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We sat down with Ethan Green, Summer’25 Student Fellow who is passionate about entrepreneurship and startups. From discovering the program through a uni club email to pitching an RFP automation tool at the Founders Challenge, Ethan’s journey is proof that sometimes, the best way to start is to just dive in.

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Ready to launch your career in startups? Join our next intake of Student Fellows.

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Startmate: How did you first hear about the Student Fellowship?

Ethan: I actually came across it through my university’s club mailing list. To be honest, I didn’t have much to do with them, but hey, the email worked! I knew one other person doing the program, and it was a funny coincidence seeing them at an in-person event. Was nice to see a familiar face.

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Startmate: What drew you to entrepreneurship?

Ethan: To be honest, I wasn’t sure how interested I was in entrepreneurship at first. I never really considered the space seriously before finding out about the program.

I don’t necessarily fit the classic “serial entrepreneur” mould - constantly hustling to find the next big thing. But I do like building things that are useful, and the Student Fellowship opened my eyes to how entrepreneurship is a vehicle for creating real impact.

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Startmate: How did your perspective on startups and venture capital change through the Fellowship?

Ethan: Before the Fellowship, my perception of venture capital was heavily influenced by pop culture - think Silicon Valley the TV show. I thought VCs were just out to get you, that they weren’t really on the founder’s side.

But hearing directly from investors, I realised they actually do have aligned interests with founders. Another big shift was my thinking around “stealth mode” vs. building in public. I used to worry about people stealing ideas, but now I get that most people don’t care enough to steal something that isn’t a real product yet.

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Startmate: What was the most valuable part of the Fellowship for you?

Ethan: Two things really stood out: the content and the speakers. The sessions broke down what venture capitalists look for, how to build an MVP, and how to approach early-stage traction. That kind of practical advice was game-changing for someone like me, who hadn’t thought about startups seriously before.

Hearing from founders was also incredibly impactful - especially Alex Naoumidis from Mindset Health, Startmate Melbourne'18 Accelerator Alumni. He started out with a business background and self-taught his way into tech, which was super relatable. His story of building something meaningful over years (instead of overnight success) was a great reality check.

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Startmate: Tell us about your Founders Challenge pitch!

Ethan: Going into the Founders Challenge, I had no idea what I was going to do. But everyone kept saying, “just start building.”

So I decided to give it a shot. I worked on an RFP automation tool called EasyRFP, which helps sales teams streamline their proposal process. It started as a way to kill time over the holidays, but the more I worked on it, the more invested I became. Now, I even have a meeting with an investor as part of the Fellowship prize!

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Startmate: How did it feel pitching alongside other founders?

Ethan: Some of the pitches blew me away. One team was developing a new testing kit for celiac disease, and I just thought "wow, I’m out of my league here!".

But it was awesome to see the range of ideas and the problems people were solving. I also appreciated seeing really polished presentations - good design work is underrated!

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Startmate: Do you see yourself founding a startup in the future?

Ethan: Yeah, I think so. Traditional commerce jobs - consulting, investment banking - don’t really excite me.

Starting something feels like a way to actually apply skills in a meaningful way. Even if you fail, you learn so much. Looking back, I never would’ve expected to make this much progress in just a month. So imagining where I could be in a year or 10 years? That’s pretty exciting.

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Startmate: What’s next for you?

Ethan: I’ve joined Startmate’s Launch Club, which is the next step in my founder journey. And depending on how my pitch goes, I might be bringing in some early investment to take EasyRFP to the next level. Either way, I’m just going to keep learning and building.

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Ethan didn’t plan on becoming a founder, but the Student Fellowship gave him the push to explore, build, and take real action. If you’re on the fence about startups, let his story be your nudge - just start. Who knows? A few months from now, you might be pitching your own idea, meeting investors, and surprising yourself with how far you’ve come.