A black swan can’t lift off from a standstill. It runs on the water first. This program is the run-up.
Eligibility: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander founders, co-founders or founding-team members who live in NSW or operate an NSW-based business; are at ideation, pre-revenue or early-revenue stage; and are developing an innovation-intensive product, service or business model. The proposed 12-week program combines mentoring, peer-yarning, practical workshops and 12 months of aftercare.
Formal application. Applying does not guarantee selection or funding. Any offer, proposed dates and final delivery arrangements remain subject to written confirmation by Investment NSW.
Where are you on the water?
Have you talked to potential customers or community about the idea yet?
Do you have an offer, pricing or first sales taking shape?
Are you preparing for a grant, accelerator or investment conversation?
A guide only — nothing is recorded and no answer is used as an automated selection score.
Twelve weeks of gathering speed.
Each marker lights as you pass it. Open one to see what you walk away with.
WEEK 01Idea clarity and founder goals
+
Name the problem, who it affects and why it matters to customers or community.
- Walk away with
- A clear problem statement
- Founder goals on paper
WEEK 03Customer, community and problem testing
+
Map assumptions, plan simple interviews and learn what people actually need.
- Walk away with
- An assumption map
- An interview plan
- First real feedback
WEEK 06Business model, pricing and support needs
+
Shape the offer, pricing, delivery model and the support needed to make it viable.
- Walk away with
- A tested business model
- Pricing you can explain
WEEK 09Storytelling, pitch and pathway preparation
+
Strengthen the founder story, pitch structure and confidence explaining the opportunity.
- Walk away with
- A founder story that lands
- A pitch structure
WEEK 12Roadmap, next support and warm connections
+
Build the practical next-step plan — priorities, milestones and support gaps.
- Walk away with
- A next-step roadmap
- Mentor and peer connections
+12 MONTHSAftercare — the run keeps going
+
Follow-up support, pathway connections and momentum long after the last workshop.
- Walk away with
- Ongoing support
- Pathway connections
What founders climb out with.
The expected outcomes, straight from the program design.
A clearer problem statement and customer or community understanding.
A simple tested business model and practical next-step roadmap.
Stronger storytelling, pitch confidence and market positioning.
Mentor, peer and ecosystem connections.
Clearer pathways into accelerators, grants, funding or further support.
Barayamal Limited — registered charity + DGR, backing First Nations entrepreneurship since 2017. ABN ↗ · ACNC ↗
Current public intake status
- Cohort 1 applications are open, with the proposed application period ending at 11:59 pm AEST on Sunday, 20 September 2026.
- Twelve-week delivery is proposed for Monday, 28 September to Friday, 18 December 2026, followed by 12 months of aftercare.
- Approximately eight hours each week includes about five hours self-paced, one 90-minute peer-yarning session, about one hour of mentoring and applied founder work.
- Start & Grow support is separately assessed, limited and not guaranteed. Final public guidelines will apply.
Approval status
- Final program dates and the accelerated selection process remain subject to written Investment NSW approval.
- Individual Start & Grow arrangements remain subject to approved guidelines and separate assessment.
- Applying does not guarantee selection. Offers are issued only after eligibility, independent assessment and moderation.
Last reviewed 28 Aug 2026 — proposed dates are labelled until written approval is recorded
Pre-flight check.
Tick what applies — a guide only, nothing is submitted.
“Should I wait for a full accelerator?”
Where the run leads.
Aftercare connects founders onward — and these Barayamal pathways are live today, before the cohort even starts.
Founder Strengths scorecard ↗
A 12-question read on your founder strengths.
Self-checkEntrepreneurship assessment ↗
A 13-statement tool for where your thinking is at.
WorkFirst Nations Job Board ↗
Indigenous jobs across Australia while you build.
EcosystemInnovation Map ↗
First Nations innovation stories across the country.
ImpactImpact snapshot ↗
What Barayamal’s work has built so far.
Every run-up needs people on the bank.
Mentors, industry partners, referral organisations — mentoring, introductions, workshop support, technical advice and regional referral pathways all move founders forward.
Start your run-up.
A formal application covering eligibility, your venture, program goals and participation needs.
Need help with the form? Ask Barayamal for an assisted application. Not ready for this intake? Join the future-cohort EOI. Any offer and all proposed dates remain conditional on written confirmation by Investment NSW.
Delivered by Barayamal with support from the NSW Government’s Diversity Pre-Accelerator Program. Proposed program dates remain subject to written Investment NSW approval. Applying does not guarantee selection or Start & Grow support.