QUT Creative Enterprise Australia
Level 2, Z1 The Works, 34 Parer Place via Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, 4059, Australia
Overview
QUT Creative Enterprise Australia (CEA) helps start, grow, scale and connect creative companies and is Australia’s only dedicated creative industries accelerator. Since 2008, over 3,500 entrepreneurs have engaged in CEA services. They have supported over 150 companies on site, created over 25 startups and established Australia’s first creative Startup Fund. CEA offers access to workspace, business mentoring, special events, networks, research expertise and capital to foster the growth of the creative industries in Australia. They are a commercial company owned by QUT with an independent Board of Directors set up to help grow creative businesses. They were established to help provide ‘real world’ enterprise services to support the growth of creative industries. They work with creative companies at different stages but Their services are not exclusive to QUT graduates, so They would love to see how They can help your company.
- Total investments
- 5
- Lead investments
- 4
- Investments · 12mo
- 0
- Active investors
- 0
Sector focus
- Advertising
- Social Network
- Video Games
- Virtual Reality
- Wearables
Investment portfolio
- Cardly
Led · Seed · Jan 2018
Cardly is a digital greeting card platform where customers choose cards from small artists, type personalized messages, and can add doodles. Messages are printed in selected handwritten styles to mimic the sender and then sent to a local printer in Cardly's global network for fast delivery. The startup plans to invest in AI to copy or recreate handwriting styles and further its personalization capabilities. Cardly was founded by Patrick Gaskin and Thomas Clift three years ago and is Melbourne-founded. The cofounders previously appeared on Shark Tank and negotiated deals with Naomi Simson but opted not to proceed after due diligence. At the time of the raise the company had made $30,000 in sales and is targeting growth in major markets including the USA, UK, and Australia.
- Bluethumb
Led · Series A · Apr 2017
Bluethumb operates an online network of art collectors and buyers that aims to empower contemporary Australian artists by giving them an accessible and flexible platform to showcase and sell work. The company features nearly 5,000 artists on its platform across Australia. It closed a $1-million Series A to fund platform development and an Indigenous Art Centre outreach program. Part of the round will fund hiring an art curator to travel to remote communities and teach artists and centre employees how to get their work online. Bluethumb is also finalising a new feature to allow galleries to upload artists’ work online. The company has a longstanding relationship with QUT Creative Enterprise Australia dating back to its 2015 Creative3 win.
- Travelshoot
Led · Equity · Feb 2017
Travelshoot connects travellers with qualified local photographers around the world to capture once-in-a-lifetime holiday moments for couples and families without blowing the holiday budget. The company says it has tripled its network of destinations in the past year and plans to continue rapid expansion. Travelshoot has strategic travel partners including Flight Centre Travel Group, Helloworld and RACQ that it uses to acquire customers. The business idea originated in 2012 and Travelshoot successfully launched in 2015 after Sarah Pearce won the 'My Shark Tank Australia' competition. Co-founders Sarah Pearce and Tim Jones built the business to this point largely through their own personal funding. The recent investment is intended to help scale the business and maximise global opportunities with travel partners.
- GiggedIn
Participated · Seed · Jun 2015
GiggedIn is an Australian live music crowdfunding and ticketing platform that debuted in 2012. The platform facilitates ticketing and crowdfunding for live shows and aims to connect fans with artists. The company is preparing to launch GiggedIn Infinite, a subscription that will allow subscribers unlimited access to participating gigs for a $25 monthly fee. Founder and CEO Edwin Onggo said testing has shown strong market interest and that the model encourages fans to attend more shows and discover new acts. GiggedIn has secured $500k in seed funding from BlueChilli Venture Fund, Blacksheep Capital, QUT Creative Enterprise Australia, Dominet Digital and Social Family Group. Management says the subscription product has potential to drive growth globally.
- Handkrafted
Led · Seed · Feb 2015
Handkrafted operates an online marketplace focused on bespoke items, initially concentrating on woodwork and custom furniture. The platform hosts hundreds of woodworkers and facilitated over $150,000 worth of bespoke projects in the past year. The company plans to broaden its craft verticals to include leather work, metal work, stone work and jewellery, and to build an end-to-end transaction workflow on the platform. Investment will be channelled equally into product development and market growth, while the team refines marketing strategy across different channels. Founder Fred Kimel previously self-funded the venture and says the company aims to solve marketplace scaling challenges as it expands geographically and by vertical. Makers are located across Australia, including many regional areas, and the startup is actively onboarding more makers.
Team
No current team members are available.