelerator has been a collaborative effort between Spacecubed and muru-D, with the support of our partners Seven West Media, Hawaiian and Telstra, to provide Australian tech startups with the funding, mentorship and global connections to access rapidly growing markets across APAC and beyond.

With an expected market size of over 3.2 billion consumers by 2030, we have an incredible opportunity in Western Australia for tech startups to leverage our shared time zone of GMT+8 (hence the Plus Eight name) and short flight times to access huge growth markets with high technology adoption.

This is the mindset we hope to shift West Australian entrepreneurs towards through the Plus Eight programme: Thinking global from day one.

image credit: Startup WA: 2016 WA Startup Ecosystem Report

Programme details

• Plus Eight is a Spacecubed run program powered by muru-d which currently operates in Sydney, Brisbane, Singapore and now Perth. Connected globally with The Icehouse (New Zealand) The Junction (Israel), HAX (China), and 500Startups (USA).
• muru-D brings a history of $1.8M invested in 62 companies with 56 still operational (90%). $16M in capital raised and 310 jobs created by the startups.
• The program is about the support networks, and funding that will allow the companies to grow quick enough to survive globally from Australia.
• The $40k in seed funding will be structured as a convertible note similar to the batches prior to this year at Y-combinator which we've viewed as the gold standard for founder-friendly terms focused on building the startup ecosystem in Australia.

What's next

We're on the lookout driven founders, experienced mentors and passionate investors to get involved in the programme. If you fit this bill or know someone who does, we would love to hear from you.

Learn more about this exciting new partnership and register your interest in the programme at: https://pluseight.spacecubed.com/