2 cohorts. 2 pitch events. 24 startup ideas. 76 participants. 15 external guests, including mentors, intrapreneurs, and judges.
The Curiosity Program proves that 7weeks is more than enough to spark big change. Over the course of those weeks, students, alumni, and UQ staff came together to learn practical entrepreneurship concepts, from design thinking to pitching and storytelling.
On 7 August 2025 at UQ St Lucia, this partnership came alive at the Curiosity Protostars Panel, organised by Mayu Komukai (UQ Ventures) and supported by Theia Gabatan (Protostars, Blackbird Foundation). The goal? To show students just starting out that entrepreneurship isn’t about waiting for the future it’s about building it now.
While GreaseBoss co-founder Steve Barnett was on-site at a Queensland copper mine, he witnessed the collapse of a conveyer tail pulley that failed due to lack of greasing. Nobody died that day, but they could have.
