Introducing the Emerge Entrepreneurs Program 2024 Cohort.
A dynamic group of founders from a diverse range of industries, get ready to be inspired as they embark on their Emerge journey.
The Emerge Entrepreneur Program, supported by the Department of Communities, is an 8 month traction focused virtual program for sustainable growth.
Dr. Aimee Brown: 10 Minute Dirt Nap
Cutting through the noise of the women’s health and fitness industry, 10 Minute Dirt Nap is your holistic solution to positive and sustainable change in your life. Providing practical tools and support for busy women wanting to be the best version of themselves, the 10 Minute Dirt Nap, breaks down complex health concepts into practical, everyday habits so you can succeed at reducing stress, increasing exercise and improving energy.
Dr. Aimee Brown is an award winning and passionate holistic chiropractor, personal trainer and dedicated mother of three. As an accomplished ultramarathon runner, Aimee knows the importance of staying in top shape while juggling a busy life.
Brenda Kiptugen: The Femme
The Femme is a platform focused on female empowerment, where women can connect and share their knowledge, tools, and learning experiences. We believe in embracing femininity, building resilience, and having fun along the way. Our site offers a vast range of content, from stories about self-care and wellness, to interviews with inspiring women, to advice from experts in the field.
Brenda has a background in construction and mining and a passion for self improvement rooted in the strength of femininity and community.
Charlene Clarke: Catalyst Central
Catalyst Central is a leading HR Consulting firm dedicated to partnering with organisations of all sizes to unlock their full potential. Dedicated to creating an empowered community, we propel businesses forward, providing platforms for sustainable growth, helping them thrive in a dynamic world.
We are expanding this service offering, launching The HR Hub and the Membership Portal, to provide a self-service option, giving more SMEs access to our products as they need using flexible payment options.
Charlene is a degree qualified Organisational Development Specialist with more than 15 years’ experience in both strategic and operational HR, with a passion for creating thriving teams.
Chris Anca: Chris’ Kitchen
Chris’ Kitchen creates life changing food. We are WA’s first food manufacturer operating as a social enterprise, creating pathways to employment. Our award-winning cakes, bliss balls and baked goods are made with simple ingredients you use at home, and they are designed to be allergy friendly. Our food is gluten and dairy free, refined sugar free, and vegan.
Chris is a social entrepreneur passionate about making the world a better place and creating equal opportunities.Her previous experience includes working for the UN as well as a management consultant for the resources industry with primary focus areas on sustainability and social impact. Chris founded and managed a not for profit focused on educational micro-grants through crowdsourcing, co-authored two studies for the UN and published a cookbook along the way.
Clare Clouting: Athena Business Solutions
Athena Quality has a mission to simplify quality and food safety management for small to medium-sized food and beverage businesses. Our team of food safety experts can help you with everything from developing a comprehensive food safety program to implementing onsite microbiology chemistry and QC testing.
Clare is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of expertise in quality, food safety, sensory and NPD in the food and beverage industry. Her time as the Operations Systems Manager at Good Drinks Australia and as an Executive Board Member at the IBA Australia, has allowed Clare to hone her skills and knowledge within the brewing industry. In her spare time Clare runs a not-for-profit brewing laboratory proficiency program and volunteers with the Pink Boots Society to train women to become beer judges.
Danielle Higgins: Momentary Co.
We are a company dedicated to helping children and their families connect and change the way they make memories together. Our child-led approach to family time and memory keeping means it’s fun, approachable and suited to all families, no matter what that might look like.
After a varied career in recruitment, and taking time out to raise her son. The founding of Momentary Co is a combination of her graphic design experience and a love of storytelling. It’s her mission to ensure children are put into the centre of their own childhood story through fun activities which spark imagination and family connection.
Emma Garlett: Garlett Group
Garlett Group is a 100% Aboriginal-owned firm based in Carnarvon, Western Australia. We service clients all over Western Australia. Garlett Group provides specialist consulting, training services and strategic communications to empower individuals and organisations to work effectively and meaningfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We work with large corporate entities, Aboriginal businesses, not-for-profits, the higher education sector and government agencies to build capacity and capability.
