3 Australian startup founders make the final of the Cartier Women’s Initiative

The annual Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI), which supports early-stage women-run companies focusing on social and environmental impact, has selected three Australian startup founder among its 33 finalists. 

The program provides financial, social, and human capital support and this year expanded its Oceania focus as a new standalone regional award, which Cartier CEO Cyrille Vigneron said was a direct result of the high quality and depth of talent from Aus and New Zealand in recent years. 

The finalists are vying for around $2 million

The first-place awardees will take home US$100,000, while the second and third-place awardees will receive USD $60,000 and US$30,000

The three finalists from Australia heading to Paris in May for the final are:

One Small Step: Information Technology and Services

Founded by Lily Dempster, One Small Step is a consumer technology profit-for-purpose start-up that supports the mass decarbonisation of society by encouraging deep behavior change across multiple sectors.

Their app acts as a sustainability coach, evaluating your climate impact and connecting you with local carbon-neutral businesses to reduce it.

Telecare: Hospital & Health Care

Lina Xu, Michael Wang, nephrologist Dr. Christopher Sia and general practitioner Dr Raymond Wen founded Telecare, a digital platform that provides patients with high quality specialist consultations from their homes, facilitated by a GP or their hospital partners.

Teach Well: Education Management

Founder Ingrid Sealey built Teach Well to improve education outcomes for Australian students with high-impact teacher training.

The recognition of women impact entrepreneurs from countries like Armenia, Bulgaria, Dominican Republic, and Singapore shows the global reach of the program.

The initiative not only supports women entrepreneurs but also encourages them to create solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.