Could $25,000 turn your business idea into reality?

Posted on 14 May, 2019

Tina McIntosh had been living with chronic pain for 10 years when she discovered a business idea that could change the lives of others in her position.

The idea was Brain Changer, a daily pacing tool that helps people with dysregulated or sensitive nervous systems to de-sensitise or “wind down” their nervous system, by putting contemporary neuroscience into practice.

“[The idea came when] I stumbled across the work of Australian pain scientist, Professor Lorimer Moseley, who is originally from Canberra,” Tina says.

“He’d discovered that you can re-train your brain even if you’ve had chronic pain for a long time. I immediately set about getting my hands-on everything Professor Moseley had written, and listened to all his talks and interviews that I could find online, to develop a tool that could put it into practice in daily life.”

Tina McIntosh

Of course, turning a good idea into a successful business is easier said than done. It was fortuitous timing when Tina came across the Griffin Accelerator program, a mentorship and support program for new business founders run by the Canberra Innovation Network.

Out of around 50 applicants, four to seven emerging entrepreneurs are chosen each year to join a 12-week intensive program where mentors will guide and support them as they release their product and grow their customer base. The program includes networking opportunities, office space at the Canberra Innovation Network and weekly seminars covering topics from marketing to pitching to financial projections. Each entrepreneur receives $25,000 to invest in their business, and at the end of the program they are introduced to investors who can put more money into the company.

As a member of the 2017 cohort, Tina says joining the program was the best business decision she ever made.

“Since that time our team has been developing new and better versions of the tool, including an App, and we’re working with a small number of public hospitals, pain clinics, psychologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists to get the tool out to people living with chronic pain,” she says.

2018 Griffin Accelerator cohort

The Canberra Innovation Network is once again looking for entrepreneurs to join this year’s program, with a focus on women.

“This year we have added some specific activities and opportunities that will hopefully attract and better support female participants,” says Liz Kobold, Canberra Innovation Network’s Business Ninja.

“The twelve weeks are really all about you, the founder. We start the program with an icebreaker event where you can meet the team and the mentors, which will be a good opportunity for you to plan out what you want to achieve over the three months.”

The mentors include Chairman of the Business Advisory Board of the ACT Government Renewable Energy Investment Fund Sylvia Tulloch, Director of the Digital Canberra Challenge Program Anne-Marie Perret and experienced company director Dr Lyndal Thorburn, who has worked in and with technology-based start-ups for almost 20 years.

Given running a business can be an isolating journey in the first stages, the program is a rare chance to be guided by entrepreneurs with a wealth of experience, as well as being able to network and engage with other business owners along the way.

“Griffin alumni often tell us that the best thing about the program is the environment and support that they receive,” says Arthur Pappas, Growth Program Associate of the Canberra Innovation Network.

“Everything from the space to the program is designed to help you achieve start-up success more quickly, and we try hard to make you feel welcome.”

the essentials

What: Griffin Accelerator Program
When: Applications open from now until 17 May
How much: Free to apply
Web: griffinaccelerator.com.au

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