CERI - Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation

What CERI - Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation does

CERI (Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation) is a not-for-profit social enterprise and entrepreneurship accelerator founded in 2015 by the Bass Family and based in Nedlands, Western Australia. It runs a structured founder pathway spanning the Entrepreneurial Mindset Bootcamp (2-day), Concept to Creation (11-week), Investment Readiness (11-week), the FIRST program (12-month female deep-tech founder track), the CERI Residency office program, the Venture Mentor Program (delivered via MentorLoop), the CERI Start micro-seed SAFE fund, and the September 2025-launched Launch@22 scale-up incubator. The organization serves early-stage entrepreneurs, PhD students and academic researchers in Western Australia, with 1,000+ program graduates since 2016, 14 current resident companies, a combined A$240M portfolio valuation, 127 jobs created within portfolio companies, and 18 patents held collectively across the portfolio.

CERI is not a technology company and does not develop proprietary software; its operational stack is modest and largely SaaS-driven (notably MentorLoop for mentor matching) alongside standard program administration and event tooling. The underlying "platform" is the integrated curriculum, mentorship, residency, and follow-on capital stack layered onto a single physical site at 22 Stirling Highway, which also houses Launch@22.

CERI's revenue model is donation-led: it holds DGR1 status (granted July 2021), enabling tax-deductible contributions from foundations and individuals including the Bass Family Foundation (primary), Malka Foundation, Mannkal Economic Education Foundation, Spinifex Trust, Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, Mai Tri Foundation, Perth Rotary, and individual donors. It also earns heavily subsidized program fees (A$110–A$550 per participant depending on scholarship tier) and receives targeted government grants such as the A$135,000 New Industries and Innovation Fund award for CERI FIRST. The go-to-market is community-led: university and research-institution partnerships, social media (Instagram, LinkedIn), website-driven applications, events, and word-of-mouth across the Western Australian founder ecosystem. Pricing is intentionally subsidized by donor capital rather than set at market rates.

Name

CERI - Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation

Legal name

Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation

Website

https://ceri.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education & Startup Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Entrepreneurship, Business & Innovation Camps (EDAMALAL)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Startup accelerator programs
• Founder mentorship
• Micro-seed funding
• Business incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Nedlands, WA

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: CERI operates as a social enterprise primarily funded by donations from individuals and foundations including the Bass Family Foundation, Malka Foundation, Mannkal Economic Education Foundation, Spinifex Trust, Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, Mai Tri Foundation, Perth Rotary, Anthony Torresan, and the Trettel and Bass Families. CERI has DGR1 (Deductible Gift Recipient 1) status making donations tax-deductible.
2. Program Fees: CERI charges subsidized program fees for its educational programs (Bootcamp, Concept to Creation, Investment Readiness) thanks to donor support. Fees range from $110-$550 depending on scholarship eligibility.
3. Government Grants: CERI receives grant funding from government sources including the New Industries and Innovation Fund for specific programs like CERI FIRST.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CERI delivers structured entrepreneurship education programs, mentor matching, office residency, and micro-seed funding (via SAFE agreements) to aspiring and early-stage founders in Western Australia. Its programs span mindset/bootcamp training, idea development, investment readiness, deep-tech startup support for women, and a scale-up incubator for capital-raising ventures.

Product overview

CERI offers a cohesive pathway of programs guiding entrepreneurs from idea to commercialisation. The core educational programs include the Entrepreneurial Mindset Bootcamp (foundational two-day course), Concept to Creation (11-week business skills program), and Investment Readiness (11-week capital-raising program). Specialized offerings include the FIRST program for female deep-tech founders. Post-program support includes CERI Residency (office space), the Venture Mentor Program (mentorship matching), and CERI Start (micro-seed funding via SAFE agreements). Launch@22 serves as a scale-up incubator for more mature ventures. Programs are priced with scholarship options thanks to donor support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CERI FIRST: Female Innovators in Research, Science and Technology program supporting women founders in deep-tech
• CERI Start
• Launch@22

