Progress Comes from Action: Validate 2026
Validate gives early-stage founders the structure, support and accountability to move their ideas forward. In 2026, hundreds of students, researchers and alumni turned assumptions into evidence by testing ideas, speaking with customers and taking action.
In 2026, the Ventures Validate team of David Elchuk, Felix Hall, Juhani (Jussi) Djachenko, and Sara Arsenio helped create a space where anyone across The University of Queensland (UQ) could take the next step on an idea. Rather than providing all the answers, the team's focus has transitioned to helping founders develop the skills, confidence, and habits needed to find answers for themselves.
As Jussi explains, "The role is not to provide all the answers, but to help founders learn how to find them."
This philosophy sits at the heart of Validate, Ventures' always-on program for early-stage teams. With rolling weekly intakes and access to a share of more than $50,000 in support, the program encourages founders to step outside the classroom, engage with customers, test assumptions and use real-world feedback to guide their next decision.
Team Achievements
From the first half of 2026, 70 teams across all UQ faculties participated in Validate
The cohort gains momentum from each other. The aim in Validate is to make any amount of progress every week.
Highlights included:
- One team winning Startmate’s Launch Club Pitch Night and building a customer waitlist of more than 6,000;
- A founder reaching 15,000 active users on their game-building platform;
- 5 solo founders connecting through the program and forming one team to achieve one mission in aged care;
- One team securing a Melbourne-based pilot with an architecture firm after 9 months of customer discovery; and
- Another founder travelled interstate to meet a potential co-founder invested in the same mission - developing patented technology in fibreglass recycling, turning an online collaboration into a real joint venture partnership.
"To grow is to do things before you're ready."
Bringing the Startup Ecosystem into the Room
A major highlight of Validate 2026 was the founders, investors, innovators, and industry leaders who visited us weekly to support our teams.
Visited by Queensland Chief Scientist Professor Kerrie Wilson, serial entrepreneur Yasharth Krishna, Ventures Chief Student Entrepreneur Varun Pillai, Taylor Maydwell from Latitude 37, SeatFinder co-founders Yarra Kiseleva and Nick Van Hoorick, serial founder and CEO of Boundary Matthew Mezger, and UQ alumnus Tim Cederman-Haysom, Head of Product at Gusto and longtime supporter of our Ventures San Francisco Startup AdVentures. Our supporter’s direct advice made sure our teams are unstuck and leave with a plan for the upcoming week, as well as expose them to new ways to think like a founder.
"Everyone is a network, and everyone wants to help each other." — Ventures Ambassador Sara Arsenio
Reflections from Ventures Ambassadors
Behind the scenes, the Validate team focused on creating a program that balanced accountability with flexibility. Unlike traditional university courses, founders can join when they are ready, set ambitious 30- and 90-day goals, and engage with the program at a pace that aligns with their venture.
As Jussi explains:
"Validate at its core is actually very simple. Talk to customers, build, and do the standard things proven to help students work on their startup… Instead of teaching them things, we show them how to find out for themselves."
For Sara, one of the most important outcomes of the program is helping students develop agency.
"We exist to inspire agency and initiative in prospective founders. Agency is having initiative in every part of your life and not waiting for someone to give you permission to do things. If you want something, then you just go and figure out how to do it."
Looking Ahead
For many participants, Validate has become a space to build confidence as much as capability. Whether they're launching their first idea, or starting over to focus on an urgent problem, or preparing for future opportunities such as Empower and ilab, founders are leaving with a clearer understanding of their customers, their market, and their next steps.
As Validate continues through 2026, Ventures remains committed to being a hub for anyone in UQ ready to test bold ideas and build something impactful. The door is always open for anyone that is ready to give their project a go!
Ready to start something, keep going, and go further?