The Startup Network

This week we ran out annual Female Founder Pitch Night, with La Trobe University 🚀 A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to support an amazing group of founders building ambitious ventures across AI, accessibility, sport, community, and pet-tech. It was fantastic to see such strong engagement from Melbourne’s startup ecosystem, with founders, investors, operators, mentors, and community leaders all coming together for an evening of connection and innovation. A massive congratulations to our founders: ✨ Sydney Bentley – Next Paws Innovations ✨ Evelyn Lopez Delon – SPEAK Studio ✨ Jane Korneyko – Sova ✨ Kim V. – Sports Buddy Australia And thank you to our fantastic judging panel for sharing their insights, feedback, and support with the founders: ✨ Olivia Rinato (PhD) 🤍 - Monash Generator ✨ Devini Goonetilleke - FinWhiz Pty Ltd ✨ Nichola Patterson - Billie Loans Special thanks as well to the teams and community members who helped bring the event together, including: Scott Harding, Annie Le Cavalier, Cerasela TANASESCU, Shannon Ryan, And of course, a big thanks to our MC & Board Member, Zoe Myers! 🎉 Events like this are a reminder of how much incredible talent is being built across the ecosystem, and how important it is to continue creating spaces where founders can connect, learn, and put themselves out there. Excited for the next Pitch Night on Impact in June 🔥 Lauren Morrey, 🌱 Judy Anderson-Firth, Anny Havercroft, Doug English 🙌

Join us tomorrow night for an inspiring evening of innovation, connection, and bold ideas at The Startup Network’s Female Founder Pitch Night, presented in collaboration with La Trobe University 🚀 This special Pitch Night brings together founders, investors, operators, and ecosystem leaders to support and celebrate women building ambitious ventures across a range of industries. Hear from four incredible founders as they pitch their startups, share their stories, and connect with the community. Featuring pitches from: ✨ Sydney Bentley – Founder & CEO, Next Paws Innovations ✨ Evelyn Lopez Delon – Creator, SPEAK Studio ✨ Jane Korneyko – Founder, Sova ✨ Kim V. – Co-Founder, Sports Buddy Australia Along with a panel of expert judges: ✨ Olivia Rinato (PhD) 🤍 - Entreprenurship Education Manager, Monash Generator ✨ Devini Goonetilleke - Founder & CEO, FinWhiz Pty Ltd ✨ Nichola Patterson - Co-Founder & CEO, Billie Loans Whether you’re a founder yourself, looking to meet great people in the ecosystem, or simply curious about what’s being built across Melbourne’s startup community, we’d love to see you there. 🎟️ Final tickets available now! https://lnkd.in/gdtcwE44 Scott Harding Cerasela TANASESCU Shannon Ryan Lauren Morrey Zoe Myers 🌱 Judy Anderson-Firth Anny Havercroft Doug English

Join us for an evening of innovation and connection at The Startup Network’s Female Founder Pitch Night, happening on Tuesday, 19 May 2026 at the Digital Innovation Hub, La Trobe University – Bundoora. 🎤 Apply now to pitch your startup: https://lnkd.in/gbn_nXHj This event supports women, trans, and gender diverse founders, spotlighting bold ideas and solutions to real-world challenges. On the night: ✨ Hear from four early-stage founders ✨ Connect with investors, founders, and operators ✨ Vote for your favourite pitch Be part of a community shaping a more inclusive and innovative future. Not pitching? 🎟️Secure your ticket to attend: https://lnkd.in/gmxBuPBu #StartupEvents #FemaleFounders #PitchNight #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #StartupCommunity

