The Mill House Social Enterprise Accelerator – GRIST 2021

GRIST 2021 is INVITATION ONLY.
If you are new to Mill House and you would like to be considered, please submit an Expression of Interest

Please note that we only consider applicants from Canberra and it’s region

GRIST is our flagship program and is designed to accelerate a venture’s social impact. In the workshops you will learn skills, develop your venture and engage with your cohort to bring your Minimum Viable Product to market quickly. During the formal mentoring you will be supported to gather the data you need to iterate and accelerate your venture.

Each GRIST venture is carefully selected by our panel of Industry Professionals and Social Impact Investors. They are looking for projects with a clear, compelling and measurable theory of change. They are also looking for market ready B2B or B2C ventures that can be tested, validated and iterated during the Program.

GRIST consists of two parts: a required 5-day intensive skill-building program focused on the preparation of a business model report, followed by a 3-month mentorship program where you will execute a mutually agreed workplan (which we call a Market Testing Plan) focused on market and social change validation through the launch of a minimum viable product (MVP). We are offering a 5-day intensive workshop program (delivered 2 days + 3 days over 2 weeks) to anchor your acceleration journey AND a formal mentoring program to guide your market testing.

KEY DATES:

Applications close 28 July

All applicants notified EARLY AUGUST

Day One Thursday, 19 August – 9 AM to 5 PM

GRIST2021 Launch – 5.30 PM Thursday, 19 August

Day Two Friday, 20 August – 9 AM to 5 PM

Day Three Monday, 23 August – 9 AM to 5 PM

Day Four Tuesday, 24 August – 9 AM to 5 PM

Day Five Wednesday, 25 August – 9 AM to 5 PM

Mentoring program and market validation period – 26 August to 27 October

GRIST 2021 Graduation Event, Thursday, 28 October – 5.30 PM for a 6 PM start to 9 PM

 

 

 

2021 GRIST Mill House Accelerator Program: EOI Application Form

Our EOI application period is OPEN. To be considered for our next cohort, please have a look at our Application Tips, and if you have any questions, please get in touch

Our form is designed to collect some basic information about your idea or venture to trade for impact. All information you provide is considered private and confidential.

Some of the questions are designed to assess your trading model, and others are more focused on your impact.

The things we are looking for are:
– a demonstration of commitment to For Profit entrepreneurship (we want to know that you are thinking about selling products and services, not trying to apply for grants or set up a charity for donations)
– a sense that there are gaps in your knowledge that we can help (don’t agonise over writing a perfect application. We want to see where we can help, so highlight gaps and be transparent with your responses)
– demonstration that you are creating impact with a group of vulnerable people (we call this social license, but basically we need to know that the people you want to help are committed to your idea and they want to work with you)

This EOI becomes the Potential GRISTer profile we invite our members and mentors to review for the final approval on your invitation to the accelerator program. Write your application for them! Think about the style, tone and information that is relevant to Impact Investors (people who care about making the world a better place) and prepare your application accordingly!

Please read the entire form before starting. The form has a save-and-continue feature, so you can provide your details over multiple sessions if required.

Please review our EVENTS page for information sessions and keep an eye out for more support to create a compelling application.

  • Overview of the EOI

    This form is designed to collect some basic information about your idea or venture to trade for impact. All information you provide is considered private and confidential. Some of the questions are designed to assess your trading model, and others are more focused on your impact. The things we are looking for are: - a demonstration of commitment to For Profit entrepreneurship (we want to know that you are thinking about selling products and services, not trying to apply for grants or set up a charity for donations) - a sense that there are gaps in your knowledge that we can help (don't agonise over writing a perfect application. We want to see where we can help, so highlight gaps and be transparent with your responses) - demonstration that you are creating impact with a group of vulnerable people (we call this social license, but basically we need to know that the people you want to help are committed to your idea and they want to work with you) This EOI becomes the Potential GRISTer profile we invite our members and mentors to review for the final approval on your invitation to the accelerator program. Write your application for them! Think about the style, tone and information that is relevant to Impact Investors (people who care about making the world a better place) and prepare your application accordingly! Please read the entire form before starting. The form has a save-and-continue feature, so you can provide your details over multiple sessions if required. Finally, have fun! This process shouldn't be a drag on you. All the best The Mill House Team
  • If required
  • Brief Description or elevator pitch, if you have one, that explains WHAT you do and HOW.
  • What are the forces that prevent this problem from changing? Why is it hard for people to change this problem themselves? What gets in their way?
  • Please identify a specific customer segment. Can you describe the market opportunity in dollars and/or number of customers and/or geography.
  • Please describe what industry or sector this opportunity capitalises and what parameters you know of the demonstrate the size of your opportunity.
  • Do you have competitors? Who are they? What have your discovered about their products and services?
  • Please describe how much you think the BIGGEST part of your venture costs (or the most expensive) and indicate how you might bootstrap - or make money - to cover the costs.
  • Please describe what credentials and skills are relevant to your venture. Highlight any social license or community trust you have too.
  • Please describe any specific skills development or knowledge areas you want to address. We also want to make sure our program helps you with any strategic or business plans, so highlight any ways you see Mill House adding value to your venture.

  • Thanks for sending your application form

    Thank you for completing your application for the Mill House Social Enterprise Accelerator Program, GRIST. Once you press 'submit' you should receive an email confirmation. If you do not, please get in touch with the team via clinic@millhouseventures.com.au
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
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