Victoria backs Catalysr program for Indian

The Victoria-India Market Maker program is for founders with a working product or service they’re ready to sell into India. It’s led led by Catalysr in partnership with Vaurora Social Impact and is backed by the Victorian government.

The Indian-Australian founders from Victoria will headl to Mumbai and Bangalore to build partnerships and open market channels in India.

Victoria-India Market Makers will prioritise founders in digital technology and innovation, food and agribusiness, health and life sciences, beauty and personal care, sport, and education. The program is working to select a gender-diverse cohort and is encouraging women founders to apply.

Applications for the September preparatory program are open now. For details and to apply see catalysr.com.au/makers

Initially, 20 founders will be shortlisted for the prep program, with up to 10 heading to India in November and early December.

Catalysr founder and CEO Usman Iftikhar said the cohort will return having established tangible partnerships, market channels and structures that support their continued growth and scale into India.

“Over the past decade, Catalysr has supported more than 1,300 migrant and refugee founders from 87 countries, and Indian-diaspora founders are the largest group among them,” he said.

These are the founders this program is built for. They understand both markets and they are ready to scale into Mumbai and Bangalore.”

The delegation will meet investors, customers, government contacts and other founders.

Two-way trade between Australia and India – our fifth-largest trading partner – hit around $50 billion in 2025, with Indian PM Narendra Modi once again visiting last month for the India-Australia Summit.

Vaurora Social Impact founder Aruna Venkatachalam, the initiative lead for Victoria-India Market Makers, said Victoria’s Indian community is the state’s fastest-growing diaspora, and is now around 250,000 people.

“I have worked across India and Australia since 2013 and lived in Mumbai for several years. The connections and skills in this community can do far more when they are backed to build across both countries,” she said.

“The partnership between Catalysr, Vaurora Social Impact and the Victorian Government represents a significant evolution in how the Victorian Government and the innovation sector work together.”

More on the Victoria-India Market Maker program here.