Invest with ANZ’s most active early-stage investor

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First Believers isn’t a course. It's a front-row seat to how top ANZ angels invest.
‍You’ll learn from the best, and then get in the room where real decisions get made.

Built by Startmate, this program gives you practical frameworks, deep exposure to 500+ startups, and the opportunity to invest with your own capital or alongside the Startmate Fund.

📌 Curious? Watch this overview with Ben (Investment Manager @ Startmate)


Cohort 10 is open. Spots are limited.
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Applications Close: 30th March
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Apply to join the cohort

Learn the craft. Make the calls. In person and online.

Startmate’s First Believers program comprises of two parts: theory and practice. This isn’t theory for theory’s sake.

First Believers blends live, in-person frameworks with hands-on investing, so you can build conviction and community at the same time.

The program fee is $5,500 including GST. This fee will only be invoiced after program acceptance. Payment plans available.

PART 1. THEORY

Join a two-day, in-person intensive in Melbourne (27-28 Oct) or Sydney (30-31 Oct) , where you'll learn the frameworks top angels use to evaluate deals, manage risk, and make conviction calls. You’ll hear directly from ANZ’s leading investors and expand your investor network. You’ll walk away with frameworks and a trusted investor crew.

PART 2. PRACTICE

This part is all about doing the reps to build your investor muscle. Over 8 weeks (27 Oct – 19 Dec), you'll be part of an intensive virtual selection process involving hundreds of the most exciting new startups. You'll practice reviewing decks, interviewing founders, and making real investment decisions alongside the team.

"Startmates track record of investment returns place it alongside the best in the world "

First Believers back startups with experience

Our alumni come from high-performance environments — founders, operators, and execs across tech, finance, and industry. They’ve built, scaled, and backed world-class companies. Now they’re doing the same for the next generation.

You’ll find First Believers inside ASX 50 boardrooms, ANZ unicorns, and top angel syndicates:

Learn.
Invest.
Connect.

Learn

The two-day in-person conference focuses on the theory, shaped by all the learnings we've had from over a decade of investing. We cover our investment frameworks and everything you need to launch your angel journey - regardless of your experience.

Invest

Part two of the program is all about putting the theory into practice. Over 4 weeks, you will be reviewing real pitch decks, meeting real founders, and making real investment decisions. Real-ly awesome.

Connect

Arguably the best part of the program is the people you will meet. At the conference and online, you’ll join a community of wildly successful individuals who are passionate about investing in the next wave of founders. Never invest alone. 

First Believers testimonials

"This program really opens doors! I really loved the practical and hand-on nature of the learning which was always geared toward action. It was an excellent way to take my knowledge from near-zero to hero in only 12 weeks."
nick sinclair
airbnb - head of marketing apac
"First Believers transformed me into an Angel Investor. It’s part of my identity now and I am thrilled. Being able to support Australia’s newest Founders is a huge privilege, sometimes I still pinch myself. First Believers has been a pivotal life moment for me."
melissa beaumont lee
skip capital - Head of Philanthropy
“My experience on the First Believers program was 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!”
Verity tuck
LVLY - cofounder
"If you’ve ever wanted to start investing in the people who are building big things for the future and solving high-value problems but don’t feel like you’d know where to start or feel there are barriers to getting involved, First Believers is for you. What you’ll find is a powerful community of some of the most ambitious and open-minded investors, operators and founders in the world."
joel hassin
cambooya capital - investor
"First Believers is like getting thrown into the deep end of the pool -- with all your friends! Bad metaphors aside: whether you're in the beginning of your investing journey or a seasoned investor, the hands-on experience and the community at First Believers is truly incomparable. You learn quickly that investing is a team sport, and First Believers is one of the best teams!"
chenelle Tanglao
investor - trawalla group
"First Believers is the must-do program for any aspiring or current angel investor. It took my understanding and connections within the start-up ecosystem from 1 to 100. I could not recommend this program more highly to anyone who is keen to learn more about the ANZ start-up ecosystem and how to back aspiring founders."
matt herring
kpmg - partner
“I was working from a super low base from a knowledge perspective and didn’t feel like a idiot at any point (rare!) content was super inclusive. WOW! I loved the HANDS ON EXPERIENCE. Actually getting to meet founders with real investment outcomes was an incredible way to apply knowledge immediately.”
claire bull
rainmaking - Head of Ecosystem
9.3 from 100+ Reviews
Learn From The Best
// Past Speakers
Niki Scevak
Founder of Startmate
Sam Wong
Partner at Blackbird
Ali Tamaseb
Partner at DCVC and Author of Super Founders

First Believers impact

We created this program to give transparent access to how the best investors make investment decision and allow you to invest alongside the most active early-stage investor in Australia.
400+
First Believers
25,000+
Investment Decisions
$4.5M+
Invested
230+
Companies Invested
"Startmate, Australia's unicorn factory..."

