Melbourne Accelerator Program appoints new director Campbell Walshe

Entrepreneur and strategic business advisor Campbell Walshe has been appointed as the new Director of the Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP).

Interim MAP Director Professor Paul Jensen said Walshe’s extensive experience with the program as both a founder and more recently as an entrepreneur-in-residence provided strong foundations that would enable him to hit the ground running.

“He has shown he has a deep affinity for MAP – having been a participant in the Accelerator a few years back – and has demonstrated that he has a clear vision of the potential of the program moving forward, which gives us great confidence,” said Professor Jensen.

Professor Paul Jensen and Campbell Walshe with MAP18 founders Zoe Milne (Looplearn) & Jordyn Evans (Mingle)

Professor Jensen said it had been an extremely thorough recruitment process, but was confident they had found the right person for the job.

“Campbell brings a wealth of entrepreneurial experience and strong leadership skills to the position which will help reinforce MAP’s role in Melbourne’s vibrant startup ecosystem while continuing to leverage our international networks,” said Professor Jensen.

Mr Walshe knows, first-hand, just how powerful the program can be for emerging entrepreneurs having experienced it as a co-founder of medtech startup CNSDose who were part of the Accelerator cohort in 2016, and are considered one of the most outstanding teams to come through the program

As CNSDose’ Chief Operating Officer, Mr Walshe led the company’s commercial operations as they launched in the United States in 2016, helping them to form partnerships with major hospital systems across the country and setting them on a path where they continue to thrive.

Mr Walshe said he was honoured to be returning to lead the future direction of MAP and was extremely passionate about continuing to build a program that puts founders at the forefront of everything they do.

“MAP has established itself as one of the top accelerator programs in this country and has played a key role in building the startup community in Melbourne to what it is today,” said Mr Walshe.

“I am excited to take MAP to the next level and significantly improve the outcomes for our startups, the University and broader startup community.”

Since launching in 2012, the Melbourne Accelerator Program has supported 44 companies who have raised over $30 million in funding, created over 300 jobs and generated over $40 million in revenue (not including the 10 teams who are part of the MAP18 cohort).