Media Release

St.George is calling for nominations from entrepreneurs and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) across NSW, QLD and ACT to enter its Kick Start program to win a share of a $100,000 grant to help start their business or bring an idea for their existing business to life.

The St.George Kick Start program is a pitch competition where 12 finalists battle it out on stage at the TEDxSydney event on 22 May for a chance to win one of two $40K grants and two $10K runner-up grants.

Anthony Mathews, National Head of SME Banking, St.George said: “Growing a small business or getting your business idea off the ground is no easy feat, particularly when it comes to funding.

“Even if you have that moment of inspiration, SMEs and entrepreneurs can find themselves unable to bring their ideas to life without access to funds. Through the St.George Kick Start program, we hope we can help provide a platform that gives them the chance to receive funding and turn their dreams into a reality.”

Jo Palmer, Founder of Pointer Remote Roles – a remote workforce specialist company, won the ‘fast pitch’ Kick Start program in 2019 and used the business grant to hire her first full-time employee.

“Winning the $40,000 grant allowed me to scale my business, which I’d never thought was possible. Thanks to the Kick Start program we’ve been able to help more companies connect with the talent they need in their business, remotely. An increase in jobs has meant talented professionals who live in rural Australia have been able to access the same jobs as those in the city. This has created incredible opportunities for those in rural areas impacted by ongoing drought and the recent bushfires,” Palmer said.

How to enter Kick Start 2020

Applications are now open to businesses across NSW, QLD and ACT and will close at 11.59pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (ADST) on Monday 23 March 2020.

Businesses can enter in one of two categories:

• Category 1. A New Business Idea. Business that have recently launched or are about to launch. For those not yet trading, solid plans must be in place.
• Category 2. An Idea to Grow an Existing Business. For businesses that have been operating and trading for at least 18 months and want to diversify or grow.

Media enquiries:

Ben Willets
E: ben.willets@mapandpage.com.au
M: 0416 095 519

Kourtney Shaw
E: kourtney.shaw@mapandpage.com.au
M: 0432 231 912

About St.George Kick Start

The St.George Kick Start program is a platform where small businesses with great new ideas pitch for a chance to win one of two $40K business grants and two $10K runner-up grants from St.George. The competition takes place during the TEDxSydney event; 12 finalists take the stage for 60 seconds each to pitch their idea in front of a panel of judges, and live audience, to battle it out in the hope to win the grant and help to boost the development of their business idea.

About TEDxSydney

TEDxSydney has become the leading platform for the propagation of Australian ideas, creativity and innovation to the rest of the world. It aims to create and foster a sense of community amongst the people and organisations who have gathered (and continue to gather) around the event; and to provide a cultural focus and impetus for conversation and debate. TEDxSydney is an independently organised event licensed from TED by long-time TEDster, Remo Giuffré (REMO General Store, General Thinking network) and run by the TEDxSydney organising team and its volunteers.