Portfolio Spotlight: givvable
givvable co-founders Naomi Vowels and Frances Atkins
We’re shining a light on UNSW Founders alumni and portfolio company givvable.com. Co-founded by sisters Frances Atkins and Naomi Vowels, givvable is a smart platform used by companies and governments to screen, track and map the sustainability and ESG actions of suppliers to their targets. After working in the corporate world for 15 years, Frances decided to change her career trajectory and enrolled in the MBA (Executive) program at UNSW’s AGSM. It was during her studies, in 2019, Frances discovered the UNSW Founders New Wave program.
New Wave provided Frances and Naomi with the opportunity to learn essential entrepreneurial skills such as pitching, networking, and design thinking under the guidance of industry-leading mentors. Through this program, they launched ‘GoodGivs’, a platform that combines group gifting with charitable crowdfunding to help people celebrate without waste. The pair went on to win the judges first prize in the 2019 New Wave showcase.
Following New Wave, with an interest in accelerating their start-up learnings and exploring global opportunities, the Sydney-raised sisters applied for the UNSW Founders' flagship Accelerator program, 10x. The 10x Accelerator is an industry-agnostic program designed for high-potential tech-enabled start-ups founded by UNSW students, staff, or alumni. The program is specifically designed to get founders investment ready and see this as their most suitable growth strategy. The program is a two-phase program, including a 4-week Pre-Accelerator and a 10-week Accelerator.
Pssst…In 2023, 15 teams will be accepted into the 4-week Pre-Accelerator and up to 6 teams will be selected to advance to the 10-week Accelerator. For all you early birds you can express your interest in our next cohort here: Accelerator Program Expression of Interest
During 10x, Frances and Naomi received $20,000 in seed funding and 10 weeks of accelerated learning from industry and startup experts and mentors. They also spoke to more than 100 businesses, suppliers, and industry professionals to promote givvable. It was through this program that they saw a unique opportunity to execute a concept that they could scale and grow. givvable is a platform that uses AI-driven technology to help companies monitor and track the sustainability of their suppliers. The platform allows users to access information on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, as well as local and global suppliers, and small and large companies. It is designed to assist procurement, sourcing, and sustainability professionals in monitoring third-party validated actions, meeting forward-looking targets, and reporting progress easily. givvable can be used by businesses in a wide range of industries, including banking and finance, property and construction, resources and utilities, manufacturing, food and beverage, and consumer and retail.
Since 10x, givvable has gone from strength to strength, taking out a number of competitions including $200,000 in equity-free funding as part of the inaugural Xccelerate2020. In November 2022, Frances was crowned Founder of the Year at the inaugural UNSW Founders Awards.
givvable co-founder Frances Atkins with UNSW Founders Director of Entrepreneurship David Burt and Director of Innovation and Enterprise for The George Institute for Global Health Parisa Glass
Recently, Givvable announced a partnership with Fifo Capital to create a finance platform called Fifopay. This platform offers unrivaled capabilities for SMEs and uses AI technology to surface actionable insights, making it easier for business owners to make smarter decisions in how they manage their finances and meet ESG requirements. To learn more about why SMEs that embrace ESG will have a major competitive advantage over those that don’t, read Smart Company’s recent article on the topic. Additionally, suppliers can boost their visibility by registering their business on givvable's free supplier portal and accessing supplier-friendly learning modules on carbon footprint, circular economy, recycled content, ethical sourcing, and social impacts.
Fill out an Expression of Interest for the 2023 10x Accelerator here.