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Finalist
Female Entrepreneurship Empowerment Award Award
iAccelerate, University of Wollongong
Finalist Female Entrepreneurship Empowerment Award Award
iAccelerate; University of Wollongong - Australia
"An ecosystem built on inclusion, where innovation is for everyone!"
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Summary
Key People
Dr Tamantha Stutchbury
Co-Leader of LIFT; Director of iAccelerate
iAccelerate,
University of Wollongong
Professor Danielle Skropeta
Co-leader of LIFT; Associate Dean of HDR's
Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health,
University of Wollongong
Georgia Watson
LIFT Project Coordinator - Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship
iAccelerate,
University of Wollongong
Ainslie Tweedie
Regional Entrepreneurship Manager
iAccelerate,
University of Wollongong
Rebecca Duldig
Social Enterprise and Female Founder Initiatives Manager
iAccelerate,
University of Wollongong
A/Prof Helen Georgiou
Associate Professor, Science Education
Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities,
University of Wollongong
Dr Jon Roberts
Manager of the UOW Makerspace
University of Wollongong
A/Prof Shamika Almeida
Associate Dean (EDI)
Faculty of Business and Law,
University of Wollongong
Lorraine Denny
LIFT Leadership and Values Facilitator
University of Wollongong
Dr Emily Yap
Research Fellow
Women's Research Engineers Network,
University of Wollongong
Dr Jingjing Liu
Research Fellow
Women's Research Engineers Network,
University of Sydney
Dr Yeganeh Baghi
Lecturer
Women's Research Engineers Network,
Sydney International School of Technology and Commerce
Prof Kin Than Win
Professor
Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences,
University of Wollongong
Prof Grace McCarthy
Interim Executive Dean of Business and Law
Faculty of Business and Law,
University of Wollongong
Dist Prof Sharon Robinson
Distinguished Professor of Climate Change Biology
Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health,
University of Wollongong
Matthew Perry
Director
Graduate Research School,
University of Wollongong
Rebecca Sini
LIFT Research Assistant
Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities,
University of Wollongong
Dr Anne Hellwig
LIFT Research Assistant
Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities,
University of Wollongong
Fiona Zhou
LIFT Research Assistant
Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities,
University of Wollongong
Kylie Flament
Expert in Residence - Social Enterprise
iAccelerate,
University of Wollongong
Acknowledgements
iAccelerate and the University of Wollongong would like to thank the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Investment NSW.
We would like to also take a moment to thank each of our participants who put their hand up to learn something new, who took a risk on their innovative ideas and who put themselves forward to be role models for the next generation. These initiatives wouldn’t be possible without the contributions of our industry, community and government partners. It takes a village to raise a startup and we’re part of a generous village.
Images
'Inspire and Innovate' Female Founders Forum for women from forced migrant and refugee backgrounds, featuring a panel of researchers, founders and leaders with lived experience. This event was a collaboration with UNSW Founders, UNSW JEINA and Liverpool Innovation Precinct, who we continue to work with to deliver scholarships and mentoring in entrepreneurship for women from forced migrant backgrounds.
Our Social Enterprise Program attendees on a site visit to local social enterprise, farm and employment provider 'Green Connect'. These site visits allowed participants to explore real world pathways to use profit for purpose.
Regional Entrepreneurship participants from the Bega Valley in far south New South Wales, focused on circularity and circular economies. This program was delivered in person to build trust and foster genuine relationships for post-bushfire affected communities.
Showcasing female founders in tech, social enterprise and fast-moving consumer goods for an 'Ignite Your Idea' female founders workshop. We have found that in order apply for a scholarship, women need to see themselves in the ecosystem, feel ready and be encouraged to apply, so we have improved our pathway with multiple ways to engage before applying.
An 'Ignite Your Idea' workshop delivered in south western Sydney, an region of significant cultural diversity that is experiencing high growth and in turn, growing demand for educational and professional offerings.
A 'Founders Stories' event featuring iAccelerate resident company 'Recovery Camp', where Founders Lorna Moxham and Chris Patterson spoke about their journey in spinning out a social enterprise from a university research program, delivering placements for nursing students and providing camps for people with lived experiences of mental health conditions. Lorna is a role model in our ecosystem, showcasing leadership as a female founder.
LIFT PhD candidate, Nuwangi Cooray (Impact Story), presenting her research as part of UOW's Three Minute Thesis (3MT). Nuwangi's professional growth as a communicator and storyteller has been astounding, exemplified by her winning both People's Choice and First Prize.
Australian Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, the Honorable Ed Husic MP, visiting iAccelerate as part of the official launch of The LIFT Project in 2024.