This week we hosted our annual AI & Deep-Tech Pitch Night in collaboration with La Trobe University, at The Commons QV. It was great to have a sold-out room full of builders, operators, and people backing early-stage founders. 🎤 On the night, we heard from four founders pushing the edge of what’s possible: - Kailash Kumar Vinu, Actimo Labs - Annette A., aXai Pty Ltd - Dominic Lindsay, Nexobot Pty Ltd - Dilip Jacob, PitchBerry AI Huge congratulations to Dominic Lindsay from Nexobot Pty Ltd for winning both the Judges Award and the People’s Choice award 👏 And a huge thanks to our judges: - Dr Jane Leong - Director, Development, Australian Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Innovation (ACAMI) - Kanva Patel - Investment Analyst, Breakthrough Victoria - Dr. Michelle Chen, PhD - Founder, Mental Jam Next month, we have our annual Female Founders Pitch Night at La Trobe University Bundoora, with applications still open to pitch! (link in the comments 👇) A big thank you to the team at La Trobe University for helping to bring this event to life 👏 Scott Harding Shannon Ryan Cerasela TANASESCU Annie Le Cavalier See you at the next one! Lauren Morrey 🌱 Judy Anderson-Firth Doug English Anny Havercroft Zoe Myers Purvang Dave

We’re excited to share the incredible lineup for Female Founder Frontiers: From Ideas to Impact 👇 In partnership with La Trobe University, this event brings together an outstanding group of founders, operators, and investors to explore what it really takes to build and grow a startup. From impostor syndrome to funding, AI, and finding the right people, this is a full day of honest, practical conversations led by those doing the work. 🎤 Meet the speakers: MC: Annie Le Cavalier, La Trobe Industry Beating Impostor Syndrome Host: Tinaika Pereira, La Trobe Industry & LTU Alumni 🎉 Sonia Kaurah, Tala Thrive & LTU Alumni 🎉 Nikki Tugano, MAPPCP, SeenCulture The Startup Truth — What Building Really Demands Host: Thao Tran, Ditox & LTU Alumni 🎉 Lesley Cheng, Excelligent 🎉 Frances Goh, One Roof Profit vs Passion — Is This a Business? 🎉 Hollie Prescott, HerHQ Funding Your Startup — Bootstrap, Debt or VC? Host: Lauren Morrey, Breakthrough Victoria & The Startup Network 🎉 Devini Goonetilleke, FinWhiz & LTU Alumni 🎉 Liz van Zyl, Tractor Ventures 🎉 Leila Oliveira, Antler 🎉 Samar Mcheileh, Scale Investors Pty Ltd Building a Moat in the Age of AI Host: Patricia Haueiss, LTU AI Institute 🎉 Jemimah Ashleigh, The Visibility Lab & LTU Alumni 🎉 Jane Korneyko, Sova Finding Your People — Co-founders, Mentors & Support Systems Host: Sara Singh Tak⚡️, Humans of Australia 🎉 Megan Luttrell, Aussie Founders Club 🎉 Zoe Myers, MYOB & The Startup Network Fail Forward — Pivots, Setbacks & Starting Over Host: Maria Baker✌🏽, Nobody’s Princess 🎉 Olivia Rinato (PhD), Black to Light 🎉 Judy Anderson-Firth, Euphemia & The Startup Network 🚀 This is more than just an event, it’s a space for founders to connect, learn, and take their next step. 🎟️ Join us: https://lnkd.in/gpiv_q59 Big thanks to La Trobe University for partnering with us to support the next generation of founders. #FemaleFounders #StartupCommunity #MelbourneStartups #FounderJourney #WomenInBusiness #StartupsAustralia Anny Havercroft Doug English Scott Harding Shannon Ryan Cerasela TANASESCU

Join us for an exciting evening of innovation and connection at The Startup Network’s AI & Deep-Tech Pitch Night, in collaboration with La Trobe University, happening on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 at The Commons QV 🚀 This signature event brings together investors, founders, and industry leaders to explore groundbreaking ideas shaping the future. Witness four standout early-stage founders pitch transformative solutions to global challenges, connect with a vibrant startup ecosystem, and be part of the conversation driving change. Featuring pitches from: ✨ Kailash Kumar Vinu (Actimo Labs) ✨ Annette A. (aXai Pty Ltd) ✨ Dominic Lindsay (Nexobot Pty Ltd) ✨ Dilip Jacob (PitchBerry AI) Don’t miss your chance to experience innovation firsthand, expand your network, and support the next wave of AI and deep-tech leaders. 🎟️Secure your spot today - tickets are limited: https://lnkd.in/gbxFyeHS #StartupEvents #PitchNight #AIStartups #DeepTech #Innovation #Founders #StartupCommunity #TechEvents #Networking #Entrepreneurship Scott Harding Lauren Morrey 🌱 Judy Anderson-Firth Zoe Myers Doug English Anny Havercroft

