An app to help you sell your ‘stuff’ to friends, a new way to swap shifts with other rostered staff, and a social network allowing parents to check on their kids at preschool, are some of companies which have been accepted into the 2013 Startmate Australian tech startup accelerator program.

Eight teams will take part in the five month program in Sydney and Silicon Valley, with the goal of developing these new tech startups to prepare them for investment and commercialisation.

Now in its third year, Australia’s oldest startup accelerator has a successful track record including fast-growing Aussie startups BugHerd, Flightfox, Grabble, Happy Inspector, Ninja Blocks and ScriptRock.

“After a busy few weeks sifting through applications, interviewing founders, and plenty of robust deliberation on our part, we’re excited to announce the eight startup teams which will take part in the 2013 Startmate program,” said Niki Scevak, a co-founder of Startmate.

Through daily hands-on mentoring, and regular events, some of Australia’s top tech entrepreneurs in Australia and Silicon Valley will help the founders develop a business model, win their first customers and prepare for pitching to angel investors and venture capital firms.

Teams will work full-time on their ideas at Startmate’s offices at the Australian Technology Park, Redfern for three months beginning early January 2013 before relocating to San Francisco to network and learn in the heart of Silicon Valley for a further two months.

Some of the companies to have gone through the Startmate program  include Grabble, acquired by Walmart in 2011; Scriptrock, which earlier this year raised a $1.2 million round from investors including Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel; and, Flightfox, accepted into the successful Y Combinator incubator in Silicon Valley.

The 2013 program will also include two demo days, one in Sydney and one in Silicon Valley; pitching to early-stage investors and funds. These demo days are designed to help teams explore capital-raising options.

“Once again, we have been looking for those unique ‘two-shits’ teams — those which get shit done, and also give a shit about the customer and their problems,” said Scevak.

Startmate will this year partner with From Little Things to document the journey of the 2013 Startmate cohort, to show what it’s really like to try and launch a global tech startup. Follow the companies at www.startmate.com.au or www.fltbtg.com.

Startmate 2013 Teams

• 7pm Anywhere. Searching for soulmates shouldn’t be like flicking through a catalogue;
• Bugcrowd. Kaggle for security vulnerabilities;
• GetStall. Sell your stuff. Pronto;
• Kinderloop. Instagram for preschools and parents;
• SalesTeam. A marketplace of trusted, professional sales people from around the globe;
• Shiftr. Simple shift changing for casual employees;
• Storyberg. Product development should be about improving metrics and not closing issues;
• Tutor on Demand. Reward great teachers and lower the cost of an outstanding education.