Participants at our 'Ignite Your Idea' female founders workshop, designed to introduce entrepreneurship to prospective founders and build confidence to invest in their idea.
Our panel of researchers, founders and business leaders with lived experience of forced migration. These women expertly navigated difficult topics, generously sharing their stories and showed how they support themselves, their families and their communities through entrepreneurship. "Inspire and Innovate" was a collaboration with UNSW Founders, UNSW JEINA and Liverpool Innovation Precinct.
Primary education students in the UOW Makerspace, learning 3D printing techniques to deliver quality STEM education to the next generation of educators through the LIFT Project.
IMPACT STORY
Impacting lifes
When Nuwangi Pramuditha Cooray began her PhD in physics at the University of Wollongong, she never imagined it would lead her into the world of entrepreneurship, public speaking, and industry leadership. Originally from Sri Lanka, Nuwangi arrived in Australia with a passion for science—but also with self-doubt, especially around communication and confidence in unfamiliar environments.
Her turning point came through the University of Wollongong LIFT Project. As one of the first LIFT scholarship recipients, Nuwangi joined the iAccelerate Activate program, where she learned to view her research through a commercial lens. She discovered the potential to transform her work on UV-filtering nanomaterials into real-world products, while building critical skills in pitching, networking, and leadership.
Building on this was a three-month industry internship at Nowchem Pharma and Skincare which provided Nuwangi with hands-on industry experience and opened doors to future collaborations. From there, her confidence soared. She began speaking at national events, mentoring young women in STEM, and even facilitating university workshops—once unimaginable for someone who once feared public speaking.
In 2025, her journey came full circle when she was awarded ‘best original research’ for her talk at the Australian Society for Cosmetic Chemists 2025 Conference and was awarded both first place and people’s choice at UOW’s Three Minute Thesis competition.
Nuwangi’s story is a testament to what happens when women are empowered with opportunity, mentorship, and belief. Through iAccelerate, she didn’t just grow—she transformed. And now, she’s inspiring the next generation to do the same.
LEARNINGS
Lessons learned
The phrase “you can’t be what you can’t see” captures the invisible barriers many women face on the path to entrepreneurship. Too often, those who succeed are seen to “pull up the ladder” behind them. Our approach has always been different: to “lift as we climb”, and to build systems that empower others to do the same.
One of the most surprising lessons in our journey has been recognising how many systems were designed without women in mind. Even in our own programs, which aim to support female founders, we found that traditional application processes weren’t resonating. While male applicants often applied after a single interaction, women typically needed three or more touchpoints, an event, a tour and a one-on-one conversation, before feeling confident enough to apply.
Rather than seeing this as a barrier, iAccelerate took on this challenge to redesign our approach. We introduced tailored pre-program experiences, personalised communications, and direct outreach to ensure women felt seen, supported, and ready to step forward. The challenge was never about their capability; it was about creating the conditions for women to see themselves in the ecosystem and feel ready to take the leap.
My advice to others is simple: don’t rely on assumptions. Replace preconceptions with curiosity. Engage in real conversations with women founders. When you do, you’ll uncover insights that not only improve your programs but help reshape the entrepreneurial landscape for the better.
- Tamantha Stutchbury, Director of iAccelerate
FUTURE PLANS
What's coming?
Supporting female entrepreneurs is not an afterthought, it is in our DNA and iAccelerate is committed to deepening its impact and expanding its reach to empower even more female entrepreneurs across Australia.
We will support women working on their innovative ventures and social enterprises to access a variety of entrepreneurial offerings to suit their needs, whether that’s in person or online, during or outside of business hours. This adaptability and variability will allow us to build on our success in supporting women in regional and remote Australia as well as those balancing work and caregiving responsibilities.
We will continue to challenge ourselves to not only support more female founders, but founders from diverse backgrounds and those carving their own place in historically male dominated fields, such as AI, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
We’ll continue to challenge and support startups in our ecosystem to to put equity and diversity at the forefront of how they build their teams.
With our strong partnerships and in collaboration with industry, community partners and other universities, we’ll ensure our offerings remain inclusive and responsive to the needs of underrepresented communities, including refugee and migrant women, Indigenous entrepreneurs, and women in STEM.
Through the University of Wollongong, we will expand to embed entrepreneurial training and industry internships into the undergraduate and PhD experience, creating sustainable pathways for research commercialisation.
With an intersectional lens, intentionally engaging those from backgrounds typically underrepresented in innovation and entrepreneurship, we’re fostering early interest to sustain our diverse and inclusive ecosystem.
