Grants up to $500,000 to support early-stage businesses commercialise an innovative product or service that will grow their business and generate benefits to South Australia.
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What is the Seed-Start Grant SA (SSGSA)?
Seed-Start Grant SA (SSGSA) assists innovative early-stage South Australian businesses with high-growth potential to commercialise products or services that are unique or have a sustainable competitive advantage in national and international markets.
Grant funding is provided to co-fund the costs of delivering a clearly defined project that delivers a turning point in the growth of the business and in doing so, generates significant benefits such as revenue growth, export income, local employment or other social benefits to South Australia.
Seed-Start grants offer two funding options:
1. Seed Grant
- Grant funds are provided to an early-stage business to undertake a defined project that will overcome the initial challenges in getting their product or service into national and international markets. The project must be achievable within a two-year time frame, and result in a product or service that is unique or has a sustainable competitive advantage.
2. Start Grant
- Grant funds are provided to an early-stage business to deliver a defined project that will accelerate the development and commercialisation of their product or service in national and international markets. Start Grants are designed to support businesses that have passed the earlyseed stage with a product or service ready (or close to being ready) for commercialisation. The project must be achievable within a three-year time frame and result in a product or service that is unique or has a sustainable competitive advantage.
Seed-Start Grants involves a two-stage application process beginning with a short Expression of
Interest (EOI) Application. If an EOI Application is accepted, the applicant will be invited to submit a detailed Full Application.
SSGSA level of support
Seed grants
- $50,000 to $100,000
- competitive 2:1 matched funding basis ($2 from Government to $1 from Applicant)
Start grants
- $100,001 to $500,000
- competitive 1:1 matched funding basis ($1 Government to $1 Applicant)
An applicant must commit the required matched funding as a cash contribution towards the costs of the proposed project.
An applicant cannot use in-kind (non-cash) contributions as its matched funding.
SSGSA important dates
1. Expression of Interest (EOI)
- Applications open on a rolling basis
- Allow up to 10 business days for an invitation to submit a full application
2. Full application
a. Draft (for invited applicants)
- Due within 30 days of invitation
- Allow up to 15 business days for a recommendation to submit a final full application
b. Final (where recommended to progress)
- Due within 60 days of invitation
- Allow up to 3 months for a funding outcome decision
The funding period for seed grants is a maximum of 2 years.
The funding period for start grants is a maximum of 3 years.
Projects eligible for SSGSA support
Seed grants
- A defined project that will overcome the initial challenges in getting the product or service into national and international markets.
- The project must be achievable within a two-year time frame and result in a product or service that is unique or has a sustainable competitive advantage.
Start grants
- A defined project that will accelerate the development and commercialisation of a product or service in national and international markets. Products must be service ready (or close to being ready) for commercialisation.
- The project must be achievable within a three-year time frame and result in a product or service that is unique or has a sustainable competitive advantage.
If an applicant has previously received a grant from the South Australian Government for the same
project, or a stage of the project, then the applicant is not entitled to further funding from this
program.
An applicant is permitted to apply for a different or subsequent stage of the project having
demonstrated progress and acquittal of previous funding from the South Australian Government.
See the guidelines for full details of project eligibility.
Expenditure eligible for SSGSA support
The following expenditure is eligible where critical to the delivery of the project:
- salaries and consumables directly attributed or critical to the delivery of the project
- accessing specialist professional services
- access to and acquisition of specialist equipment, hardware, software, and service provider fees
- accessing or protecting intellectual property rights
- prototyping and development of a Minimum Viable Product
- scholarships, study tours, undertaking market research/testing and engaging with major customers and investors
- travel expenses for testing, market development of the product/service, capital raising and other partnership or investment opportunities
- data procurement and efforts to obtain regulatory approval.
Ineligible expenditure includes:
- rent or other property fees
- salaries for business founders, unless essential to the execution of the proposed project (e.g. unique technical skills/knowledge)
- recruitment and procurement fees
- basic office supplies and equipment
- grant application cost, administration costs or infrastructure levies
- payments to directors
- any other expenditure items determined by the SA Government as usual business operational costs
See the guidelines for full details of eligible costs.
Other SSGSA important details that you will need to know
SSGSA objectives
Grants aim to benefit South Australia by:
- encouraging the establishment and growth of innovative young businesses that build capability and capacity
- creating more jobs, especially in skilled occupations
- increasing the number of young businesses raising private investment
- delivering economic and/or public benefits for South Australia.