We’re excited to introduce one of the judges for our upcoming AI & Deep Tech Pitch Night 👇 Dr Jane Leong joins us from the Australian Centre for AI in Medical Innovation, where she leads strategy, operations and partnerships across government, industry, and the research ecosystem. With 25+ years across global pharmaceutical R&D, including leadership roles at Moderna, CSL Seqirus, and GSK, Jane brings deep expertise at the intersection of: • AI in healthcare • mRNA and advanced therapeutics • Public–private collaboration • Translating research into real-world impact With 25+ years across global pharmaceutical R&D, including leadership roles at Moderna, CSL Seqirus, and GSK, Jane brings deep expertise at the intersection of: • AI in healthcare • mRNA and advanced therapeutics • Public–private collaboration • Translating research into real-world impact Join us next Tuesday at The Commons QV for a lineup of founders pitching their startups live to a panel of experienced investors and operators, with a room full of Melbourne’s startup community. Expect: ⚡ Live startup pitches 🎤 Expert judges and feedback 🤝 High-value networking across AI, deep tech, and research 🎟️ Tickets are limited: https://lnkd.in/gcJAgkeh This event is in collaboration with La Trobe University. Scott Harding Cerasela TANASESCU Shannon Ryan Annie Le Cavalier Lauren Morrey 🌱 Judy Anderson-Firth Doug English Zoe Myers Anny Havercroft

CLOSING TODAY - DON'T MISS OUT! Applications for Melbourne Migrapreneurs 2026 are closing today. This program delivered by Catalysr - Accelerator for Migrants & Refugees in collaboration with Arctic 90, hosted by Stone & Chalk and supported by the City of Melbourne is way more than just about launching a new startup... It is a great opportunity for you to: 🔹 Turn your lived experience into genuine innovation  🔹 Learn directly from experienced mentors who have done it before  🔹 Find a community of like-minded migrapreneurs, who get it and can support you on your journey If you have an idea, or even just the spark of an idea, this is your go-to program... Head to the Catalysr website to find out more!... https://catalysr.com.au/ 🌏 Usman Iftikhar Imtiaz Aziz Olivia Grandjean-Thomsen Sara Singh Tak⚡️ Caitlin Shepherd Alan Jones Andrew Davis Benjemen Elengovan Megan Luttrell 🤝 Paz Pisarski 🏵 Deepak Singh Robert Gallup Liz van Zyl Desmond John

This week we hosted our Founder Connect, 'From Discovery to Delivery: Real Pathways from Lab to Market' with CSIRO’s ON Program at The Commons QV. We brought together researchers, founders, investors, and operators from across Melbourne’s deep tech ecosystem to explore one core question: how do you actually move from lab to market in Australia? The honest answer from the panel was that there’s no single pathway, there are many. From spin-outs and startup formation, to industry partnerships, licensing, and hybrid models, the discussion reinforced that commercialisation is rarely linear, and often looks different depending on the technology, timing, and team. A huge thank you to our panellists: • Grace Bird (Main Sequence) • Kristy Battista (Jupiter Ionics) • Dr Megan Sebben (CSIRO) • Robert Scholten (MOGLabs) And to everyone who joined, especially the CSIRO ON alumni who took part in the rapid pitches, always one of the most energising parts of the night. Grateful to help facilitate these conversations and connect more of the research and startup communities in one room. And a huge thanks to Eike Zeller for making it happen 🎉 Looking forward to the next one. #FounderConnect #DeepTech #Startups #Innovation #CSIRO #AustraliaStartups #ResearchCommercialisation Lauren Morrey Anny Havercroft Doug English 🌱 Judy Anderson-Firth Zoe Myers