Welcome to the 2026 Startup Showcase!
Get ready to immerse yourself in the world of entrepreneurship at UQ.
Today is all about connecting, exploring, and learning.
Make the most of your experience by:
- Starting conversations with fellow attendees and speakers
- Connecting on LinkedIn with founders and startups
- Actively participating in breakout sessions and competitions
- Asking questions in our Q&A sessions with Keynote Speakers
Use the tabs below to navigate the event and discover everything happening today.
Let’s make it a day of bold ideas and new connections!
| Time | Session | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | Check-in | Advanced Engineering Building (49) |
| 10:45 | Opening | |
| 11:00 | Conversation 1 - Start Before You Feel Ready Moderator Brad Moran in conversation with Adeep Mitra, Billy Jeremijenko and Yarra Kiseleva | |
| 11:40 | Workshop Block 1 | |
| 12:30 | Lunch Enjoy lunch and connect with fellow students and startup founders | |
| 13:30 | Conversation 2 - Blindfolded: Building Without Knowing the Answer Featuring Mitti CEO and Founder Luke Anear and ON THE HOUSE CEO and Founder Remy Tucker | |
| 14:15 | Workshop Block 2 | |
| 15:15 | Conversation 3 - Curious, Not Complete | |
| 16:15 | Closing | |
| 16:30 | Networking | |
| 17:00 | Event concludes |
Meet the incredible speakers joining us across the day.
Panelist: Luke Anear, Founder and Executive Chair of Mitti (by SafetyCulture)
Luke set out to revolutionise safety and quality management in 2004 when he created Mitti, which developed the world’s most used safety and quality inspection app, iAuditor.
Today, SafetyCulture is a $2.5bn global technology company with over 2 million users worldwide relying on the mobile-first platform to power their improvement.
Panelist: Remy Tucker, Founder & CEO of ON THE HOUSE
Remy founded ON THE HOUSE, an organisation making menstrual products freely accessible through an innovative advertising model.
A former midwifery student turned marketer, Remy built ON THE HOUSE to tackle period product accessibility at scale, raising $1.7 million in seed funding and growing the platform across major Australian cities.
Remy brings practical lessons on building purpose-driven businesses, creating entirely new market categories, and turning a bold idea into a commercially sustainable venture.
Moderator: Brad Moran, Co-Founder & CEO of CitrusAd
Brad co-founded CitrusAd and led the retail media platform from startup to a $205 million acquisition by Publicis Groupe in under four years.
Under Brad's leadership, CitrusAd expanded globally, helping major retailers and brands unlock new revenue streams through retail media and sponsored product advertising.
Brad brings practical lessons from building and scaling high-growth businesses, with insights on backing yourself, winning your first customers and growing globally.
Meet the startups fuelling your day!
We are excited to showcase UQ connected businesses as suppliers of food and beverages across the day.
DriBag Coffee
DriBag coffee will keep you well caffineated throughout the day with their drip bag coffee available at our drinks station.
DriBag Coffee was founded by 4 UQ students as part of the 2024 Ventures Hustle program.
Morlivly
For a relaxing beverage, sample Morlively's Detox & Destress tea at our drinks station.
Co-founded by UQ staff member, Grace Sim, Morlivly is a social enterprise supporting B40 Orang Asli communities in Malaysia with meaningful employment and providing fair trade opportunities.
Morlivly combines traditional natural ingredients—like organic herbal teas and pure honey—with a strong focus on sustainability and community empowerment, giving customers wellness they can feel good about inside and out.
Morlivly are currently participating in the 2025 Ventures Empower Pre-Accelerator program.
Tea Industries
Thirsty? Grab a delicious & healthy iced tea from Tea Industries.
Tea Industries' mission is to make the world a healthier place by delivering clean, delicious beverages that inspire global wellness.
Crafted with premium, natural ingredients, Tea Industries offer a taste that delights while nourishing both body & mind.
Tea Industries are currently participating in the FaBA Growth Hub delivered by UQ Ventures.
I Am Grounded
Looking for an energy kick? Grab an I Am Grounded SUPR bar in the morning or afternoon tea break.
I Am Grounded bars are made from coffee fruit, which is traditionally thrown away in the coffee-making process. Each bite supports Colombian coffee farmers and helps reduce food waste, all while delivering the clean, lasting energy you need to perform at your best.
Learn about I Am Grounded, from the ground up, when co-founder and UQ alumna, Vanessa Murillo takes to the stage to share her founder's story as part of today's program.
Door Prize
One lucky winner will receive a new game curtesy of Quokka Games!
Pitch Pick Competition
Throughout the StartUP Showcase you'll have the opportunity to learn from our pitch judges and to try and see if you can pick the winning startup teams for yourself.
As the startups pitch throughout the day, take note of which team you would choose to invest in if you had $100,000 to invest. At the end of the last pitch, we will put up a QR code for you to enter your top team.
Following the announcement of our 10 finalists we will ask each judge who they would personally invest in if they had $100k to invest. The first 3 participants to have entered their answers and who have the same answer as the judge’s picks will receive a $100 Amazon gift voucher.
StartUP Showcase Bingo
During the breaks we have a fun game of StartUP Showcase bingo which you’ll find on the back of your name tags.
We encourage you to have conversations with different people throughout the day and to fill in the bingo grid with the names of people you meet. You can only count a person once, so you need to find 9 different people to complete the grid. Once you have filled in all 9 squares speak to a Ventures staff member for a prize!