One night. Two celebrations. Endless innovation.
For the first time, we're bringing together ilab Pitch Night and the UQ Entrepreneurship and Innovation Awards to showcase and celebrate the breadth and impact of entrepreneurship across The University of Queensland community.
Join us on Tuesday 10 November at The Tivoli as we recognise outstanding entrepreneurial achievements by students, researchers, founders, alumni and industry partners who are creating solutions to local and global challenges.
The evening will feature live startup pitches from the latest ilab Accelerator cohort, alongside the presentation of the UQ Entrepreneurship and Innovation Awards, celebrating the diversity and strength of entrepreneurship at UQ and beyond.
After 12 weeks of intensive mentoring, expert-led sessions and hands-on development, ilab founders will take to the stage to share their journeys and compete for funding, recognition and a place in Queensland's innovation future. At the same time, we'll celebrate entrepreneurial excellence across the broader UQ ecosystem by recognising individuals and ventures making an extraordinary impact through innovation, leadership and enterprise.
Whether you're a founder, student, researcher, investor, mentor, alumnus, industry partner or supporter of innovation, join us for an evening of bold ideas, inspiring stories and meaningful connections as we celebrate another remarkable year of entrepreneurship at UQ.
Come celebrate the people, ideas and ventures shaping the future.
The ilab Accelerator Pitch Night is supported by Pitcher Partners, Mitti (by SafetyCulture), McCullough Robertson, UniQuest, and UniQuest Extension Fund.
Chapter 2 cohort
Meet the 2026 Chapter 2 cohort.
Judging Panel
Angus McLachlan is the Co-Founder and Head of Growth & Partnerships at Bopple, a leading hospitality technology platform helping venues connect with customers through seamless digital ordering and commerce solutions. Since founding Bopple, Angus has played a key role in scaling the business and driving partnerships across the hospitality and technology sectors. Passionate about startups, innovation and customer growth, he also supports emerging founders as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the Ventures ilab Accelerator, where he mentors early-stage ventures on growth strategy, partnerships and scaling their businesses.
Shahirah Gardner is an award-winning fintech founder, investor and startup mentor. As co-founder of Finch, she helped scale the business from a consumer payments app to an enterprise data intelligence platform serving financial institutions and businesses. With experience on both sides of the investment table, Shahirah now works with founders and startups across Australia, supporting high-growth ventures through investment, mentorship and strategic guidance.
Llew Jury is a Brisbane-based entrepreneur, investor and AI business leader with more than two decades of experience building and scaling technology companies. He is the Managing Director of Advancer, an AI transformation agency helping Australian businesses adopt AI, automation and agent-based solutions, and the Founder and Director of Sprint Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm supporting high-growth startups. Throughout his career, Llew has achieved two founder-led exits, and is a passionate mentor, speaker and advocate for entrepreneurship and innovation.
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Contact
For more information about Pitch Night or UQ's entrepreneurial programs, contact the UQ Ventures team
Disclaimer: This event is being held for the purpose of showcasing startups that are completing the Ventures ilab Accelerator program and not for the purpose of seeking funding, capital, or investment. Presentations do not consider the objectives or financial situation of audience members and should not be taken as advice to investors or potential investors. Pitches are not – and should not be construed as – an offer, invitation, or recommendation to invest.