Proudly backed byInnovation Victoria
Press play on the founder you're about to become.
Press Play is an AI Pre-Accelerator for women. Twelve weeks to turn your expertise into an AI-powered startup. No technical background needed, no equity taken, and a full scholarship for every place.
Applications close 15 October 2026 · 25 full scholarships · $5,000 in founder prizes
Proudly backed by Innovation Victoria
Building Victoria's next generation of women AI founders.
Innovation Victoria's support is what makes full scholarships possible, so cost is never the reason a Victorian woman doesn't build the AI company only she could build.
Backed by the best in the ecosystem.
Our incredible partners are committed to helping make your startup successful.
$5,000 for the ideas that stand out.
This is a pre-accelerator, so we're backing thinking, not polish. The strongest ideas in this cohort share in a $5,000 prize pool, awarded before the program even begins. Part of it is a secret, revealed once you've applied.
Idea Excellence Awards
5 × $800
Five awards for the women who put their best foot forward on the idea itself. We're looking at the thinking behind it: how clearly you've named the problem, how well you understand who has it, and why AI is the right way to solve it. You don't need a prototype, a team or a finished business plan.
Secret prize · Revealed on application
$1,000
There's one more prize we're not explaining yet. Submit your application and we'll email you how to enter for an additional $1,000. It's a separate challenge, open to every applicant.
You don't need a perfect idea to win. You need a real one. Every applicant is eligible for both.
Every founder starts from a different place.
The program meets you where you are. Select the track that sounds most like you, and the curriculum, coaching and community flex to fill your specific gaps.
Tap a track to see what it looks like for you
You know the problem inside out.
You've spent 10–20 years in health, education, finance, HR, sustainability or another industry. You can describe the problem in one sentence. What's been missing is a pathway to build the solution.
- 01AI fluency without the jargon: what today's AI can actually do for your industry
- 02Hands-on prototyping workshops that turn your insight into a working AI-enabled product
- 03Frameworks to move from "I see the problem" to "here's my validated solution"
You'll leave with
- An AI-enabled prototype built on your domain expertise
- Validated problem–solution fit with real customers
- The technical vocabulary to brief developers and partners with confidence
You've built the models. Now build the business.
You come from data science, engineering or applied ML. Building is the easy part. What you want is the commercial toolkit: customers, pricing, positioning and the confidence to pitch.
- 01Customer discovery methods that find real buyers for what you can build
- 02AI business models and unit economics: how AI companies actually make money
- 03Pitch coaching and direct pathways to accelerators and investors
You'll leave with
- A clear AI business model and pricing strategy
- A defined go-to-market plan with early customer evidence
- A pitch you're genuinely confident delivering
High capability, new territory.
You're smart, driven and ready for your next chapter, but you don't have a technical co-founder, an investor network or years of AI experience. That's exactly who this program was designed for.
- 01Full-stack support: AI fundamentals, business fundamentals and prototyping, step by step
- 02A community of ambitious women so you're never building alone
- 03Coaching from founders who've navigated the same rooms, and the same doubts
You'll leave with
- A working prototype and a structured 12-month roadmap
- Connections across Victoria's startup ecosystem: mentors, partners, investors
- Earned confidence: proof you can build, not just permission to try
Build AI and business smarts.
Three pillars run through everything: education, hands-on experience and empowerment through community and connections.
Discover & validate
Find problems worth solving
Identify real-world problems and validate AI-enabled solutions that address genuine customer needs, before you build.
AI fluency
Become a confident AI founder
Practical knowledge in AI, data literacy, ethics, privacy and responsible AI. Enough to build, brief and make good decisions.
Prototype & test
Learn by building
Create and test AI-enabled prototypes, gather customer feedback and shape an early go-to-market strategy.
World-class guidance
Coaching that opens doors
Real-world insight from founders, operators and AI specialists, plus pathways to clients, accelerators and investors.
A Press Play cohort at a program event in Melbourne
What you'll actually work on.
Five focus areas across 12 weeks, with guided workshops, practical tools and expert support, around 4–5 hours a week, delivered online with in-person events across Victoria.
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01
AI Business Development
Building business models reflective of an AI business, what the unit economics of an AI company look like in practice, and real AI-business examples to learn from.
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02
Critical Tech Considerations
AI data and model fundamentals, privacy and security, plus ethics and responsible AI considerations.
