Student Founder Bootcamp
Wtf is a startup anyway? Two days and a night, in person, to find out. Form a team, take an idea from scratch to a first product, and pitch it to Startmate's investment team. No prior experience needed.
Applications reopening soon
Sydney
March 2027
Melbourne
March 2027
Applications Open
November 2026
Cost
$200 incl. GST
Startmate student founders have gone on to found
Max Marchione
Superpower
built the world's first health super-app to turn preventative, personalised medicine into an everyday consumer product, raised a US$30M at US$300M.
Kai Van Lieshout
Lyrebird Health
founded an AI medical scribe during Startmate's Bootcamp, now used in 60+ hospitals across four countries, raised A$12M at A$50M.
Ishita Gupta
steadyself
founded and exited SteadySelf, was founding engineer at Kinso, and is researching quantum computing at Harvard.
Linus Talacko
Den
co-founded Lyrebird at 19 and scaled it past 50 people, then exited to go through Y Combinator building an AI workspace, before raising from Blackbird.
What you'll do
Two days in person, in Sydney or Melbourne. You'll go from wondering what a startup even is to a team, an idea, a first version of a product, and a pitch in front of Startmate's investment team.
01
A crash course in entrepreneurship. Hear from speakers who have done it, and learn the whole process of building a startup – from ideation, to validation, to pitching investors.
02
Form a team, come up with an idea, speak to customers and build the first version of a product. We'll teach you how to hold investors' attention and communicate your vision clearly.
03
At the end of the Bootcamp you pitch. Top teams get a fast-tracked path to the Accelerator and its $120k investment, through an interview.
“Alongside the insane connections, product building and information sessions, being able to connect with the best of the startup community and hear from people who have made it has made this experience invaluable.”
Michael Parks · Winter 25 cohort
What we believe
Startups aren't just for business majors or tech geniuses. They're for anyone who sees a problem and thinks: I could fix that.
63%
of students founded a company and pitched it during the Bootcamp
Why do it
Meet potential co-founders, develop an idea together, validate it with real customers and build the first version of a product. To top it off, you'll pitch to Startmate's investment team. Who knows – you might even walk away with investment. Just ask Lyrebird.
Best part? No prior experience needed.
Founders who submit an idea after the Bootcamp have it reviewed by the Investment Team. Top submissions are offered an interview for a $120k investment.
Learn directly from experienced founders, operators and investors as they break down core startup fundamentals – from coming up with ideas and validating them, to building an MVP and pitching.
Get hands-on startup experience taking an idea, turning it into a product and pitching it to Startmate.
Meet other driven students and join the best startup community in ANZ.
Top founders from the Bootcamp get an interview with the Investments team for a $120k investment!
Who it's for
It's a common misconception that you have to be technically minded to found a startup. Whether you're studying arts, engineering, music, science, law, business or anything in between, the Bootcamp helps you work out whether a career in startups fits.
If the idea of a slow corporate death makes you shudder, and you're hungry, driven and daring enough to try something different, this is for you. No generic internships.
Whether you want to build something one day or today, this gives you hands-on experience starting from scratch.
Hear directly from founders, operators and investors from ANZ's top startups.
All university students are welcome to apply, regardless of age, race, disability, cultural background, gender or sexuality.
Past speakers
Founders, operators and investors from ANZ's top startups run the sessions, sit in on the work and give feedback on your pitch.
Kate Herbert
Founder @ Waggly Club
Hamish McKay
Co-Founder & CEO @ OrderEditing.com
Mitchell Hughes
Founding Partner @ NextGen Ventures
Alex Dam
Startup Market Lead @ Notion
Michelle Reeves
Founder @ Zipline AI
Jarrod Webb
Founder & CEO @ Blinq
Alex Naoumidis
Co-Founder @ Mindset Health
In their words
“The Student Founder Bootcamp taught me the most important lesson: ship early, learn fast. It gave me the framework to go from zero to my first paying customers, by getting real feedback instead of building in isolation.”
Gabriel Wong
Winter 25 cohort
“Overall Startmate has been an amazing experience for people wanting to learn more about the startup world! It's a great entry to learn about how to materialise your idea.”
Jennifer Soo
Winter 25 cohort
“Startmate's Student Founder Bootcamp is the perfect place to connect with like-minded individuals and bring your ideas to life!”
Jasmine Baldev Raj
Winter 25 cohort
“The opportunity to connect with others and dedicate time to something that you're jointly passionate about was one of the many highlights.”
Bronson Hill
Winter 25 cohort
“The Student Founder Bootcamp was an elite experience. You will gain insights from giants you won't get anywhere else. I would recommend this to any student who is serious about developing projects into a potential startup.”
Joshua Lara
Winter 25 cohort
“This program really opened my eyes to the startup world and helped me realise the opportunities out there.”
Riki Lethbridge
Winter 25 cohort
“I loved the 1:1 coaching sessions. These are highly skilled, knowledgeable people we otherwise wouldn't get to speak to. Having met them through Startmate, many have offered to keep supporting me in my entrepreneurial journey.”
Adam Choker
Winter 25 cohort
What comes next
Some students leave with a weekend they enjoyed. Some leave with a company. The route from one to the other is already built.
01
Two days in person. A team, an idea, a first product and a pitch.
02
Startmate's investment team reviews every idea submitted after the Bootcamp.
03
Some go all the way: $120k investment and a world-class mentor network. Lyrebird did.
Before you apply
Our student founders come from all backgrounds, experiences and walks of life. What they have in common:
· Tenacious, and willing to create their own opportunities
· Fast-moving, and comfortable in chaos and uncertainty
· Problem-solvers who love finding creative solutions
· Team players looking to make real connections
We're especially interested in you if you'd like to found a startup in the future, or now. All university students are welcome to apply.
Two days in person, with an overnight stay included in both cities. Sydney and Melbourne both run in March 2027.
In person, in Sydney and Melbourne.
$200 including GST. This includes accommodation, food, and an incredible experience.
Applications open in November 2026. We'll be in touch about the outcome shortly after they close.
The next cohort
Open to university students across Australia and New Zealand. Two days in person, in Sydney or Melbourne.