Muru-D

muru-D is an Australian startup accelerator founded in 2013. It is backed by the Australian telecommunications company Telstra. To date, over 44 startups have been through the program, with 42 still in operation.[1]

muru-D
Industrystartup accelerator
Founded2013
Founders
Headquarters
Sydney
,
Australia
Number of locations
3 (2017)
Key people
Julie Trell (Head)
ParentTelstra
Websitewww.muru-d.com

muru-D, stylised with a lowercase 'm', is derived from the Sydney Aboriginal Eora word ‘Muru’, meaning ‘path’, and 'D' standing for digital: ‘path to digital.'[2]
muru-D is currently based in 3 locations (Sydney, Singapore and Melbourne), with partner programs in Perth at Spacecubed and Brisbane at River City Labs.[3] They also have space in Telstra's San Francisco office, providing alumni with US customer and investor connections.[4]

History

muru-D was founded by Annie Parker and Mick Liubinkas in October 2013 after Telstra recognised that it needed to be more involved in the tech startup scene.[5] It was officially opened by former Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull.

In 2015, muru-D expanded operations to Singapore due to its "fast-developing start-up ecosystem, pro-business policies and access to local capital."[6]

At the end of 2016, Annie Parker left muru-D and was replaced by ex-Salesforce executive, Julie Trell.[7][8]

In 2017, muru-D altered its funding model to be more founder friendly and attract later-stage startups.[9] It also launched its new IoT themed space in Melbourne, based at Telstra's Gurrowa Labs.[10]

References
  1. Mason, Max (9 June 2016). "Telstra's muru-D accelerator is pushing start-ups to think global". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  2. "Telstra - Indigenous Australians - Community & Environment". www.telstra.com.au. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  3. "muru-D - A Global Startup Accelerator | muru-D, a global startup accelerator". muru-d.com. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  4. Korporaal, Glenda. "US link for start-up accelerator Muru-D". The Australian. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  5. Cochrane, Nate (22 October 2013). "Telstra hits the start-up road". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  6. Redrup, Yolanda (29 April 2015). "Telstra launches muru-D start-up accelerator in Singapore". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  7. Redrup, Yolanda. "Telstra's muru-D loses co-founder". The Australian. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  8. Pash, Chris. "Julie Trell is the new head of Telstra's muru-D". Business Insider Australia. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  9. Connolly, Byron. "Muru-D alters funding model to attract more mature firms". CIO. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  10. Redrup, Yolanda (2 May 2017). "Telstra launches IoT lab and expands muru-D to Melbourne". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
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