Ventures

Ventures reflects the entrepreneurial spirit of our community. While you can’t predict the future, you can develop the knowledge, networks and skills to pivot between current and emerging careers and flourish wherever life takes you.

ABOUT VENTURES

Uncut: Lessons from Failure - Wednesday 3 June

In partnership with FaBA, our panel of guest speakers will share their stories of failure including the lessons they learned and how their failures ultimately led to success. Join us for an evening of uncensored discussions, catering, and networking.

ilab Pitch Night Chapter 1 wrap up

We were excited to see our ilab founders back on the Princess Theatre stage on 21 May 2026 - find out more about them. The ilab Accelerator is a UQ flagship program designed to fast-track UQ student, staff, and alumni startups.

Meet Varun, our 2026 Chief Student Entrepreneur

Varun’s journey started in a UQ Ventures program. As he described, as something he initially saw as “extra” alongside university ended up shaping his entire university experience. When asked what success would look like at the end of his year as Chief Student Entrepreneur, Varun keeps it simple. “More students get involved with Ventures and realise what’s possible.”

Applications for ilab Chapter 2 are open

Take your venture to the next level with our ilab Accelerator program.The ilab Accelerator is UQ’s flagship program designed to fast-track UQ student, staff, and alumni startups over 12 weeks. Participants receive a $15,000 SAFE note investment from UniQuest and access the full accelerator experience, including weekly sessions, community benefits, and EiR support. To apply, startups should have a clear solution, validated value proposition, and evidence of early market research or traction.

Apply for the next Empower Pre-Accelerator

The UQ Ventures Empower Pre-Accelerator is your launchpad to build a strong, scalable startup. This 10-week journey will equip you with the tools, confidence, and community to lay strong foundations for your business to grow. With multiple pathways to join Empower, click below to find out more. To apply early-stage startups should have a scalable business idea that they have validated and are committed to progressing.

What's it really like to launch a startup at UQ?

At UQ, we’re continuously impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit and startup ideas that come out of our UQ Ventures community.

Tom Bizzell, a Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Laws (Honours) student and 2022 UQ’s Chief Student Entrepreneur tells us about his startup Wakeshare and his experiences with UQ Ventures.

Own the unknown