FAQ

Bolter Make It Happen (Bolter) is a business established by Clifford Gouldson Lawyers (CGLaw), dedicated to providing legal expertise to startup businesses. Bolter supports businesses at any stage of the startup process – from conception to commercialisation and beyond.

Led by Ben Gouldson, the Bolter team live and breathe creativity and innovation – always looking forward and never back.

More information about Bolter and Ben is available here.

The Little Giant Startup Grant is a competitive Grant for Australian Startup businesses and was started as a way to recognise and promote the incredible entrepreneurial spirit of Australia. The objective of the Little Giant Startup Grant is to encourage and support a startup business in the commercialisation process or launch of a minimum viable product or service within Queensland or throughout Australia.

The total value of the Little Giant Startup Grant is $50,000, consisting of $25,000 value of legal advice from Bolter and $25,000 in cash.

The full Little Giant Startup Grant Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) are available here.

The Little Giant Startup Grant amount (collectively known as Funding) includes the following:

• $25,000 Cash – a conditional cash payment upon milestones totalling AUD $25,000.00 all up inclusive of any GST and taxes and all other costs or disbursements. For clarity, such milestones will be notified by Bolter after the Little Giant Startup Grant Winner is announced and are determined with regard to the Application submitted; and
• $25,000 Legal fees – legal advice and support from Bolter totalling $25,000.00 all up inclusive of any GST, taxes or other costs (excluding disbursements or external fees and charges).

You can submit an expression of interest if you meet the following criteria:

• You must be eighteen (18) years of age or over;
• You must either be a:
  • sole trader who is an Australian resident and citizen; or
  • partnership whose members are Australian residents and citizens;
  • registered private Australian company; or
  • fixed unit trust or family discretionary trust,
    that holds a current Australian Business Number and is registered for GST;
• You employ fewer than fifteen (15) full time Australian-based employees or Australian-based contractors;
• You have adequate experience, qualifications and have reasonable prospects of successfully carrying out the Grant; and
• You can demonstrate sound prospects for long term commercial viability;
• You must be able to fulfil the requirements of the Grant Application process and be available at the Finale Event between March 2021 and April 2021; and
• Must not have been convicted of a criminal offence, a major offence under Australian corporations law or an offence of dishonesty under state, territory or federal legislation.

Expressions of Interest

Expressions of Interest open – 12:00 am AEST on Wednesday 30 September 2020.
Expressions of Interest close – 11:59 pm AEST on Friday 27 November 2020.
Invitations to submit an Applications sent by – 12:00 pm AEST on or by Monday 30 November 2020.

Expressions of Interest outcomes will be sent as being received to Applicants. If you do not receive correspondence from us before 12:00 pm AEST on or by 12:00 pm AEST on or by Monday 30 November 2020, then, unfortunately, you have not been successful and your EOI has not progressed to the Application stage of the Grant process.

Applications

Applications open – 12:00 am AEST on Monday 30 November 2020.
Applications close – 11:59 pm AEST on Friday 22 January 2021.
Semi-Finalists chosen – 10:00 am AEST on Friday 19 February 2021.
Finalists chosen – 12:00 pm AEST on or by Friday 19 March 2021.
Finale Event – Thursday 22 April 2021 | Online

Members of the Bolter team will be reviewing all Applications and will select twelve (12) Semi-Finalists. An independent judging panel will then review the Semi-Finalists’ Applications and select the top five Finalists. The judging panel members are yet to be announced.

If you have any questions about the Little Giant Startup Grant, please refer to the FAQs before contacting Bolter via littlegiant@bolter.com.au

The EOI phase allows organisations or individuals to express an interest in applying for the Little Giant Startup Grant. This is a no-commitment phase, and those who submit an EOI will not be required to submit a formal Application at that point. Those who submit an EOI and meet the eligibility requirements will then be invited by Bolter to apply for the Little Giant Startup Grant.

The full Little Giant Startup Grant Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) are available here.

The EOI phase opens at 12:00am AEST on Wednesday 30 September 2020 and closes at 11:59 pm AEST on Friday 27 November 2020. You can submit an application if you meet the eligibility criteria for the EOI and you have been notified by us that your EOI was accepted and that you are invited to progress to the Application stage.

