You might have read that Collective Campus is partnering with Mills Oakley to launch Asia-Pac’s first legal startup accelerator.

The Mills Oakley Accelerator has been established to bring together forward-thinking startups with one of Australia’s most progressive law firms.

Emerging technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence and the blockchain are revolutionising the way businesses operate and the legal services sector is no exception.

Corporate Startup Partnerships

I’ve been a massive advocate for and have written and spoken extensively about the value of corporate startup partnerships. When you combine the domain expertise, networks and resources of a large organisation with the talent, speed and culture of a startup, you not only increase the startup’s likelihood of success but also give the large organisation exposure to disruptive innovation without compromising its core business.

Mentorship

We’ve compiled and continue to recruit all-star mentors such as Ash Maurya, author of Running Lean and creator of the lean canvas, Samantha Wong from Blackbird Ventures, Brennan Ong from Law Advisor and Martin Checketts from Mills Oakley, amongst many others.

So What Do Startups Get?

• Up to $55,000 in funding to support design, development, marketing and administration.
• A weekly stipend of $500 per person and travel support for interstate participants, if required
• Education from Collective Campus in innovation theory, design thinking, lean startup, marketing and other areas (value $25,000)
• A shared workspace for team members amongst progressive startups and entrepreneurs at Collective Campus in Melbourne’s CBD (value $13,000)
• Mentorship from start-up experts, and access to legal and startup networks to help you test and refine your idea
• Access to legal and business advice from senior Mills Oakley lawyers

Shortlisted teams will be invited to participate in a three-day workshop in Melbourne to refine concepts, before pitching to a judging panel of legal sector and start-up experts.

Winners of the pitch process will then be funded to take part in a three-month accelerator program to support concepts through to commercialisation.

The Accelerator has already received national media attention since being announced last week, being featured by the Australian Financial Review, Australasian Lawyer, Anthill and Startup Daily.

Applications close on October 14.

Find out more and apply at millsoakleyaccelerator.com