We're proud to showcase remarkable businesses developed by our community.
Startup stars
Transforming hospitality procurement
Founded by UQ students Adeep Mitra and Corey Berther, Pollinate is a SaaS logistics startup transforming how hospitality businesses manage procurement, inventory, and supplier relationships. Their platform streamlines supplier management through automated ordering, integrated communication, AI-driven insights, and real-time operational visibility for hospitality venues and suppliers.
After participating in the FaBA Food Innovation Challenge and the 2025 ilab Accelerator, Pollinate was named UQ Startup of the Year at the 2025 UQ Entrepreneurship and Innovation Awards.
In 2026, the team achieved global recognition after being accepted into Y Combinator’s Winter 2026 cohort, one of the world’s most competitive startup accelerators.
Reimagining film photography
What if you could recreate the nostalgia of disposable cameras in a digital world? UQ students Mackenzie Salisbury and Kelric Mullen did exactly that with Flashback, the startup behind the ONE35, a retro-style digital camera designed to bring back the spontaneity and excitement of film photography.
The idea quickly resonated with customers globally. Flashback’s Kickstarter launch raised $80,000 in the first 13 minutes and more than $800,000 overall, helping propel the company into rapid growth. Since then, users have captured more than 10 million photos through the platform, while co-founders Mackenzie and Kelric were also recognised in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia for Retail & Ecommerce.
A participant in the UQ Ventures ilab Accelerator, Flashback co-founder Mackenzie Salisbury was recognised as UQ Student Entrepreneur of the Year at the UQ Entrepreneurship and Innovation Awards.
The operating system for better care and compliance
Founded by Giselle Torres Pabon and Jesse Costelloe, Rise Health is building a compliance operating system for healthcare and disability service providers, helping organisations get registered, stay compliant, and remain audit-ready through AI-powered workflows, automated monitoring, and expert-built policy systems.
Rise was awarded the ilab x Momentum Accelerator Pitch Night Winner, recognised by judges for its strong market validation, clear community impact, and potential to integrate into existing healthcare systems.
Built from the founders’ firsthand experience across NDIS compliance, auditing, and startup environments, Rise is already supporting providers through registration and ongoing compliance while piloting new partnerships with auditing organisations. Their long-term vision is to create a more transparent, connected, and human-centred compliance ecosystem across the care sector.