Emma Garlett is a Nyungar-Nyiyaparli-Yamatji woman from Geraldton. In addition to her role at Garlett Group, Emma is a First Nations leader. She is an Industry Fellow at the Sustainable Minerals Institute at The University of Queensland. Emma is a Teaching Fellow at the Law School at the University of Western Australia and an Adjunct Professor at Federation University where she sits on the Advisory Board for the National Centre of Reconciliation, Truth and Justice.
Erin Bell: Co Connect Workforce App
Co Connect was started to create multiple problems commonly seen in the resources work environment, such as communication, isolation, and personal safety. We are dedicated to enhancing the connection within Australia’s diverse workforce. Our mission is to foster open communication, promote active engagement, and ensure timely and effective emergency response.
Erin Bell is a human resources and health, safety & emergency professional with a career background in Tier 1 and 2 Mining Operators in WA. Her professional experience in implementation of HR and health and safety tech in mining.
Esmee Ng: Health Empower Australia
Health Empower nurtures the well-being of children and families. Our business provides well-being education with evidence-based preventative and early intervention tools to empower children, educators and parents to look after their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being, enabling them to lead flourishing lives to their full potential.
Esmee Ng is a well-being expert for children, educators and families with over 19 years’ experience. She started her social enterprise in 2017 with the vision of empowering our children, educators and families to be their best self through improved health and well-being and leading positive and purposeful lives. Esmee has a background in positive psychology and uses these tools in her educational programs with children, educators, families and professionals.
Fiona Dunne: GlowDry
GlowDry is an award winning fake tan drying powder. Natural, vegan friendly and cruelty free, GlowDry sets and dries any self tanner or spray tan instantly.
Fiona is a passionate advocate for safe tanning and has a background in Environmental Health and a masters in Occ Health and Safety. She is on a mission to help women switch from sun tanning to self tanning and providing multi tasking natural Aussie made products to help them achieve that.
Fiona Perrella: Strength Heroes
Strength Heroes uses art and play to develop resilience skills in children. Strength Heroes work with families with early years and primary aged children, schools, childcare providers, Out of School Hours Care programs, local councils and other organisations. Their unique approach has seen it grow steadily in making an impact on children’s wellbeing in WA.
Fiona Perrella is a Resilience educator. She started her career as a Human Resources professional, Consultant, Trainer and Life Coach working with organisations and individuals to assist people challenge their thinking and change their behaviour to achieve success. When her young children entered the school system she was moved to change her work focus as she realised her own daughter’s unhelpful thinking was developing into issues with self-esteem and confidence – the same issues that her clients in the corporate sector were facing. In 2022, Fiona Perrella was named a finalist in the Commissioner for Children and Young People Mental Educator category of the WA Mental Health Awards.
Jawaria Mahmood: Tech Aware
Tech Aware is a startup to improve digital literacy and support communities facing barriers to understanding tech, with a special emphasis on cyber awareness training for school aged children. Staying safe online is getting complex with Australians losing about 3 billion to cyber crime. Our vision is to safeguard vulnerable members of the community.
Jawaria has a background in tech and ability to articulate information to the level of children enables her to simplify tech concepts for communities as part of her startup. Jawaria is an academic for Cyber Security units and has passion for driving positive change in the digital realm and an ability to align objectives with government targets which underscores her commitment to contributing to WA.
Jessie Klaric: Kettu
Kettu’s vision is to delight our customers with playful living and giving, showcasing carefully curated items of quality and unique design. The name ‘kettu’ means red fox in Finnish, symbolising passion, desire and cleverness.
Jessie has worked as a lawyer for over 17 years and holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from UWA as well as being In-House Counsel Certified by the Association of Corporate Counsel Australia.
Julie Cavaney: Wabi Sabi Marshmallows
Wabi Sabi Marshmallows is a next level gourmet treat. Our marshmallows are gluten free, dairy free, nut and egg free to include everyone to enjoy it.
Julie is a Japanese teacher and has loved making marshmallows so much she had to start a business.
Karen Coubrough: Deco Magic
Deco Magic’s unique 100% edible metallic gels create a 1 step approach for many cake decorating techniques from piping to the modern age of the drip cake, stencilled cookies, airbrushing and metallic edible fabric. This Australian manufactured and invented icing/gel medium is a world first with Gold, Silver and 13 other metallic colours in the range.
Karen is a qualified pastry chef, inventor and business owner who started cake decorating at the age of 13 as a hobby.
