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Women in Clean Energy Fellowship
A program to inspire, educate and support women to start clean energy startups
Start your entrepreneurial journey with the Women in Clean Energy Fellowship
The Women in Clean Energy Fellowship equips you with the skills, know-how and network to take the first steps in entrepreneurship.

Over a twelve week period, you'll be joined by a diverse group of future women entrepreneurs, mentors and role models to give you the knowledge and confidence to start your own clean energy startup.

The Women in Clean Energy Fellowship costs $500 per person and will next run online between September and December 2020.


Learn the foundations of entrepreneruship
What does it take to start a startup? In a series of weekly discussions and workshops, you'll be joined by experts to help you understand the steps involved to start your own company. We'll cover topics such as ideation, customer validation, how to pitch and gain investment and strategies for resilience and fearless leadership.
Be inspired by other women founders
Learn from those who have gone before you. Successful entrepreneurs will share their founding stories, challenges they've faced and other advice and insights from the arena!
Build a solid support network
Surround yourself with people who'll cheer you on! Over the course of the program you will build a strong tight-knit community of fellow female founders, experts and mentors. You'll also be paired with a WICEF participant from a previous cohort to support you on your journey.
Dedicated mentorship
The Women in Clean Energy Fellowship is supported by a group of dedicated mentors. Not only will you get to hear from talented entrepreneurs and energy sector experts in our weekly workshops, you'll have the opportunity to connect one-on-one with mentors during the program mentor evening.
Support from an experienced team
EnergyLab has supported more clean energy startups than anyone else in Australia. We draw on that expertise to set you up for success. During the program, you will touch base with the EnergyLab team regularly. Each fortnight you'll meet one-on-one with either Milly Young (Program Manager), James Tilbury (CEO) or Piers Grove (Executive Chair). These checkins are designed to keep you on track and thriving!
Virtual membership
EnergyLab is home to the largest virtual community of energy entrepreneurs in Australia. During the program, you'll enjoy complementary membership, gaining access to our online collaboration platforms, member-only events, and other exclusive benefits.
Pitch to cleantech investors
At the end of the program, you will have the opportunity to showcase your startup progress to program mentors and cleantech investors and gather support to get you to the next stage.
Have the confidence to take the leap!
It's our mission to set you up for success. At the end of the fellowship, you'll have the knowledge, skills and support to take the leap and start your own thing. If you hatch a great startup idea, the fellowship is designed to feed directly into EnergyLab Pre-Acceleration Program and Acceleration Program. These programs will give you all the support you need to grow your idea into profitable business.
Advice and support from successful entrepreneurs, investors and sector experts
Some words from a few of the program mentors
Emma Jenkin
Co-Founder & CFO, DC Power Co and Fellowship Mentor
"Energylab has created a fantastic program that is inspiring, thought provoking and equips entrepreneurs to take their business ideas and disrupt the energy sector. A mixture of practical and inspirational, it helps participants build their start up tool kit and offers a network of collaborators and supporters. I was lucky enough to meet the inaugural participants and I wish I could have been an attendee!"
Megan Wheatley
Renewables expert and Fellowship Mentor
"The Women in Clean Energy Fellowship is a timely initiative that builds the capacity of clever and passionate women to deliver the innovation needed to shift to a lower carbon future. The well-designed course creates a safe space for participants to develop and test their ideas, while developing the practical skills needed to translate ideas into meaningful action."
Solai Valliappan
Cleantech angel and Fellowship Mentor
"The transition towards clean energy is undergoing transformational change and requires innovative and inclusive solutions. EnergyLab recognises this and has created a fantastic program that focuses on ideation and validation to facilitate the pipeline of future female founders. This is a program for those who want to go on a journey with like-minded change makers potentially creating future unicorns!"
Join the next wave of energy sector disruptors
What some of our alumni have to say
Rio Richardson
Strategy Consultant, Future Super

"I feel like I know exactly what I need to do next to start my own cleantech company!"
Analise Kerr
Sustainability and Resilience Consultant, AECOM
"The WICEF experience is not a superficial networking opportunity. It's not reserved for clean energy experts. It's a community of passionate women who want to go against the grain, pursue entrepreneurship, inspire, and be inspired. This experience has not only exposed me to the initial steps for developing a startup but has empowered me with the confidence to actively pursue my idea and support the global transition to a zero-carbon world."
Alina Dini
Industry Fellow, Institute of Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology
"For me, the WICEF Program was transformative. I had always been interested in innovation and start-ups, but lacked the courage and knowledge to contemplate going out on my own. After it, I am wiser, more open to the vulnerability of the process, and am clear in what methods I need to take to test my ideas. Plus, I now have an instant network of supporters to help me through it!"
Kylie Rocha
Control Systems Engineer, Raygen
"The startup journey can seem daunting to those outside the startup environment. This program does a great job in walking you through each step, and connects you with other founders and investors who have gone through it themselves. I gained a lot of confidence from this program, and have especially enjoyed meeting so many like minded and passionate women"
Rosetta Mills
Experience Design Lead, Origin Energy
"Thanks EnergyLab for creating such a safe, inclusive, and positive environment for our diverse group to push our understanding of who we are and what we're capable of. I came into this experience not sure whether or not I was smart enough/capable enough/resilient enough to found a company and 3 months later I've been taught some amazing techniques to overcome imposter syndrome, round out my skills in entrepreneurship and build an amazing network of like-minded women. Killing it!!!"
Kate Osaze
Grid Connections Manager, ESCO Pacific Pty Ltd
"EnergyLab have thoughtfully curated an experience for women interested in clean energy entrepreneurship. This program covers key topics every up and coming start-up should be aware of and provides tools and resources for taking the first steps. It also offers unique opportunities to meet founders of some of the most successful start-ups in the clean energy space in a setting that is relaxing and fosters genuine collaboration; providing great insights into the doubts, fears and hurdles faced on their road to success."
Monishka Narayan
Program Manager, Centre for New Energy Technologies (C4NET)
"WICEF has been a very enticing journey. I went into the fellowship without an idea or expectation and came out of it with a co-founder and a startup idea.
A wide range of topics and speakers provided a good platform for learning the unknown. Highly recommended!!
To future WICEF-ers, go with an open mind and be ready to have fun!"
Participation fee
We're a non-profit organisation and your contribution goes towards program delivery costs.
$500
  • 12 weekly workshops
  • Frameworks and course content you can keep and use again
  • Individual fornightly checkins to help you work through challenges
  • 3 months of EnergyLab Virtual Membership
  • Backed by a money-back guarantee (see FAQ for details)
  • Price is per person and inclusive of GST, charged upon acceptance into the program
How to apply
Applications are currently closed but feel free to fill in an expression-of-interest form. We'll let you know as soon as applications to join our 2021 intake open.
Express interest
FAQs
Here are some of the questions we're commonly asked. If there is anything else you would like to know please email [email protected].
Where will the fellowship take place?
The fellowship will run completely online via video conference.
When will the fellowship take place?
A series of evening events will take place between Wednesday 16 September and Wednesday 2 December 2020. Each event will run on a Wednesday evening between 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm AEST.
How much does it cost?
The fellowship cost is $500 per participant.
Do I need industry experience to apply?
No - we encourage diversity of experience. All you need is an interest in clean energy entrepreneurship!
Do I need a startup idea to apply?
No. The aim of this fellowship is to give you the know-how, tools and confidence to step down the entrepreneurial path. If you already have a startup idea, that's a bonus!
How many spots are there in the fellowship?
Between 10 and 20 women will be invited to join the fellowship. We keep the fellowship small so we can create an open, safe environment and provide personalised attention to each participant.