Applicants will need to submit their EOI on the Little Giant Startup Grant website portal, which can be found here. Applicants will be required to answer a series of questions to complete their EOI submission.

If for any reason you experience technical difficulties when submitting your EOI, please contact Bolter via littlegiant@bolter.com.au

You can submit an expression of interest if you meet the following criteria:

• You must be eighteen (18) years of age or over;
• You must either be a:
  • sole trader who is an Australian resident and citizen; or
  • partnership whose members are Australian residents and citizens;
  • registered private Australian company; or
  • fixed unit trust or family discretionary trust,
    that holds a current Australian Business Number and is registered for GST;
• You employ fewer than fifteen (15) full time Australian-based employees or Australian-based contractors;
• You have adequate experience, qualifications and have reasonable prospects of successfully carrying out the Grant; and
• You can demonstrate sound prospects for long term commercial viability;
• You must be able to fulfil the requirements of the Grant Application process and be available at the Finale Event between March 2021 and April 2021; and
• Must not have been convicted of a criminal offence, a major offence under Australian corporations law or an offence of dishonesty under state, territory or federal legislation.

After the EOI period has ended, Bolter will send Application invites from Friday 27 November 2020 to Monday 30 November 2020. Successful EOI Applicants will be formally invited to complete and submit an Application and Bolter will provide instructions for completion of the Application.

Yes, your EOI submission will determine your eligibility for the Little Giant Startup Grant.

After the EOI period has ended, or at a time determined by Bolter at its discretion, successful EOI Applicants will be formally invited to complete and submit an Application. Bolter will notify the successful EOI Applicants and provide instructions for completion of the Application.

If an EOI Applicant does not receive an invitation to complete and submit an Application, the EOI Applicant has been unsuccessful and ineligible to proceed to the Application stage of the Grant process.

Bolter will determine successful EOI Applicants in its sole and absolute discretion. All decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

The Application phase opens at 12:00 am AEST on Monday 30 November 2020 and closes at 11:59 pm AEST on Friday 22 January 2021.

Only those who submitted an EOI form and received an invitation from Bolter to proceed to the formal Application stage can apply for the Little Giant Startup Grant. Applicants will always be able to register an EOI form for any future Little Giant Startup Grants – we’ll keep you posted on when the next Little Giant Startup Grant round occurs.

If you have been invited to submit an Application by Bolter, you can find all submission details here.

Applications will be assessed on a competitive basis across a range of weighted criteria, including originality and innovation, benefits to Queensland and Australian market, commercial viability, and a clearly articulated and measurable plan for how the business will use the Grant.

Details of the judging criteria and weightings are provided in the Little Giant Startup Grant T&Cs.

Applicants will need to submit their Application via the Little Giant Startup Grant website portal, which can be found here. Applicants will be required to answer a selection of questions and provide various supporting documents to complete their Application.

Only eligible Applicants will be able to access the portal through the use of a unique password. This password will be provided by Bolter to Applicants who successfully completed the EOI phase.

If for any reason you experience any technical issues with your Application submission or have questions about your submission, please contact Bolter via littlegiant@bolter.com.au.

You may withdraw your Application by notifying Bolter in writing at any time on or before the date when the Semi-Finalists are chosen and announced.

Yes, you can apply for the Little Giant Startup Grant if you currently receive funding from a Government body or private individual or group. You can also apply for Little Giant Startup Grant while applying for other funding opportunities.

If you find an error in your Application after submitting it, you should contact Bolter immediately. However, Bolter does not have to accept any additional information or requests from you to correct your Application.

All EOIs or Applications received by Bolter outside of the nominated closing dates are considered invalid and will not be accepted. Applicants will always be able to register an EOI form for any future Little Giant Startup Grants – we’ll keep you posted on when the next Little Giant Startup Grant will occur.

Applicants can only apply for the Little Giant Startup Grant once per startup business. If you are a founder of two or more different startup businesses, you can apply for the Little Giant Startup Grant by submitting separate expressions of interest for each of those businesses.

Disqualification may occur if your Application did not meet one or any of the specified criteria and/or was deemed by Bolter to be ineligible. Bolter is under no obligation to advise or notify an Applicant if their entry is deemed invalid.

