If you’re a living, breathing human on the internet, there’s a good chance you’ve stumbled across a Startmate. We’ve all seen that curious post appear in our feed — “Lachlan is a First Believer”, “Bonnie is a Student Fellow Coach”, “Tim is a Climate Tech Fellow” — the little update that suggests “✨I’m up to something✨”. So, what exactly are they all up to? And, what is this Startmate thing all about?

There’s no doubt, startups are hard work. The high-risk, high-reward environment characteristic of startups is a beautiful and chaotic way to test yourself. Suddenly you’re surrounded by passionate people with a shared vision, and you feel inspired. You start to believe in yourself. Believe in the mission. Your hard work has purpose and you become ambitious to succeed. But no one could have ever really prepared you for the unyielding deadlines, cosmic to-do lists, and sheer determination required of you every. single. day.