Validate your idea, gain early traction and learn to pitch your startup

Launch Club is for you if...

• You’ve got an idea you want to validate
• You’ve built an MVP and want to gain ealy traction
• You’re in market and ready to meet mentors and investors
• You want to learn how to pitch your startup
• You want to build alongside other founders
• You want a pathway into the Startmate Accelerator

Launch Club runs for 8 weeks, designed to build real momentum without derailing your day job or studies.

You should expect 3–6 hours per week of core sessions - with the only compulsory live session being the Monday evening All Hands. Other sessions (typically held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) are optional and are always recorded if you can’t make them.

Beyond that, it really depends on how much you want to get out of the program - founders are expected to spend time talking to users, building, and making real progress.

This isn’t passive learning, it’s hands-on, high-energy, and built to push you forward.

Launch Club costs $1,100 (incl. GST).

This isn’t just a fee, it’s your skin in the game. Everyone in the cohort has made the same commitment, which means you’ll be surrounded by founders who are serious about showing up, building momentum, and backing themselves.

PS: If cost is a barrier, talk to us. We don’t want money to be the reason you don’t start.

Here’s how it works:

Stage 1: Online Application

Submit a short written application (plus a 2–3 minute video) where you answer a few prompts about your idea and your motivation.

Stage 2: Speed Interview

If your application is a strong fit, you’ll be invited to a 15-minute interview with the Startmate team. It’s fast, energising and focused on your goals — and why Launch Club is the right next step.

Stage 3: Outcome

We’ll let you know the outcome shortly after. If selected, you’ll join a powerful community of early-stage founders and start building fast.

No - many founders join Launch Club while working a day job or studying.

The program is designed to help you build momentum alongside your existing commitments.

What matters most is that you’re committed to making real progress during the 8-week program - whether you’re working on your startup full-time or part-time.

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All mandatory sessions are delivered virtually, and the cohort includes founders from across Australia and New Zealand so you can participate from anywhere.

That said, we also run a number of in-person events throughout the program (such as kick-off drinks and Pitch Night) in Melbourne and Sydney for founders who’d like to connect face-to-face.

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Starting a startup can be a daunting and lonely experience. Launch Club is designed to provide aspiring founders with the support, guidance, and resources they need to launch their startup successfully, and be able to do this at the same time as others at the same stage.

Yes - Launch Club offers a limited number of partial scholarships (up to 50% of the program fee) to ensure that financial hardship isn’t a barrier to participation.

You can apply for a scholarship as part of the standard application process.

Scholarships are limited and awarded based on a combination of financial need and merit, so we encourage you to apply early if you require support.

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Most startup courses are passive and content-heavy - you watch videos on your own and try to apply the learnings later.

Launch Club is live, interactive and action-based:

• Live sessions where you can interact directly with the speaker, ask questions and workshop ideas in real time - with lifetime access to all session recordings afterwards.
• 1:1 mentoring sessions with experienced founders, operators and investors tailored to your specific challenges.
• A private Slack channel where you can connect with your cohort, share updates, ask for feedback and stay accountable between sessions.
• A community of ambitious founders building alongside you - learning together and supporting each other.
• In-person events such as kick-off drinks, Pitch Night, and invitations to broader Startmate community events in Melbourne and Sydney.
• And importantly - Startmate is actively on the lookout for the next great startup to invest in. Launch Club is not just a learning program; it’s a platform to get in front of real investors and build towards real investment.

In short: it’s not about learning in theory - it’s about making tangible progress, surrounded by the people who can help take you to the next level.

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