Ventures are incredibly excited to welcome Yarra Kiseleva (Bachelor of Laws (Honours) / Bachelor of Computer Science), founder of Seatfinder, as The University of Queensland (UQ) 2025 Chief Student Entrepreneur. Yarra’s journey with Ventures is a story of discovery, growth, and transformation—one that highlights the power of stepping outside the expected and exploring new career possibilities.
"It’s an incredible honour to step into this role and follow in the footsteps of the Chief Student Entrepreneurs who came before me,” Yarra said.
“Ventures helped transform the way I see the world and the opportunities open to us through taking risks, stepping outside our comfort zones, and see opportunities where others see obstacles.”
“I’m so excited to continue this journey, working with the Ventures community to support and inspire the next wave of student innovators.”
When Yarra arrived at UQ, she was set on a career in investment banking. But after participating in Ventures programs including Curiosity, Validate, and Hustle, she discovered her passion for solving problems and building solutions that make a real difference. Ventures helped her explore new ways to think about her future, and that journey led her to create Seatfinder, a startup already making waves in the travel industry.
Ventures Manager Gav Parry said, “We loved how Ventures played a small role in reshaping how Yarra not only saw her career, but the trajectory of her life.”
“Getting to know Yarra over the last couple of months has been inspiring to see how curious she is. I’m incredibly excited for Yarra to share her journey as a student and founder over the coming 12 months”
Her startup, Seatfinder, co-founded with Nicolas Van Hoorick and Rohan Kollambalath, is transforming the way people access airline reward travel. Frustrated by the complexity of turning reward points into flights, Yarra and her team built tools to simplify the process.
Seatfinder aggregates reward seat availability across airlines, allowing travelers to book the best possible flights with their points. For complex itineraries, its concierge service helps even the trickiest redemptions become possible. The impact has been profound including: families saving thousands on flights; couples booking their dream honeymoons; and an elderly couple fulfilling their lifelong dream of visiting the Eiffel Tower, saving $20,000 by booking entirely with points.
In just four months, Seatfinder has scaled to thousands of users weekly and tens of thousands monthly, helping travellers save over $10 million on airfares. With over 80,000 monthly users searching for flights without even needing an account, Seatfinder is quickly becoming the go-to platform for travelers looking to maximize their airline rewards.
Yarra and her co-founders have already secured their first investment from Startmate and are currently part of the Ventures ilab Accelerator Chapter 1 cohort for 2025.
Her journey reflects exactly what we hope to inspire at Ventures: helping students uncover unexpected pathways, embrace innovation, and shape their future careers on their own terms.
Yarra’s story is one of courage, creativity, and bold decisions, and we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next.