Bolter accepts no responsibility for any late, lost, delayed, incomplete, incorrectly submitted, corrupted, illegible or misdirected EOI or Application, claims or correspondence whether due to omission, error, alteration, tampering, deletion, theft, destruction, disruption to any communication network or medium, or otherwise including those entries not received by Bolter for any reason.

Any Applicant found to be abusing or circumventing the Little Giant Startup Grant ’s entry processes may be disqualified at Bolter’s discretion.

Bolter is not responsible for any costs incurred in the preparation of the Application for the Little Giant Startup Grant. Additionally, if successful in being awarded the Grant, funds received cannot be used towards payment of costs incurred in the preparation of your Application.

All intellectual property provided by Applicants to Bolter as part of the Application process remains the property of the Applicant.

Applicants must take their own advice as to whether or not including any information in your EOI or Application will void any intellectual property registration rights you might have in Australia or elsewhere.

You agree that Bolter is not liable to you for any loss of those rights as a result of any disclosure you make in your EOI or Application. You agree that you are fully responsible for any content in your EOI or Application.

Personal information provided during the EOI and Application stages or obtained from you may be used by Bolter, their affiliated or related entities, their contractors, agents and authorised representatives, and the judging panel, to assess your eligibility for the Little Giant Startup Grant and in relation to the administration and management of this Grant or any assistance provided to you under the Little Giant Startup Grant.

Bolter may also use this information to research and develop its services, to collate statistical data and provide you with information on other Bolter products and services. Bolter may disclose your personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy. More information about Bolter’s Privacy Policy is available on its website here.

Bolter takes reasonable steps to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, use, or disclosure. For example, we maintain computer and network security, i.e. we use firewalls (security measures for the internet) and other security systems such as identifiers and passwords to control access to our computer systems.

With that in mind, there is no method of transmission over the internet or through electronic storage through our engaged providers that is fully secure. We cannot guarantee the security of your personal or confidential information provided to us throughout the Little Giant Startup Grant Application process. If we are required by law to inform you of any unauthorised access, use, or disclosure of your personal information, then we will notify you electronically, in writing or by telephone (if required and permitted to do so by law).

Our websites do not necessarily use encryption or other technologies to ensure the secure transmission of information via the internet. Anyone using our website is encouraged to exercise care in sending personal information via the internet.

Only Applicants at the Semi-Finalists level and Finalist level will be required to participate in media opportunities. If an Applicant (below the Semi-Finalists level) is approached to participate in media opportunities, they can decline.

All Applicants will be required to participate in social media content if requested by Bolter. Applicants will be involved in the approval process of any content in relation to their startup business. If an Applicant does not wish to partake in social media (before the Semi-Finalists level), they must provide this reason to Bolter in writing.

Members of the Bolter team will review all Applications and will select twelve (12) Semi-Finalists.

The Semi-Finalists will be selected and contacted by Bolter by close of business Friday 19 February 2021.

Bolter will notify all Applicants to inform them of whether they did or did not reach the Semi-Finalist stage.

An independent judging panel will select the top five (5) Finalists from the pool of twelve (12) Semi-Finalists. The judging panel members are yet to be announced.

The successful Finalists will be notified by close of business Friday 19 March 2021.

Judging decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

We strongly request that any Applicants who have made it to the Finalist stage remain in the Little Giant Startup Grant until the Pitch Night is complete. We, of course, understand if any unforeseen circumstances arise (i.e. injury, illness, death of a loved one etc.). In this instance, the judging panel will refer back to the Semi-Finalists group and will notify the Applicant who scored sixth highest per the criteria.

The Pitch Night date is yet to be determined, but Finalists will have at least two weeks to prepare for the Pitch Night. Bolter will provide all Finalists with a collection of Pitch Night preparation materials but cannot provide any other assistance during this time.

Aside from potential media and social media requirements, all Finalists must be available to attend the Pitch Night and are solely responsible for their own travel and transportation to and from the Pitch Night.

The Pitch Night will occur on Thursday 22 April 2021 and will be held online.

