Startup Academy

We address the main reason why most startups fail — a product or service that doesn't solve a big enough problem for the right customer.

Validate the fit between your ideas and market needs while developing a business model for your product or service with Startup Academy. You can come with your own idea or we have a bank of ideas from UQ researchers that may have disruptive startup potential. Your product or service could be the launch of a business, an app, or a social venture.

With access to leading academics in entrepreneurship and innovation and industry mentors, you’ll develop an extensive network of contacts to help you on your entrepreneurial journey.

You must be a participant of the 2019 Startup Academy to register to pitch. Startup Academy Semester 2 2019 commenced August 9. The next program will be held in Semester 1 2020.

The Startup Academy program will run over three months, broken down into four stages:

Stage 1. Kick-off evening
Friday 9 August | 5.00-7.30pm | Level 2, Ventures space
At this event, we will get you familiar with the Lean Launchpad Program (LLP), developed at Stanford University to discover the best first customer, the problem the idea solves and a sustainable and scalable Business Model Canvas. We will facilitate the formation of small teams to work on each of the ideas put forward, based on the complementary skills and experiences of all participants.
Stage 2. Startup Bootcamp
Saturday 10 August | 9.00am-2.00pm | Level 2, Ventures space
The following day you will attend a bootcamp to start working on a Business Model Canvas for your startup idea. During this event, you will get familiar with validation tools and interview techniques.
Stage 3. Mentoring meetups and workshops
Each team is required to interview at least 100 customers over the two months of the SUA program. The skills necessary for these interviews will be provided at the boot camp. Teams will come together every two weeks to discuss what they have learnt and receive feedback from startup experts and mentors. As the teams progress, the value proposition and business model will become more clear, compelling and competitive.
You will need to attend one time-slot within each of the three Mentor Sessions.

All lectures and mentor sessions will be held at the Ventures space, Ground Floor, Global Change Institute.

Date	Event	Time
Aug 19	Lecture 1: problem definition and solution	9-10am
Aug 19	Mentoring session 1: problem definition and solution	10-11am; 12-1pm; or 1-2pm
Sep 2	Lecture 2: market validation	9-10am
Sep 2	Mentoring session 2: problem definition and solution	10-11am; 12-1pm; or 1-2pm
Sep 9	Speaker/panel session	10-11am
Sep 16	Registration for pitch opens	online
Sep 23	Lecture 3: pitch your hypothesis	9-10am
Sep 23	Mentor session 3: market validation	10-11am; 12-1pm; or 1-2pm
Oct 8	Final pitch	1-3pm

Stage 4. Pitch for prizes
Tuesday 8 October | 1.00pm-3.00pm
The program concludes with a pitching event to an invited audience of entrepreneurship experts, founders, investors and industry leaders. The teams will be pitching for a share of $10,000 in prize money to take their idea to market. Teams will also be pitching for entry into the ilab Accelerator bootcamp.

Startup Academy is open to all current UQ students, alumni and staff. You do not need an idea or background in business or tech to apply, just an interest in entrepreneurship and innovation.

You can apply as either an individual or as a team. If you are applying as an individual we will assist you in finding a suitable team based on your experience and skills.

Startup Academy is an eight-week program designed to help you develop a sustainable business idea in an interactive learning space.

Don’t have a startup idea?

We can match you with a team based on your skill sets and interests. You’ll be provided with hands-on training and mentoring to test a startup idea and build a scalable business in a prototype environment.

Startup Academy

Don’t have a startup idea?

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