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03
Hands-on AI Experience
Embedding AI throughout your business-building process through hands-on experiences: discovery, prototype and MVP build, and go-to-market.
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04
Program Experience
Using AI to enhance and develop your founder capabilities, augmented with support from established AI business founders and operators.
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05
Exposure & Confidence in Developing an AI Business
Connecting and helping founders network with the wider AI ecosystem of founders, operators and investors with AI expertise, through conversations that open thinking and mindsets.
Designed to be founder friendly.
The program removes the usual barriers: cost, credentials and time.
Full scholarship
Zero cost, zero equity
All 25 places are full scholarships. The program is equity-free, so whatever you build is always yours.
$5,000
Founder prize pool
Five $800 awards for the strongest ideas, plus a secret $1,000 prize revealed once you've applied.
Zero code
No technical background required
You don't need to be an engineer or data scientist. We give you the tools, frameworks and support to bring your ideas to life.
4–5 hrs
Built for busy women
About 4–5 hours a week across workshops and practical activities. The rest of your time stays yours, for work, family and thinking space.
Press Play alumni have raised investment, landed major customers and launched.
Press Play alumni sharing the founder experience
Cohort night: the community you build alongside
The sessions questioned and challenged the work we'd already done, for the better, and supported us through roadblocks we couldn't get past alone. Highly recommend.
A fantastic development opportunity for me, my business and my corporate career. The coaching and accountability accelerated my business in a way I couldn't have achieved on my own.
Pivotal in my path as a technology startup founder. Through the networks, industry insights and hands-on experience, I now feel confident in my capacity to advance.
Read the full case studies about the businesses Press Play alumni have built.
Built by founders who've been there.
We've experienced the challenges of building businesses firsthand, and created the program we wish we'd had when we started.
The Press Play Ventures team
Isaac Jeffries
Evander Strategy
Facilitator and coach who has worked with 935+ startup founders.
LinkedIn →Sangeeta Mulchandani
Jumpstart Studio
Author, speaker, lecturer and third-generation entrepreneur.
LinkedIn →Preethi Mohan
NiceTo
Three-time founder, angel investor, advisor and startup show host.
LinkedIn →Frequently asked questions.
When do applications close, and when does the program run?
Applications close on 15 October 2026. Cohort 1 runs from February 2027 to 15 May 2027, with 12 weeks of programming, delivered online with in-person events across Victoria. Apply here, and follow us on LinkedIn for key dates.
Who is Press Play for?
Ambitious women who want to explore entrepreneurship and build AI-powered solutions to real-world problems, whether you work in corporate, tech, consulting, healthcare, education, finance or government. You don't need a technical background, startup experience or a fully formed idea. We're looking for women who are curious, resourceful and motivated to learn, experiment and solve meaningful problems.
What does it cost?
Nothing. All 25 places are full scholarships, made possible by Innovation Victoria's backing. The program is also equity-free, so whatever you build stays 100% yours.
What counts as an AI startup?
A business where AI is core to how it creates value, not just a bolt-on feature. That includes automating complex tasks, generating insights from data, personalising experiences or solving problems that were previously impossible or too expensive. You don't need to build your own models; many successful startups build on existing foundation models to solve specific customer problems.
How do the cash prizes work?
This cohort includes a $5,000 prize pool. $4,000 is awarded as five $800 Idea Excellence Awards, judged on the thinking behind your idea: how clearly you've defined the problem, how well you understand who has it, and why AI is the right way to solve it. This is a pre-accelerator, so we're backing the idea and the thought behind it, not a finished product. The remaining $1,000 is a secret prize: once you submit your application, we'll email you the details of a separate challenge you can enter to win it. You don't need to be accepted into the program to win either.
What's the time commitment?
Around 4–5 hours per week: 2 hours of compulsory programming, plus optional activities to help you get ahead on your business.
Where does it take place?
Primarily online, with in-person events and practical sessions across Victoria.
Not ready to take the leap yet?
We completely understand. Dip your toes in the water and get on the list to hear about the events, workshops and networking opportunities we host, plus first word when the next cohort opens.
Your idea is ready. Press play.
Applications close 15 October 2026, with 25 full scholarships available, and $5,000 in prizes for the ideas that stand out, including a secret $1,000 prize revealed once you've applied.
Apply nowEquity-free · Full scholarships · Cohort 1: February – 15 May 2027 · Proudly backed by Innovation Victoria