Startmate's track record

Startmate is the most active early-stage investor in Australia.
250+
Companies Startmate is the first investor in
$3.5 Billion
SM companies are worth collectively
$250M
SM companies raised in the last 6 months

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Inspired by Startmate’s original mentors.

First Believers is a six-month program inspired by Startmate’s original mentors. Back in 2010, these mentors believed in and backed early-stage Aussie founders. We're on a mission to find more people like them.We believe that to create a truly diverse and powerful startup ecosystem across Australia and New Zealand, we need fresh perspectives, thinking and networks at the investment table. First Believers is the catalyst for a new generation of investors to hone their craft.

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Technical to non-technical

“By the third day of my internship, I was already pitching to the Queensland Small Business Commission.”
— Tsamara, Student Fellow (Summer 2020/21)

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Solo founder to founding team

“The great thing about hiring through Startmate is the people who join through one of the Fellowship programs are already pre-selected for being amazing. They are looking for change and roles where they can have a big impact, and everything that working for a startup can provide.”
— Gridcognition (Startmate, Mel20 Alumni)

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Solo founder to founding team

“Why does the UK have such a financial services driven economy? Basically … ask the smartest undergraduates ‘what are you going to do next?’, they're all like, ‘oh, I'm going to go work at Goldman Sachs’ or whatever. … The reason Silicon Valley is so special? It is the one place in the world where [ambitious students] say ‘we’ll start a company’.”
— Matt Clifford, Founder at Entrepreneur First.

The magic of an inclusive community

Join a community obsessed with backing and believing in the next generation of great founders.
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Diverse people. Diverse dealflow. One community.

Ask Your Questions

Meet the program leader. Ask any questions you have regarding First Believers.

Frequently asked questions

How is Startmate different?

Startmate is the most active early-stage investor in Australia and New Zealand. We back founders earlier than anyone else, and stick with them as they scale. We know what great looks like early. Over the past decade, we’ve helped launch 230+ startups and built one of the most trusted communities of founders and investors.

First Believers is how you get in the room.

How is First Believers different?

This isn’t angel investing 101. First Believers is built for people who already bring something to the table — whether it’s domain expertise, founder experience, capital access, or operator insight.

You’ll learn the frameworks top angels use to assess deals, then apply them in real time.

Every participant gets access to 700+ startups going through Startmate’s pipeline, and joins a live investment committee to review decks, interview founders, and shape real decisions.

It’s high-context, high-trust, and high-signal. You’ll leave sharper, more connected, and ready to invest with conviction.

Who is right for First Believers?

First Believers is designed for people who are serious about building their investing edge, not just browsing. We’re curating a tight cohort of high-calibre people ready to back what’s next, want to invest actively, think critically, and grow alongside a trusted network.
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You might be:
- An exited founder or operator.
- A family office lead, VC scout, or emerging fund manager.
- A senior exec looking to expand into venture.

You don’t need to be full-time on investing. But you do need real intent, a long-term mindset, and a bias for action.

If you are not sure that it’s the right fit, you can book a quick 20-min call to talk it through.
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This is a program where your questions get sharper, your network gets deeper, and your capital gets to work.

Do you need to have money to invest?

No! First Believers is about developing future investors.
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We understand the ambition to be an investor might come before the financial position to back your belief in founders.
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Amongst a number of pathways for non-sophisticated investors, we have uniquely raised a $1 million Small Bets Fund exclusively for First Believers of all backgrounds to invest into founders at the very beginning (and earn carry in the fund while doing so).

When does the onboarding program run?

The program runs twice a year.
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Each cohort is made up of the top ~70-80 people who apply. These people come from a range of industries, locations and levels of experience.

What's the time commitment?

First Believers requires a time commitment of 2 full days in-person (in either Sydney or Melbourne), then 3 hours a week online, for the next 7 weeks.

How much does the program cost?

The First Believers program fee is $5,500 including GST. This fee will only be invoiced after program acceptance. The fee can be paid upfront or via instalments.
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‍We're committed to seeing better representation in the startup ecosystem, and we don't want financial limitations to be a prohibiting factor from participating in First Believers. Startmate offers full and part scholarships for the First Believers program.
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NZGCP proudly sponsor five NZ positions per cohort

Apply to
First Believers

Applications Open