A huge congratulations to the winner and the 26 nominees for Startmate’s 2024 Women Leader of the Year Award.
A highly-vetted, in-person membership for accelerating women



Accelerate your career or startup
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Or in our case, we do both.
In Startmate Collective, you’ll surround yourself with ambitious, high-performing women who open doors, share game-changing insights, and challenge you to level up.
Whether it’s advice that helps you nail a big project, the confidence boost to pitch to an investor, or a serendipitous intro to your next investor or your next role
Meet peers in similar roles
Ever felt like you’re figuring it out as you go? Ever wished you could see how others approached a similar problem? You are not alone.
You’ll be connected to a community of women in a similar role and career stage. This is your unfair advantage to swap strategies, sanity-check decisions, and get real talk from peers who’ve been there before.
Learn from industry leaders
The best career advice isn’t in a book—it comes from real conversations and hands-on practice with people who’ve been there.
From in-person hands-on workshops with startup experts, you’ll walk away with tactics you can apply immediately and fresh perspectives on your biggest challenges.
WHO IS STARTMATE COLLECTIVE FOR?
You are working in startups and tech
(or seeking your way in)
You are a venture-scale founder in the early days of your journey
(or curious about how to start)
9.3/10 FROM 125+ ALUMNI REVIEWS
What do you get?
We appreciate women in tech are some of the busiest people out there, so this initiative is high impact, low time commitment (~2-4h per month).
This highly selective, 12 month membership includes...
In-person masterclasses
- Capacity-building workshops tailored to you and your needs
- Past workshops include: commanding a room with confidence, having tough conversations, and influencing key stakeholders.
Peer advisory board sessions [monthly]
- 6-8 hand-picked peers based on professional experience and career stage
- Meet in real life to tap into their collective knowledge, work through challenges, get feedback on decision-making, and soundboard idea
Optional socials and catch-ups
- Connect 1-1 or with small groups around a shared interest, challenge, location, etc.
Access to our founder programs
- If you're a founder or thinking about it, we'll tap you into the best mentors, resources and program workshops
Past speakers and coaches
Proudly supported by
ESSENTIAL READS

In this spotlight series we are introducing the courageous, clever and powerful women in our Startmate Collective community. Let us introduce Mona Chiha! Mona is the founder of JurisTechne!

In this spotlight series we are introducing the courageous, clever and powerful women in our Startmate Collective community. Let us introduce Zoe Keck! Zoe is a Corportate Accountant at Canva!

In this spotlight series we are introducing the courageous, clever and powerful women in our Startmate Collective community. So let us introduce Rachel! Rachel is the Product Manager at pay.com.au.

In this spotlight series we are introducing the courageous, clever and powerful women in our Startmate Collective community. So, let us introduce Jessica Golder! Jessica is the Marketing Manager at Vivi!
Frequently asked questions
It's important that you feel safe to share the challenges you're facing and get the support you need. One of the Startmate Collective core values is confidentiality, and Chatham House Rules must be upheld by all members.
We believe you get out what you put in. Given the exclusive membership group size, we want participants who are ready to commit to their growth and are present to support their fellow Startmate Collective.
For this reason, attendance is mandatory for Workshops and Peer Advisory group sessions. Participants who miss more than one session may be withdrawn from the membership*, so please get in touch if you have concerns about your availability.
*except in extenuating circumstances
This isn’t the end of the world. We encourage a healthy work/play balance (and talk about it all the time in exec coaching!). It's fine to go overseas or take some holidays, just be sure to give your Peer group members/Coach a heads up. Your membership will keep rolling during this time.
However, we prefer participants are not absent for months at a time or miss more than a session or two.
Note that we also put all sessions on pause for the end of year & Easter/ ANZAC holiday periods!
There are a couple of different types of mentoring/support women will receive through Startmate Collective.
Firstly, there’s peer mentoring. We group the intake into 'peer advisory groups' based on similar career stage. These groups are where women can work through professional challenges, soundboard ideas, and get feedback from other Startmate Collective who are facing similar challenges.
Secondly, there are in-person 'level ups', where we bring in an expert to lead a workshop on something Startmate Collective request more support with. Some examples of past sessions include ‘asserting influence through storytelling’ with Arabella Macpherson, ‘presence and body language’ with Lucy Allen, ‘having difficult conversations’ with May Samali, etc.
The membership is part virtual, part in-person.
In-person components (mandatory):
- Workshops --> occur ~monthly
- Peer Advisory groups --> occur ~monthly. Note: we highly recommend that these are in-person. But we know that life and work schedules can get in the way, so if in-person isn’t possible on month, then virtual is a good backup. Also note: these groups are scheduled by peers (not us) to allow maximal flexibility in available times
Virtual components:
- Keynote speaker sessions --> occur ~monthly and are optional
- Role Advisory sessions --> occur ~quarterly and are optional
Note: due to confidentiality and the need to create a safe space for candid conversations, virtual sessions will not be distributed publicly.