Join a community of unstoppable women in tech.

Startmate gives founders permission to dream and the confidence to go further through mentoring, support & inclusiveness. What makes it special? A culture bigger than money; a community where ambition is shared, supported & celebrated.

Startmate is the mouth of the river for ANZ startups. From Demo Day’s energy and world-class ideas to a community that grows in ambition year after year, it’s where founders, investors & operators all find their place; the real magic is the people.

Startmate is a rare community where people give more than they take. It surrounds founders with the “village” they need; mentors, investors, peers, to do their best work. Year after year, that culture unlocks ambition and makes Startmate a launchpad for world-class startups.

The real Startmate “special sauce” isn’t just community; it’s the depth of it. Lifelong friends, like-minded people, and a generosity of spirit that makes every connection meaningful. For me, it’s been all about the relationships I’ve built.

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster. Startmate is the day-zero believer for ANZ founders — connecting you to expertise, community, funding, and the pep talks that keep you going. Their ability to curate support is second to none.

‍

Without Startmate, many founders would never make it out of the garage. It’s where they find co-founders, raise first capital, and learn to scale. For me, it’s an absolutely critical part of the startup ecosystem.

Fantastic program, with a well thought out schedule to help you in navigating the start up landscape. The facilitators were amazing - super enthusiastic, approachable, humble … whilst also pushing you to get hands on and lean into the experience.

I found the content especially strong in areas like the selection guide, the in-depth founder meeting guide, and the breakdown of legal terms. These provided clear, practical frameworks that really helped shape the thinking when assessing startups.

Alongside the insane connections, product building and information sessions, being able to connect with the best of the startup community and hear from people who have made it has made this experience invaluable.

The hands on experience is next level. Super. Super Super good. I don't think we'll get this level anywhere else. Other friends who took "angel investing" courses never had this hands on experience.

The enthusiasm of Ben, Brady, and Sam was brilliant; honestly, I think the community is the best thing.

I couldn't recommend the First Believers program more highly - First Believers was not just an angel investing course, it was an invitation (with open arms) into the Australian angel investing and startup eco-system.

I’ll be honest as a woman in my 20s, I found the idea of getting into angel investing a bit intimidating. But the Startmate team completely changed that! Amazing people, brilliant content, and such a great way to build your network while learning the foundations of investing.

I loved the 1:1 coaching sessions that we get access too. These coaches are highly skilled and knowledgable people who we otherwise would not be able to have the ability to speak to. Having met them through Startmate, many have offered to continue to support me in my entrepreneurial journey, how exciting!

I came in with no idea, and I’m leaving with a startup I’m genuinely excited to pursue. My mindset around founding has completely shifted! I’ve experienced so much personal growth and gained real clarity about my career and potential as a founder.

This program really opened my eyes to the startup world and helped me realise the opportunities out there.

The Student Founder Bootcamp was an elite experience. You will gain insights from giants you won't get anywhere else. I would recommend this to any student who is serious about developing projects into a potential startup.

The Student Founder Bootcamp taught me the most important lesson: ship early, learn fast. It gave me the framework to go from zero to my first paying customers, by getting real feedback instead of building in isolation.

The opportunity to connect with others and dedicate time to something that you're jointly passionate about was one of the many highlights.

Startmate's Student Founder Bootcamp is the perfect place to connect with like-minded individuals and bring your ideas to life!

The environment is just so supportive. Highly recommend.

Overall Startmate has been an amazing experience for people wanting to learn more about the startup world! It's a great entry to learn about how to materialise your idea.

Loved the program, I learned so much from the sessions, and the founder challenge really helped me to rethink about my idea and try to iterate it.

I learnt to move fast and build faster. It was an invaluable launchpad for me to transition from thinking about it as a project to a company.

I met people who were ready to build something and had the strong founder mindset, I would have never met people like that in my day to day university life.

I loved being able to meet like minded people. All the speakers and the coaches were super insightful. Even though it was over zoom it felt as though we were quite engaged as a whole cohort, i think that was fostered with the breakout rooms.

The Student Founder Bootcamp was an incredible experience that not only helped me refine my business ideas but also provided valuable career guidance. The personalised coaching went above and beyond, offering both practical insights and inspiration to help me grow professionally.

Best way to get your foot into the startup world!

Amazing experinece! Invaluable! Cannot put a price to the networks I made and the things I've learnt!

“I am braver in practice” and Startmate Collective is the practice.

Arj’s workshop on public speaking was filled with insights and practical tools we could take away and apply instantly. Would highly recommend Startmate Collective for sessions like these that equip you to take on the next challenge in work and life.

Better than a networking event because you actually get to know the cohort and develop deeper relationships. Interesting speakers and the ability to confidentially share challenges and get real time advice

Had a great time and would definitely recommend this to someone who is keen on meeting new people and getting clarity about career pathways.

I loved the peer advisory sessions – I got a lot of value from all of the discussions and the support from everyone in the group for each other was very energising.

I have loved the community part of Startmate Collective! I have met truly incredible women who are doing amazing things.

I love how Startmate Collective creates a space where women genuinely uplift each other. Learning from such talented individuals has been both refreshing and inspiring - exactly what community should feel like.

I love that Startmate Collective showcases high calibre female leaders for these talks so that we can learn from them. Jess’s talk tonight was yet another impressive example!

I love the pace of the membership. Often we forget to look inwards and get caught up in the hustle and bustle of a busy job. Startmate Collective reminds me to step back and see all the opportunities to put learnings into practice to improve how I approach work.

I love the support and feeling like I have a crew of people backing me!

I walked away with a powerful insight; you’re never starting from scratch. You have valuable, transferable skills that can confidently carry over into new opportunities.

Impactful, empowering and filled with like-minder humans.

Startmate Collective has been really valuable to get advice and support from other women leading teams. It's helped fill the gaps I found working in a smaller organisation!

10/10 would recommend! Startmate Collective was like having one of those solid best friendships - it was warm, and comforting, and full of laughter but it also prodded you to be better, and to push yourself, and to question why you thought the way you did.

The Startmate Collective is made up of so many uber-inspiring and driven women from lots of different industries and functions, which is amazing to be surrounded, supported, and energised by, but also to learn and lean in with!

The Startmate Collective community is unparalleled. I have created some incredible relationships within this group and have learned so much about myself as a leader and how to better operate. Love it!

The Peer Advisory Group has been the highlight of this membership. It’s where I’ve felt the most connection and support. Real talk, real growth, real support.

The way the other women show up, engage with each other, share their vulnerabilities, is admirable and helps us all grow and learn.

Launch Club gave me the confidence and tools to validate my startup idea by taking the problem statement directly to customers. Through well-proven frameworks, it helped my company lay a strong foundation, ensuring the groundwork was solid before moving on to the next steps.

Launch Club was fantastic for helping motivate me to act fast and build things.

Launch Club helped me validate my idea and build momentum. Over eight weeks, it provided structured contents, networking events, and access to a large community of peers and mentors.

I loved it! Especially, the mentors and the honest conversations. The advice they gave was incredibly helpful.

Was great to be surrounded by like-minded people all on a very similar journey.

The connection and community - it’s amazing how much connection can be created in just 6 weeks with a virtual cohort!

I have loved the structure of the program. The way that Launch Club guides you from day zero up to validating and potentially launching was super helpful. The content and mentors have been world class.

It was so great to meet other entrepreneurs in the cohort. And I really valued the ideation and validation of our problem and solution space in the first few weeks.

Launch Club gave me the clarity and confidence to turn my idea into a real business. The accountability, feedback, and founder community made all the difference.

My favourite part: sharing a common ground with like minded talents with an amazing drive to push boundaries and breakthrough next gen ideas.

What I loved most about Launch Club is the focused momentum. Being surrounded by ambitious builders, weekly accountability, and honest feedback has given my startup more clarity and speed —it's like having a mini advisory board in my corner.

Launch Club prepares you with the knowledge and environment to validate and launch your dream business. A fantastic experience for those looking to jump into the deep end with their idea. Louisa is an extremely helpful and engaging cohort leader!

I love how I started with an idea that felt too complicated to even know where to begin, but it’s now a real thing with a landing page, social media, and an MVP all built within a couple of months.

Launch Club gave me the clarity, confidence, and community I needed to take real steps forward with my startup. I’ve most enjoyed the founder community and sense of momentum. Being surrounded by ambitious people helped me stay motivated.

The community of founders was incredible. Everyone genuinely wanted to see each other win, and it created a culture of support, accountability, and high standards. I also loved how structured and momentum-driven the program was.

My favourite part by far was meeting the other Founders, Startmate team and mentors. Hugely energising and educational.

It was so great! I loved meeting other founders and connecting with other people within the startup space. The content sessions were incredible and ordered extremely well - It allowed us all to develop our startup ideas in a logical way!

I loved the accountability of Launch Club. Seeing other founders building was highly motivating.

Launch Club is the place to be if were wanting to get a taste of what real start-up world feels like. Startmate does a good job picking your brains!

I enjoyed the diverse seminars on various startup topics such as early validation, rapid MVP development and pricing. Beyond the seminars it is the lively community that makes this experience so enjoyable, with many people happy to have a chat or just help out.

My squad leader was amazing, I think he's the main reason that I found the experience so enjoyable and valuable.. I think the in-person sessions, particularly the oportunity to present at pitch night and network after, was also super valuable.

I've met so many amazing, ambitious and inspiring women in this program. Would highly recommend.

Amazing opportunity to meet new people and to learn and grow out of my comfort zone!

I loved the community aspect and how willing everyone was to help and give advice!

It's a program which can help you to get your idea off the ground with all the supporting facilities and networks.

Startmate was a rocket ship to developing my next career pivot. Great network, generous mentors and a kickass community of amazing women!

I came into the Women Fellowship quite lost and not sure what I wanted to do. I left with a great new network of amazing women and with a much clearer picture of what I wanted to do with my life in the startup ecosystem.

The Women Fellowship over delivered!  You can become a freaking genius about entering into the startup ecosystem but only if you DO THE WORK in the fellowship. And oh how it is worth it. The rewards are priceless.

Not only did the Women Fellowship equip me with skills and confidence to pivot my career into the startup ecosystem, it also introduced me to an incredible cohort of incredible, ambitious women.

Loved Launch Club - a great way to meet new people and learn a ton of new things. Resparked my passion for startups!

The Student Founder Bootcamp is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime, life changing experience. My mindset, ability to network, courage to found a start-up idea with other passionate individuals grew so much that is beyond how much I could have imagined.

I loved the student community - not just the passionate fellows but all the inspiring mentors, it’s pretty crazy valuable.

The Startmate connections and community are great. It provides so many opportunities to meet amazing people during the program and continuously once the program is done.

Startmate is the go-to-program if you're exploring the start-up space, wondering if an idea would work and feeling frustrated for your next steps. Through the program, I got connected to aspiring peers, coaches and industry leaders in the start-up ecosystem across ANZ.

Joining Launch Club has granted me access to an incredible community, and I am filled with great enthusiasm as I embark on my startup journey, knowing that I am surrounded by invaluable support and expertise!

Launch Club gives you the momentum, connections and guidance you need to turn a problem into a business solution with serious potential - and fast!

I've been coming away from every session with tangible, practical advice to tackle my biggest challenges from people who've actually been through it before or are currently navigating the same thing. Plus, it's been really special to meet such an awesome group of women.

Loved the more casual convo style of our peer advisory groups - made it feel more like a group of friends sharing advice / tips with each other.

Beyond expectations. First Believers provided an inclusive, expansive community to share and explore how to get involved in angel investing. The SM team were awesome. No BS, no egos, just great people. Would highly recommend!

Startmate gives virtually unlimited opportunity to see deal flow and build pattern recognition. Best education in the space you could imagine. Even seasoned investors would benefit.

If you’ve ever wanted to start investing in people who are building big things for the future and solving high-value problems, Startmate is for you. You’ll find a powerful community of some of the most ambitious and open-minded investors, operators and founders in the world.

I can remember just being absolutely disbelieving that we actually got in, I was running around the house screaming ‘this is going to change our lives forever!...And it has.

We were fortunate enough to be accepted into the Startmate Accelerator and went through a pretty intense 12 weeks which was, honestly, life changing.

The Accelerator is a really competitive program and a lot is asked from you during this program, but knowing that will allow you make the most out of the opportunity, whether that means investment, mentors, or connections.

We’ve done Startmate twice now. Startmate helps you turn you into someone who can run a company. Having some forcing us to talk to 100 customers per week… you won't have that pressure anywhere else

I remember thinking most of the mentors were nuts. They were pushing us to take a product to market before we had even designed it. They pushed us so hard to get out there and sell to customers. That was the best advice that I was ever given: sell before you’re ready to sell.

When we went through Startmate we had a pilot factory that we didn’t know how to run. Now we’re a team of 30 manufacturing 100,000 rolls of compostable stretch wrap every day. Startmate was incredible for us. We wish we could go through it again.

Applying to Startmate was one of our best decisions to introduce Tutero into the Australian startup community.

The Accelerator was a gamechanger. The biggest lesson was being really focused on specific metrics and being obsessed with customers.

hello i love startmate

Startmate gives founders permission to dream and the confidence to go further through mentoring, support & inclusiveness. What makes it special? A culture bigger than money; a community where ambition is shared, supported & celebrated.

Startmate is the mouth of the river for ANZ startups. From Demo Day’s energy and world-class ideas to a community that grows in ambition year after year, it’s where founders, investors & operators all find their place; the real magic is the people.

Startmate is a rare community where people give more than they take. It surrounds founders with the “village” they need; mentors, investors, peers, to do their best work. Year after year, that culture unlocks ambition and makes Startmate a launchpad for world-class startups.

The real Startmate “special sauce” isn’t just community; it’s the depth of it. Lifelong friends, like-minded people, and a generosity of spirit that makes every connection meaningful. For me, it’s been all about the relationships I’ve built.

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster. Startmate is the day-zero believer for ANZ founders — connecting you to expertise, community, funding, and the pep talks that keep you going. Their ability to curate support is second to none.

‍

Without Startmate, many founders would never make it out of the garage. It’s where they find co-founders, raise first capital, and learn to scale. For me, it’s an absolutely critical part of the startup ecosystem.

Fantastic program, with a well thought out schedule to help you in navigating the start up landscape. The facilitators were amazing - super enthusiastic, approachable, humble … whilst also pushing you to get hands on and lean into the experience.

I found the content especially strong in areas like the selection guide, the in-depth founder meeting guide, and the breakdown of legal terms. These provided clear, practical frameworks that really helped shape the thinking when assessing startups.

Alongside the insane connections, product building and information sessions, being able to connect with the best of the startup community and hear from people who have made it has made this experience invaluable.

The hands on experience is next level. Super. Super Super good. I don't think we'll get this level anywhere else. Other friends who took "angel investing" courses never had this hands on experience.

The enthusiasm of Ben, Brady, and Sam was brilliant; honestly, I think the community is the best thing.

I couldn't recommend the First Believers program more highly - First Believers was not just an angel investing course, it was an invitation (with open arms) into the Australian angel investing and startup eco-system.

I’ll be honest as a woman in my 20s, I found the idea of getting into angel investing a bit intimidating. But the Startmate team completely changed that! Amazing people, brilliant content, and such a great way to build your network while learning the foundations of investing.

I loved the 1:1 coaching sessions that we get access too. These coaches are highly skilled and knowledgable people who we otherwise would not be able to have the ability to speak to. Having met them through Startmate, many have offered to continue to support me in my entrepreneurial journey, how exciting!

I came in with no idea, and I’m leaving with a startup I’m genuinely excited to pursue. My mindset around founding has completely shifted! I’ve experienced so much personal growth and gained real clarity about my career and potential as a founder.

This program really opened my eyes to the startup world and helped me realise the opportunities out there.

The Student Founder Bootcamp was an elite experience. You will gain insights from giants you won't get anywhere else. I would recommend this to any student who is serious about developing projects into a potential startup.

The Student Founder Bootcamp taught me the most important lesson: ship early, learn fast. It gave me the framework to go from zero to my first paying customers, by getting real feedback instead of building in isolation.

The opportunity to connect with others and dedicate time to something that you're jointly passionate about was one of the many highlights.

Startmate's Student Founder Bootcamp is the perfect place to connect with like-minded individuals and bring your ideas to life!

The environment is just so supportive. Highly recommend.

Overall Startmate has been an amazing experience for people wanting to learn more about the startup world! It's a great entry to learn about how to materialise your idea.

Loved the program, I learned so much from the sessions, and the founder challenge really helped me to rethink about my idea and try to iterate it.

I learnt to move fast and build faster. It was an invaluable launchpad for me to transition from thinking about it as a project to a company.

I met people who were ready to build something and had the strong founder mindset, I would have never met people like that in my day to day university life.

I loved being able to meet like minded people. All the speakers and the coaches were super insightful. Even though it was over zoom it felt as though we were quite engaged as a whole cohort, i think that was fostered with the breakout rooms.

The Student Founder Bootcamp was an incredible experience that not only helped me refine my business ideas but also provided valuable career guidance. The personalised coaching went above and beyond, offering both practical insights and inspiration to help me grow professionally.

Best way to get your foot into the startup world!

Amazing experinece! Invaluable! Cannot put a price to the networks I made and the things I've learnt!

“I am braver in practice” and Startmate Collective is the practice.

Arj’s workshop on public speaking was filled with insights and practical tools we could take away and apply instantly. Would highly recommend Startmate Collective for sessions like these that equip you to take on the next challenge in work and life.

Better than a networking event because you actually get to know the cohort and develop deeper relationships. Interesting speakers and the ability to confidentially share challenges and get real time advice

Had a great time and would definitely recommend this to someone who is keen on meeting new people and getting clarity about career pathways.

I loved the peer advisory sessions – I got a lot of value from all of the discussions and the support from everyone in the group for each other was very energising.

I have loved the community part of Startmate Collective! I have met truly incredible women who are doing amazing things.

I love how Startmate Collective creates a space where women genuinely uplift each other. Learning from such talented individuals has been both refreshing and inspiring - exactly what community should feel like.

I love that Startmate Collective showcases high calibre female leaders for these talks so that we can learn from them. Jess’s talk tonight was yet another impressive example!

I love the pace of the membership. Often we forget to look inwards and get caught up in the hustle and bustle of a busy job. Startmate Collective reminds me to step back and see all the opportunities to put learnings into practice to improve how I approach work.

I love the support and feeling like I have a crew of people backing me!

I walked away with a powerful insight; you’re never starting from scratch. You have valuable, transferable skills that can confidently carry over into new opportunities.

Impactful, empowering and filled with like-minder humans.

Startmate Collective has been really valuable to get advice and support from other women leading teams. It's helped fill the gaps I found working in a smaller organisation!

10/10 would recommend! Startmate Collective was like having one of those solid best friendships - it was warm, and comforting, and full of laughter but it also prodded you to be better, and to push yourself, and to question why you thought the way you did.

The Startmate Collective is made up of so many uber-inspiring and driven women from lots of different industries and functions, which is amazing to be surrounded, supported, and energised by, but also to learn and lean in with!

The Startmate Collective community is unparalleled. I have created some incredible relationships within this group and have learned so much about myself as a leader and how to better operate. Love it!

The Peer Advisory Group has been the highlight of this membership. It’s where I’ve felt the most connection and support. Real talk, real growth, real support.

The way the other women show up, engage with each other, share their vulnerabilities, is admirable and helps us all grow and learn.

Launch Club gave me the confidence and tools to validate my startup idea by taking the problem statement directly to customers. Through well-proven frameworks, it helped my company lay a strong foundation, ensuring the groundwork was solid before moving on to the next steps.

Launch Club was fantastic for helping motivate me to act fast and build things.

Launch Club helped me validate my idea and build momentum. Over eight weeks, it provided structured contents, networking events, and access to a large community of peers and mentors.

I loved it! Especially, the mentors and the honest conversations. The advice they gave was incredibly helpful.

Was great to be surrounded by like-minded people all on a very similar journey.

The connection and community - it’s amazing how much connection can be created in just 6 weeks with a virtual cohort!

I have loved the structure of the program. The way that Launch Club guides you from day zero up to validating and potentially launching was super helpful. The content and mentors have been world class.

It was so great to meet other entrepreneurs in the cohort. And I really valued the ideation and validation of our problem and solution space in the first few weeks.

Launch Club gave me the clarity and confidence to turn my idea into a real business. The accountability, feedback, and founder community made all the difference.

My favourite part: sharing a common ground with like minded talents with an amazing drive to push boundaries and breakthrough next gen ideas.

What I loved most about Launch Club is the focused momentum. Being surrounded by ambitious builders, weekly accountability, and honest feedback has given my startup more clarity and speed —it's like having a mini advisory board in my corner.

Launch Club prepares you with the knowledge and environment to validate and launch your dream business. A fantastic experience for those looking to jump into the deep end with their idea. Louisa is an extremely helpful and engaging cohort leader!

I love how I started with an idea that felt too complicated to even know where to begin, but it’s now a real thing with a landing page, social media, and an MVP all built within a couple of months.

Launch Club gave me the clarity, confidence, and community I needed to take real steps forward with my startup. I’ve most enjoyed the founder community and sense of momentum. Being surrounded by ambitious people helped me stay motivated.

The community of founders was incredible. Everyone genuinely wanted to see each other win, and it created a culture of support, accountability, and high standards. I also loved how structured and momentum-driven the program was.

My favourite part by far was meeting the other Founders, Startmate team and mentors. Hugely energising and educational.

It was so great! I loved meeting other founders and connecting with other people within the startup space. The content sessions were incredible and ordered extremely well - It allowed us all to develop our startup ideas in a logical way!

I loved the accountability of Launch Club. Seeing other founders building was highly motivating.

Launch Club is the place to be if were wanting to get a taste of what real start-up world feels like. Startmate does a good job picking your brains!

I enjoyed the diverse seminars on various startup topics such as early validation, rapid MVP development and pricing. Beyond the seminars it is the lively community that makes this experience so enjoyable, with many people happy to have a chat or just help out.

My squad leader was amazing, I think he's the main reason that I found the experience so enjoyable and valuable.. I think the in-person sessions, particularly the oportunity to present at pitch night and network after, was also super valuable.

I've met so many amazing, ambitious and inspiring women in this program. Would highly recommend.

Amazing opportunity to meet new people and to learn and grow out of my comfort zone!

I loved the community aspect and how willing everyone was to help and give advice!

It's a program which can help you to get your idea off the ground with all the supporting facilities and networks.

Startmate was a rocket ship to developing my next career pivot. Great network, generous mentors and a kickass community of amazing women!

I came into the Women Fellowship quite lost and not sure what I wanted to do. I left with a great new network of amazing women and with a much clearer picture of what I wanted to do with my life in the startup ecosystem.

The Women Fellowship over delivered!  You can become a freaking genius about entering into the startup ecosystem but only if you DO THE WORK in the fellowship. And oh how it is worth it. The rewards are priceless.

Not only did the Women Fellowship equip me with skills and confidence to pivot my career into the startup ecosystem, it also introduced me to an incredible cohort of incredible, ambitious women.

Loved Launch Club - a great way to meet new people and learn a ton of new things. Resparked my passion for startups!

The Student Founder Bootcamp is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime, life changing experience. My mindset, ability to network, courage to found a start-up idea with other passionate individuals grew so much that is beyond how much I could have imagined.

I loved the student community - not just the passionate fellows but all the inspiring mentors, it’s pretty crazy valuable.

The Startmate connections and community are great. It provides so many opportunities to meet amazing people during the program and continuously once the program is done.

Startmate is the go-to-program if you're exploring the start-up space, wondering if an idea would work and feeling frustrated for your next steps. Through the program, I got connected to aspiring peers, coaches and industry leaders in the start-up ecosystem across ANZ.

Joining Launch Club has granted me access to an incredible community, and I am filled with great enthusiasm as I embark on my startup journey, knowing that I am surrounded by invaluable support and expertise!

Launch Club gives you the momentum, connections and guidance you need to turn a problem into a business solution with serious potential - and fast!

I've been coming away from every session with tangible, practical advice to tackle my biggest challenges from people who've actually been through it before or are currently navigating the same thing. Plus, it's been really special to meet such an awesome group of women.

Loved the more casual convo style of our peer advisory groups - made it feel more like a group of friends sharing advice / tips with each other.

Beyond expectations. First Believers provided an inclusive, expansive community to share and explore how to get involved in angel investing. The SM team were awesome. No BS, no egos, just great people. Would highly recommend!

Startmate gives virtually unlimited opportunity to see deal flow and build pattern recognition. Best education in the space you could imagine. Even seasoned investors would benefit.

If you’ve ever wanted to start investing in people who are building big things for the future and solving high-value problems, Startmate is for you. You’ll find a powerful community of some of the most ambitious and open-minded investors, operators and founders in the world.

I can remember just being absolutely disbelieving that we actually got in, I was running around the house screaming ‘this is going to change our lives forever!...And it has.

We were fortunate enough to be accepted into the Startmate Accelerator and went through a pretty intense 12 weeks which was, honestly, life changing.

The Accelerator is a really competitive program and a lot is asked from you during this program, but knowing that will allow you make the most out of the opportunity, whether that means investment, mentors, or connections.

We’ve done Startmate twice now. Startmate helps you turn you into someone who can run a company. Having some forcing us to talk to 100 customers per week… you won't have that pressure anywhere else

I remember thinking most of the mentors were nuts. They were pushing us to take a product to market before we had even designed it. They pushed us so hard to get out there and sell to customers. That was the best advice that I was ever given: sell before you’re ready to sell.

When we went through Startmate we had a pilot factory that we didn’t know how to run. Now we’re a team of 30 manufacturing 100,000 rolls of compostable stretch wrap every day. Startmate was incredible for us. We wish we could go through it again.

Applying to Startmate was one of our best decisions to introduce Tutero into the Australian startup community.

The Accelerator was a gamechanger. The biggest lesson was being really focused on specific metrics and being obsessed with customers.

hello i love startmate

Startmate gives founders permission to dream and the confidence to go further through mentoring, support & inclusiveness. What makes it special? A culture bigger than money; a community where ambition is shared, supported & celebrated.

Startmate is the mouth of the river for ANZ startups. From Demo Day’s energy and world-class ideas to a community that grows in ambition year after year, it’s where founders, investors & operators all find their place; the real magic is the people.

Startmate is a rare community where people give more than they take. It surrounds founders with the “village” they need; mentors, investors, peers, to do their best work. Year after year, that culture unlocks ambition and makes Startmate a launchpad for world-class startups.

The real Startmate “special sauce” isn’t just community; it’s the depth of it. Lifelong friends, like-minded people, and a generosity of spirit that makes every connection meaningful. For me, it’s been all about the relationships I’ve built.

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster. Startmate is the day-zero believer for ANZ founders — connecting you to expertise, community, funding, and the pep talks that keep you going. Their ability to curate support is second to none.

‍

Without Startmate, many founders would never make it out of the garage. It’s where they find co-founders, raise first capital, and learn to scale. For me, it’s an absolutely critical part of the startup ecosystem.

Fantastic program, with a well thought out schedule to help you in navigating the start up landscape. The facilitators were amazing - super enthusiastic, approachable, humble … whilst also pushing you to get hands on and lean into the experience.

I found the content especially strong in areas like the selection guide, the in-depth founder meeting guide, and the breakdown of legal terms. These provided clear, practical frameworks that really helped shape the thinking when assessing startups.

Alongside the insane connections, product building and information sessions, being able to connect with the best of the startup community and hear from people who have made it has made this experience invaluable.

The hands on experience is next level. Super. Super Super good. I don't think we'll get this level anywhere else. Other friends who took "angel investing" courses never had this hands on experience.

The enthusiasm of Ben, Brady, and Sam was brilliant; honestly, I think the community is the best thing.

I couldn't recommend the First Believers program more highly - First Believers was not just an angel investing course, it was an invitation (with open arms) into the Australian angel investing and startup eco-system.

I’ll be honest as a woman in my 20s, I found the idea of getting into angel investing a bit intimidating. But the Startmate team completely changed that! Amazing people, brilliant content, and such a great way to build your network while learning the foundations of investing.

I loved the 1:1 coaching sessions that we get access too. These coaches are highly skilled and knowledgable people who we otherwise would not be able to have the ability to speak to. Having met them through Startmate, many have offered to continue to support me in my entrepreneurial journey, how exciting!

I came in with no idea, and I’m leaving with a startup I’m genuinely excited to pursue. My mindset around founding has completely shifted! I’ve experienced so much personal growth and gained real clarity about my career and potential as a founder.

This program really opened my eyes to the startup world and helped me realise the opportunities out there.

The Student Founder Bootcamp was an elite experience. You will gain insights from giants you won't get anywhere else. I would recommend this to any student who is serious about developing projects into a potential startup.

The Student Founder Bootcamp taught me the most important lesson: ship early, learn fast. It gave me the framework to go from zero to my first paying customers, by getting real feedback instead of building in isolation.

The opportunity to connect with others and dedicate time to something that you're jointly passionate about was one of the many highlights.

Startmate's Student Founder Bootcamp is the perfect place to connect with like-minded individuals and bring your ideas to life!

The environment is just so supportive. Highly recommend.

Overall Startmate has been an amazing experience for people wanting to learn more about the startup world! It's a great entry to learn about how to materialise your idea.

Loved the program, I learned so much from the sessions, and the founder challenge really helped me to rethink about my idea and try to iterate it.

I learnt to move fast and build faster. It was an invaluable launchpad for me to transition from thinking about it as a project to a company.

I met people who were ready to build something and had the strong founder mindset, I would have never met people like that in my day to day university life.

I loved being able to meet like minded people. All the speakers and the coaches were super insightful. Even though it was over zoom it felt as though we were quite engaged as a whole cohort, i think that was fostered with the breakout rooms.

The Student Founder Bootcamp was an incredible experience that not only helped me refine my business ideas but also provided valuable career guidance. The personalised coaching went above and beyond, offering both practical insights and inspiration to help me grow professionally.

Best way to get your foot into the startup world!

Amazing experinece! Invaluable! Cannot put a price to the networks I made and the things I've learnt!

“I am braver in practice” and Startmate Collective is the practice.

Arj’s workshop on public speaking was filled with insights and practical tools we could take away and apply instantly. Would highly recommend Startmate Collective for sessions like these that equip you to take on the next challenge in work and life.

Better than a networking event because you actually get to know the cohort and develop deeper relationships. Interesting speakers and the ability to confidentially share challenges and get real time advice

Had a great time and would definitely recommend this to someone who is keen on meeting new people and getting clarity about career pathways.

I loved the peer advisory sessions – I got a lot of value from all of the discussions and the support from everyone in the group for each other was very energising.

I have loved the community part of Startmate Collective! I have met truly incredible women who are doing amazing things.

I love how Startmate Collective creates a space where women genuinely uplift each other. Learning from such talented individuals has been both refreshing and inspiring - exactly what community should feel like.

I love that Startmate Collective showcases high calibre female leaders for these talks so that we can learn from them. Jess’s talk tonight was yet another impressive example!

I love the pace of the membership. Often we forget to look inwards and get caught up in the hustle and bustle of a busy job. Startmate Collective reminds me to step back and see all the opportunities to put learnings into practice to improve how I approach work.

I love the support and feeling like I have a crew of people backing me!

I walked away with a powerful insight; you’re never starting from scratch. You have valuable, transferable skills that can confidently carry over into new opportunities.

Impactful, empowering and filled with like-minder humans.

Startmate Collective has been really valuable to get advice and support from other women leading teams. It's helped fill the gaps I found working in a smaller organisation!

10/10 would recommend! Startmate Collective was like having one of those solid best friendships - it was warm, and comforting, and full of laughter but it also prodded you to be better, and to push yourself, and to question why you thought the way you did.

The Startmate Collective is made up of so many uber-inspiring and driven women from lots of different industries and functions, which is amazing to be surrounded, supported, and energised by, but also to learn and lean in with!

The Startmate Collective community is unparalleled. I have created some incredible relationships within this group and have learned so much about myself as a leader and how to better operate. Love it!

The Peer Advisory Group has been the highlight of this membership. It’s where I’ve felt the most connection and support. Real talk, real growth, real support.

The way the other women show up, engage with each other, share their vulnerabilities, is admirable and helps us all grow and learn.

Launch Club gave me the confidence and tools to validate my startup idea by taking the problem statement directly to customers. Through well-proven frameworks, it helped my company lay a strong foundation, ensuring the groundwork was solid before moving on to the next steps.

Launch Club was fantastic for helping motivate me to act fast and build things.

Launch Club helped me validate my idea and build momentum. Over eight weeks, it provided structured contents, networking events, and access to a large community of peers and mentors.

I loved it! Especially, the mentors and the honest conversations. The advice they gave was incredibly helpful.

Was great to be surrounded by like-minded people all on a very similar journey.

The connection and community - it’s amazing how much connection can be created in just 6 weeks with a virtual cohort!

I have loved the structure of the program. The way that Launch Club guides you from day zero up to validating and potentially launching was super helpful. The content and mentors have been world class.

It was so great to meet other entrepreneurs in the cohort. And I really valued the ideation and validation of our problem and solution space in the first few weeks.

Launch Club gave me the clarity and confidence to turn my idea into a real business. The accountability, feedback, and founder community made all the difference.

My favourite part: sharing a common ground with like minded talents with an amazing drive to push boundaries and breakthrough next gen ideas.

What I loved most about Launch Club is the focused momentum. Being surrounded by ambitious builders, weekly accountability, and honest feedback has given my startup more clarity and speed —it's like having a mini advisory board in my corner.

Launch Club prepares you with the knowledge and environment to validate and launch your dream business. A fantastic experience for those looking to jump into the deep end with their idea. Louisa is an extremely helpful and engaging cohort leader!

I love how I started with an idea that felt too complicated to even know where to begin, but it’s now a real thing with a landing page, social media, and an MVP all built within a couple of months.

Launch Club gave me the clarity, confidence, and community I needed to take real steps forward with my startup. I’ve most enjoyed the founder community and sense of momentum. Being surrounded by ambitious people helped me stay motivated.

The community of founders was incredible. Everyone genuinely wanted to see each other win, and it created a culture of support, accountability, and high standards. I also loved how structured and momentum-driven the program was.

My favourite part by far was meeting the other Founders, Startmate team and mentors. Hugely energising and educational.

It was so great! I loved meeting other founders and connecting with other people within the startup space. The content sessions were incredible and ordered extremely well - It allowed us all to develop our startup ideas in a logical way!

I loved the accountability of Launch Club. Seeing other founders building was highly motivating.

Launch Club is the place to be if were wanting to get a taste of what real start-up world feels like. Startmate does a good job picking your brains!

I enjoyed the diverse seminars on various startup topics such as early validation, rapid MVP development and pricing. Beyond the seminars it is the lively community that makes this experience so enjoyable, with many people happy to have a chat or just help out.

My squad leader was amazing, I think he's the main reason that I found the experience so enjoyable and valuable.. I think the in-person sessions, particularly the oportunity to present at pitch night and network after, was also super valuable.

I've met so many amazing, ambitious and inspiring women in this program. Would highly recommend.

Amazing opportunity to meet new people and to learn and grow out of my comfort zone!

I loved the community aspect and how willing everyone was to help and give advice!

It's a program which can help you to get your idea off the ground with all the supporting facilities and networks.

Startmate was a rocket ship to developing my next career pivot. Great network, generous mentors and a kickass community of amazing women!

I came into the Women Fellowship quite lost and not sure what I wanted to do. I left with a great new network of amazing women and with a much clearer picture of what I wanted to do with my life in the startup ecosystem.

The Women Fellowship over delivered!  You can become a freaking genius about entering into the startup ecosystem but only if you DO THE WORK in the fellowship. And oh how it is worth it. The rewards are priceless.

Not only did the Women Fellowship equip me with skills and confidence to pivot my career into the startup ecosystem, it also introduced me to an incredible cohort of incredible, ambitious women.

Loved Launch Club - a great way to meet new people and learn a ton of new things. Resparked my passion for startups!

The Student Founder Bootcamp is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime, life changing experience. My mindset, ability to network, courage to found a start-up idea with other passionate individuals grew so much that is beyond how much I could have imagined.

I loved the student community - not just the passionate fellows but all the inspiring mentors, it’s pretty crazy valuable.

The Startmate connections and community are great. It provides so many opportunities to meet amazing people during the program and continuously once the program is done.

Startmate is the go-to-program if you're exploring the start-up space, wondering if an idea would work and feeling frustrated for your next steps. Through the program, I got connected to aspiring peers, coaches and industry leaders in the start-up ecosystem across ANZ.

Joining Launch Club has granted me access to an incredible community, and I am filled with great enthusiasm as I embark on my startup journey, knowing that I am surrounded by invaluable support and expertise!

Launch Club gives you the momentum, connections and guidance you need to turn a problem into a business solution with serious potential - and fast!

I've been coming away from every session with tangible, practical advice to tackle my biggest challenges from people who've actually been through it before or are currently navigating the same thing. Plus, it's been really special to meet such an awesome group of women.

Loved the more casual convo style of our peer advisory groups - made it feel more like a group of friends sharing advice / tips with each other.

Beyond expectations. First Believers provided an inclusive, expansive community to share and explore how to get involved in angel investing. The SM team were awesome. No BS, no egos, just great people. Would highly recommend!

Startmate gives virtually unlimited opportunity to see deal flow and build pattern recognition. Best education in the space you could imagine. Even seasoned investors would benefit.

If you’ve ever wanted to start investing in people who are building big things for the future and solving high-value problems, Startmate is for you. You’ll find a powerful community of some of the most ambitious and open-minded investors, operators and founders in the world.

I can remember just being absolutely disbelieving that we actually got in, I was running around the house screaming ‘this is going to change our lives forever!...And it has.

We were fortunate enough to be accepted into the Startmate Accelerator and went through a pretty intense 12 weeks which was, honestly, life changing.

The Accelerator is a really competitive program and a lot is asked from you during this program, but knowing that will allow you make the most out of the opportunity, whether that means investment, mentors, or connections.

We’ve done Startmate twice now. Startmate helps you turn you into someone who can run a company. Having some forcing us to talk to 100 customers per week… you won't have that pressure anywhere else

I remember thinking most of the mentors were nuts. They were pushing us to take a product to market before we had even designed it. They pushed us so hard to get out there and sell to customers. That was the best advice that I was ever given: sell before you’re ready to sell.

When we went through Startmate we had a pilot factory that we didn’t know how to run. Now we’re a team of 30 manufacturing 100,000 rolls of compostable stretch wrap every day. Startmate was incredible for us. We wish we could go through it again.

Applying to Startmate was one of our best decisions to introduce Tutero into the Australian startup community.

The Accelerator was a gamechanger. The biggest lesson was being really focused on specific metrics and being obsessed with customers.

hello i love startmate