Products and services

• Entrepreneurial Mindset Bootcamp A structured training program designed to introduce aspiring founders to the entrepreneurial mindset. It is positioned as the entry point into CERI's wider program offering and is open to individuals regardless of whether they already have a business idea. Pricing is A$550 with scholarships available.
• Concept to Creation An idea-to-venture program for individuals with a defined concept who are ready to develop it into a business. It is targeted at PhD students, researchers, and aspiring founders and is priced at A$440 with scholarships available.
• Investment Readiness A session-based program equipping founders with the knowledge, narrative, and materials needed to raise capital from investors. Sessions are sold individually at A$110 each, with scholarships available.
• FIRST (Female Innovators in Research, Science and Technology) A targeted program for female founders operating in deep-technology domains including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, blockchain, advanced manufacturing, and biotech. It is intended to address underrepresentation of women in deep-tech commercialisation.
• CERI Residency A physical office space in Nedlands, Western Australia, offered to founders as a residency, providing access to the CERI community and a dedicated place to build their ventures.
• CERI Venture Mentor Program A structured mentorship offering that connects founders with experienced operators and investors. Mentor-mentee matching and engagement are managed through the MentorLoop platform.
• CERI Start CERI's micro-seed funding program, providing small amounts of early capital to founders using SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) instruments. It complements CERI's education programs by giving founders a first external investor.
• Launch@22 A scale-up incubator program for growth-stage WA ventures, focused on revenue scaling and preparing for capital raises.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ program graduates since 2016
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Direct peers

• Stone & Chalk: Stone & Chalk operates a national network of startup hubs in Australia offering residency, mentorship, and connections to investors and corporates. It overlaps with CERI's accelerator-style programming, mentorship support, and physical incubator facilities.
• Startmate: Startmate is the leading seed-stage accelerator in Australia and New Zealand, running cohort-based programs with mentorship, capital, and community for early-stage founders. It is a direct comparable to CERI as a regional accelerator serving similar founder segments with education, mentorship, and seed funding.
• Antler: Antler is a global early-stage VC running cohort-based accelerators in Sydney, Melbourne, and other ANZ cities, providing pre-seed funding, mentorship, and global founder networks. It directly competes with CERI for Australian pre-seed founders using the same cohort accelerator model.
• Cicada Innovations: Cicada Innovations is Australia's premier deep-tech incubator in Sydney, helping science and engineering founders commercialize research through structured programs and physical residency. It is highly comparable to CERI's deep-tech, research-commercialization focus and its accelerator-plus-residency model.
• ilab (UQ): ilab is the University of Queensland's startup accelerator, providing education, mentorship, and incubation for student and researcher founders. It is closely comparable to CERI's research-commercialization mission and structured cohort programs targeting PhDs and academics.
• Impact Innovation Group: Impact Innovation Group is an Australian social enterprise supporting purpose-driven founders through programs, mentorship, and backing. It is comparable to CERI through its non-profit social-enterprise orientation and its cohort-based support of impact-oriented entrepreneurs.
• CSIRO ON Accelerate: CSIRO ON Accelerate is Australia's national science agency's commercialization program, helping researchers translate science into ventures through training, mentorship, and milestone-based funding. It directly mirrors CERI's mission of converting research into commercial startups in the WA/Australian ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Founder Institute: Founder Institute is a global pre-seed accelerator running structured cohort programs in 200+ cities worldwide, with shared curriculum and mentor networks. It is a broad incumbent offering the same education-and-mentorship accelerator model that CERI delivers at a regional Australian level.
• Techstars: Techstars is one of the world's largest accelerator operators, running 50+ mentorship-driven cohort programs globally with significant capital deployment. It is a broad incumbent offering the same accelerator-plus-mentorship model that CERI runs at a smaller regional scale.

Others

• Uniseed: Uniseed is an Australian venture fund that commercializes university research by funding and supporting founders spun out of partner universities. It is thematically comparable to CERI as a research-to-startup enabler in Australia, though its primary mode of support is investment rather than cohort-based education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/ceri_wa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ceriwesternaustralia
• Instagraminstagram.com/ceri_wa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CERI - Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation