Wollongong-based company Abbl joins UOW's incubator iAccelerate to scale and grow
Abbl, a pioneering brewery management software startup founded by the creators of Wollongong’s Five Barrel Brewing, has been announced as the inaugural recipient of the Scalapay Scale Up Scholarship (part of Supporting Illawarra Entrepreneurs Initiative). The scholarship, a joint venture between the University of Wollongong’s (UOW) business incubator iAccelerate and Illawarra-based Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) leader Scalapay, aims to bolster local startups and catalyse fintech innovation within the Illawarra region.
The Scalapay Scale Up Scholarship, valued at $10,000, provides Abbl with funding for an iAccelerate residency and mentorship support from the Scalapay team.
“We are thrilled to announce Abbl as the first Scalapay Scale Up Scholarship recipient. This collaboration underscores our commitment to nurturing local talent and fostering a culture of innovation,” Dr Tamantha Stutchbury, Director of iAccelerate said.
Abbl is dedicated to revolutionising the brewing industry through innovative software solutions. It was co-founded by a sister-brother duo, Lucy Timpano and Phil O’Shea, both UOW graduates with backgrounds in IT and accounting respectively, who also manage the successful Five Barrels Brewing. They have developed Abbl to streamline brewery management processes and enhance overall efficiency.
Johnny Mitrevski, Co-Founder and CTO of Scalapay, highlighted the significance of this collaboration.
“We believe in the potential of local startups like Abbl. By providing them with resources and opportunities, we aim to contribute to the growth of Illawarra’s fintech ecosystem.”
Abbl’s co-founder Lucy expressed her enthusiasm for the scholarship.
“We are incredibly thankful to be granted the Scalapay Scale Up Scholarship. Through this program, we hope to learn how to take our business from its infancy to be a global leader. Scalapay has learned many lessons in growth and scaling that we feel will be able to help us immensely. It will be amazing to be back at iAccelerate too. We participated in one of its programs last year and gained so many insights, so to be awarded the opportunity to learn there again means that we can continue to grow and have support.”
Abbl’s founders said they had experienced plenty of big wins and challenges since they launched.
“Having the confidence to go public was probably the hardest part, and thankfully, we were rewarded with a significant interest," Lucy said.
Since its inception in 2012, iAccelerate has been a driving force in supporting local entrepreneurs, startups and scale-ups by offering comprehensive education, mentorship, seed funding and research resources. The Scalapay Scale Up Scholarship is a testament to iAccelerate’s dedication to nurturing the next generation of innovators.
For more information about the Scalapay Scale Up Scholarship and iAccelerate, please visit the iAccelerate website.
Photo by: Mark Newsham