From reportedly more than 2,500 applicants, Veggie Saver is one of 38 female founded startups to have been awarded funding from the federal government’s Boosting Female Founders Initiative (woohoo!).
This program is designed to support female founded startups (that’s us!) to scale into domestic and international markets by providing recipients expert mentoring, advice, and financial support. The Boosting Female Founders Initiative aims to stimulate private sector investments into innovative women-led startups, and boost the economy through increasing the diversity of startup founders.
The funding received will support the launch and expansion of a female-founded, Australian invention, Veggie Saver, into new-world markets. To successfully achieve this project outcome requires the scaling of manufacturing capabilities, spreading the manufacturing risk; establishing supply chain logistics and IT systems; developing direct retail channels; executing marketing initiatives; and expanding customer service and sales team. This project will see Veggie Saver access new customers, scale our business, and ultimately significantly reduce food waste and plastic pollution, globally (find out more on our How It Works page!).
Funding will support the expansion of Veggie Saver into the global retail sector by scaling manufacturing and inventory production. To achieve this, we will be sourcing and validating ethical, fair trade cotton mills and manufacturers with a view to spread the manufacturing risk and reduce logistical lead times and costs for faster distribution to global markets.
To facilitate expansion into global markets, the grant will also go towards developing direct retail channels, and establishing supply chain logistics and IT systems. This will give us the opportunity to keep replenishing our inventory whilst waiting to receive payments from retailers, ensuring continuous, seamless and positive retailer partnerships. Updating our inventory management system enables Veggie Savers to reach more customers, in more places, faster.
In order to fulfil our mission to empower, support and educate over 1 billion people around the world to live waste and plastic free, and rescue 10,000 children trapped in trafficking by 2030, we will be expanding the Veggie Saver customer service and sales team to facilitate sales across multiple channels.
We couldn’t be more proud of this achievement, and we are so excited for the great things we will accomplish with this funding and support! Read the full list of Boosting Female Founders Initiative recipients here.