Karina Gray: Starwin & Joy Ray Flo
Karina believes kindness is the best currency and being a good ancestor matters. As a young leader and advocate, Karina travelled the country and world seeking models making a difference, and has built a career focused on listening and knowledge sharing.
After completing her tertiary education, Karina founded a social impact enterprise, Starwin, in 2010, providing many highlights, as a one-of-a-kindness collective that supports women in enterprise to do what they love, where they love.
Karina has a passion for championing social justice, through volunteering and advocacy work and constantly looks for ways to mentor the next generation and is single handedly raising a young daughter of Tiwi, Yanyuwa and Jewish heritage. Karina believes in transforming trauma by defending joy and making magic happen, and remains grateful to her mentors for generously teaching this, and guiding her meaningful career.
Liz Del Borrello: Leaders Lobby
Leaders Lobby the home of leadership coaching, training and events for leaders wanting an elevated pathway.
Liz is a certified business and personal coach specialising in leadership. She supports clients by drawing her 25 year corporate career as a marketing and communications executive. Liz is also the founder of one of Perth’s only leadership networking events – Leaders Lobby Perth. Liz also works with businesses to strengthen their team skills to increase trust, confidence, productivity and accountability. She left corporate Australia with burnout and turned her pain into purpose … to now coach and train leaders to be more people focused and purpose-driven. Her high energy and empathetic approach makes her one of Perth’s most in-demand leadership coaches, trainers and speakers. In 2023, Liz was named in the Top 15 Coaches in Perth by Influence Digest.
Louise Matson: Louise M Shoes
Louise M Shoes is a luxury shoe brand for airline cabin crew, and professional and executive women. Made in Italy, amongst the leaders of fashion, Louise M Shoes have been described as “the most comfortable corporate shoes on this planet!”
Louise used her 17 years’ experience as a flight attendant to develop Louise M Shoes. She travelled the world searching for shoes that would meet the requirements of looking professional and stylish while working long days on your feet.
Kirrilee Lehman and Taryn Maybury: Queens of Clutter
Queens of Clutter started as a passion project for Perth sisters Kirrilee and Taryn over 5 years ago. It is now a professional organising company employing 20 women all over Perth. We support our clients to declutter their homes and specialise in clients who are overwhelmed and do not know where to start.
Kirrilee spent 20 years as a community Pharmacist before discovering a passion to assist people to organise their homes. Her favourite things are her energetic 2 kids, delicious food, and the occasional glass of wine, and maybe a little bit of chocolate too.
Taryn has a Bachelor of Psychology degree and also works as a Forensic Investigation Officer. She has 2 kids, loves netball, yoga, and hanging out with friends and family.
Rebecca Kelly: Ladies HQ
Our vision is to create supportive communities where all women can build confidence, improve their mental health, and form like-minded connections. We aim to provide a safe space, whether locally in-person or online, for women to step out of their comfort zones and explore new opportunities for their own growth.
Rebecca is a visionary educator, dedicated to empowering women to live the life they deserve.
Dr Silvia Lozeva: Institute 361
Institute 361 is on a quest to bridge the timeless wisdom of centuries-old strategic thinking with the demands of the modern world. We are dedicated to empowering modern executive teams, enrich communities and empower youth with the enduring insights drawn from the ancient game of Go.
Silvia is a thought leader in applying strategic principles from the ancient game of Go to the modern world. Holding a PhD in Sustainable Development, a Masters in Gender Studies, as well as Bachelor in Economics, she has many experiences in research and education, exploring the intersections between social, economic and environmental development, including international development. As a life-long Go Player, Silvia firmly believes in its transformative power to advance strategic thinking through play and to create better social connections.
Alessandra Lee: Rockingham Web Services
Rockingham Web Services is a women friendly tech company that 100% hand-codes premium websites.
With a background in Electrical Engineering at the University of Sydney, Alessandra learned many coding languages including Excel, C, Assembly, Python, VHDL, Arduino, R Studio, the mathematics and coding behind artificial intelligence, HTML, CSS and Javascript. Her time in the Navy balanced the technical with soft skills and honed her teamwork skills in a fast-paced challenging environment.
Congratulations to the exceptional female founders who make up our 2024 Emerge program cohort! Stay tuned to our blog and social media channels to follow their journeys and be inspired by their achievements.
We Are Emersyn uses an inclusive definition “female” and “women” and we welcome trans people, women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who identify, have identified, or have been identified as female, women, or non-binary.