Organisations eligible for SSGSA support
To be eligible an applicant must:
- be a company incorporated in Australia with an active Australian Business Number (ABN):
- be a non-tax-exempt business
- be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST)
- have an annual turnover of less than $1 million for each of the three financial years prior to the
lodgement of the application – this includes the annual turnover for any Related Bodies
Corporate1 - be based or willing to be based in South Australia prior to commencing the project.
If based outside of South Australia, there may be special circumstances which merit consideration of an applicant however the State Government may impose a contractual obligation on the applicant (if successful) to relocate and maintain the relevant enterprise (in whole or part) in South Australia.
See the guidelines for full details of eligibility requirements.
SSGSA assessment criteria
1. The funding
- alignment with objectives and intent
- value for money
- demonstrable need for grant funding
- matched funding committed and available
2. The problem and solution
- well-defined customer problem or market opportunity
- clear and concise explanation of the product/service and how it addresses the problem/opportunity
- current stage of development of the product/service and requirements to be market ready
3. The market
- key customers, differentiation, sustainability, competitive advantage
- key benefits, key competitors and mitigation plans
- technical/functional/commercial viability
- go-to-market and IP strategies
4. The project
- clear and concise description and expected outcomes
- on the critical path to accelerate the growth of the business
- logical and feasible activities/milestones/deliverables robust risks and mitigation plans
- suitable and effective use of the requested grant funds
- valid business financial statements
- funding available for future development and commercialisation costs
- team capacity and required managerial, commercial and technical capabilities
See the guidelines for full details of assessment criteria.
How do I get SSGSA?
You should read and understand the guidelines.
You need to ensure your organisation is eligible for the funding. Organisations that do not meet all of the eligibility criteria will not be considered.
Successful applicants will demonstrate:
- a well-defined customer problem or market opportunity with a commercially viable solution
- a need for immediate funding and how this will lead to a noticeable step change in the growth of their business as well as benefits to SA
- a feasible project plan with a clear path to market
- realistic milestones/outcomes and a sound risk management strategy
- the financial capacity and necessary expertise to support successful completion of the project within the agreed timeline
The most common reasons to not progress an application to an Assessment Panel includes:
- not providing complete business financials
- not having committed and available matched funding (in cash)
- not validating the market opportunity
- not validating the sustainable competitive advantage of the product or service
- not meeting the eligibility criteria regarding corporate structure and shareholder arrangements.
Information to prepare for the SSGSA application
The amount of detail provided in both the EOI and full application should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant funding amount requested.
Information required for the EOI includes:
- product/service details, including identified market and solution, development stage
- market details, including product/service differentiation and competitive advantage, customer validation of product/service, sales strategy
- project details, including your case for immediate funding, start/end dates
Applicants are encouraged to provide evidence they have obtained advice and guidance from one or more business development experts on how to develop and commercialise the product or service in national and international markets.
Evidence of having the matched funding, or immediate access to matched funding, must be clearly demonstrated at the time of submitting a Full Application.
Documented evidence may be provided as, but not limited to:
- a letter or statement from a financial institution
- a financier or investor agreement (which may be conditional on receiving a Seed-Start grant)
- a shareholder agreement.
See the guidelines and EOI application for full details of information requirements.
Applying for SSGSA
Applications are submitted via fixe.gov.au
Register your interest here with GrantHelper to explore your alignment with this grant and how we can assist you to increase your chances of success.
Sample of previous SSGSA recipients
| Business | Product/service description | Awarded funding |
| APXIUM | First in market integration and rollout of the APXIUM software with the top two practise management software vendors for the Accounting industry | $300,000 |
| Fusetec 3D | Develop a comprehensive digital library of segmented human anatomies for fully operable 3-D printed synthetic human anatomy medical training devices | $500,000 |
| MEQ Probe | Conduct pilot trials with lead customers to improve the accuracy of its machine learning models ready for market entry and first sales | $350,000 |
| Platfarm | Develop the Platfarm precision agriculture software to the level required to support a trial and rollout agreement secured with Kubota Tractors | $100,000 |
| The Village Foundation | Complete web-based training modules and on-boarding materials and roll out the pilot to agreed participating companies with onsite training and development events | $50,000 |
SSGSA resources
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