Investor · 5 deals
Federal government-funded program supporting women to pursue entrepreneurship
Every published round Kickstarter Challenge took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superstat | Accelerator | 2026 | $7.5k | Participant | SmartCompany (30 Jul 2026), Startup Daily (28 Jul 2026), Dealroom, Startup Daily (20 Feb 2026), SmartCompany (20 Feb 2026), Startup Daily (17 Feb 2026), Startup Daily (20 Nov 2025) | |
| PlayPass | Grant | 20 Nov 2025 | $7.5k | Participant | SmartCompany, Startup Daily | |
| Elevated Educators | Grant | 20 Nov 2025 | $7.5k | Participant | SmartCompany, Startup Daily | |
| CO2 Lab | Grant | 20 Nov 2025 | $7.5k | Participant | SmartCompany, Startup Daily | |
| ByStorm Beauty | Grant | 20 Nov 2025 | $30k | Participant | SmartCompany, Startup Daily |
Companies Kickstarter Challenge has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ByStorm Beauty | Accessible makeup tools startup | 20 Nov 2025, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| CO2 Lab | AI sustainability analyst making emissions reporting faster and cheaper | 20 Nov 2025, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| Elevated Educators | Teacher wellbeing and classroom management tools | 20 Nov 2025, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| PlayPass | Tool helping parents discover activities for children under five | 20 Nov 2025, Grant | 1 | 0 |
| Superstat | Melbourne-founded startup turning iPhone footage of amateur basketball games into full bo… | 2026, Accelerator | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Kickstarter Challenge, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Kickstarter Challenge has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Kickstarter Challenge did.
Stories naming Kickstarter Challenge. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Newcastle founder Storm Menzies' accessible makeup tools startup ByStorm Beauty won the federally backed Kickstarter Challenge, receiving equity-free prize money, with four runner-up startups also awarded smaller prizes at a Canberra grand final.
Also SmartCompany