The Finalists will present a pitch presentation to the panel of judges. More specific details of the Pitch Night will be advised in due course.

The Pitch Night will be held in person at a Brisbane location, which is yet to be advised. In the event that COVID-19 conditions restrict gatherings and indoor functions, the Pitch Night event will be held virtually.

We strongly request that all Finalists attend the Pitch Night in person, but if a Finalist is unable to attend the live Pitch Night, they can present virtually. Bolter will coordinate any IT/AV set-up with Finalists who are unable to present at the Pitch Night in person. Bolter is not responsible for any surmised loss of ‘impact’ that may occur as a result of a pitch being presented virtually.

Finalists will be notified about the format of the Pitch Night in advance of the Pitch Night.

Bolter will be inviting media to the Pitch Night. Finalists will be expected to participate in interviews/photo opportunities where necessary.

Bolter is not responsible for any costs incurred in the preparation of the Application or pitch for the Little Giant Startup Grant.

• Did the pitch keep to the time limit notified?
• Does the pitch tell the story of the vision for the concept presented within the Application?
• Was the pitch team able to communicate their vision passionately, succinctly, effectively, and confidently to the judges and any audience?
• Did the pitch team demonstrate a good understanding of the judging panel and any audience?
• Was the pitch creative and unique using a variety of mediums (e.g. PowerPoint, video, graphics, posters etc.) and styles?

Finalists will be able to invite a set number of guests (excluding the Finalist team) to attend the Pitch Night. The guest limit for Finalists will be advised closer to the event date and will depend on the venue chosen and any COVID-19 compliance or regulatory requirements. All guest details will need to be provided to Bolter ahead of the Pitch Night.

All decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

The Little Giant Startup Grant amount (collectively known as Funding) includes the following:

Part A. A conditional cash payment upon milestones totalling AUD $25,000.00 all up inclusive of any GST, taxes and all other costs or disbursements; and

Part B. Legal work with Bolter totalling AUD $25,000.00 all up inclusive of any GST, taxes or other costs (excluding disbursements or external fees and charges).

The total Funding is an amount up to AUD $50,000.00 (inclusive of any GST, taxes and all other costs).

If required by Bolter, the Grant Winner agrees to enter into a more formal Funding agreement or deed in the form prepared by Bolter as a condition of their Entry and agrees to do all things necessary and sign all documents required to give effect this agreement or deed.

At the request of Bolter, the Grant Winner agrees to provide digital or paper copies of, or to allow access to tax invoices, financial records, receipts and all other material or information relating to, or produced in the course of, the Grant and the spending of the Funding.

The cash payment component of the Funding will be made to the Grant Winner upon achievement of the milestones notified by Bolter. The Grant Winner//must demonstrate to Bolter how each milestone has been met in order to be eligible for each cash payment component of the Funding. A financial report must be submitted to Bolter detailing how the Funding has been spent, and that report must adhere to any form requirements notified by Bolter.

At the end of the Funding twelve (12) month period and any approved extended period, the Grant Winner must submit a final report to Bolter in the form as provided or required by Bolter. The final report may require the Winner to provide information such as financial details and performance, how the Funding has been spent and the impact of the Funding on their business.

The cash payment component of the Funding must not be used for:

• Any unlawful or criminal activity;
• Purchases of land or real property;
• Payment of wages or the remuneration of your Founders;
• Agent or contractor payments;
• Overseas travel or travel for leisure or involving non-business-related reasons;
• Construction or fit out works;
• Payment of any government debt, fees and charges, and any duties or taxes;
• Costs incurred in the preparation of the Application for the Grant, milestone, or final reports; and
• Any retrospective costs or expenses incurred by an Applicant.

The Funding must be used within twelve (12) months of winning the Little Giant Startup Grant. The Little Giant Startup Grant Winner may request more time to use the Funding and Bolter will consider such a request and make a decision to Grant or refuse the request for more time in its sole and absolute discretion.

The legal work component of the Funding must be used in conjunction with the lawful enterprise activities identified in the Application. The areas of law that the legal work can include are any practice areas within the jurisdiction/s which Bolter offer legal services delivery at the date of the legal work being provided.

Please immediately contact Bolter via littlegiant@bolter.com.au.