Participants accepted into the program will receive a tailored program of support designed to help early stage startup founders, plan and successfully execute their journey towards building a globally scalable and investment ready business.
Participants will also receive one-to-one mentoring from the ICC's Entrepreneur in Residence; Kirk Drage and his company LeapSheep.
The Space category, supported by the State Government's Space Innovation Fund, is the state's first program designed specifically for startups who are developing new services or products for the space industry. The program gives founders the support and tools they need to plan and successfully build a scalable and investment ready business.
The Social Enterprise category is supported by the Pank Family who support social innovation and enterprises developed by UniSA students or alumni. Through the Venture Catalyst program, the Pank Family have ensured that new ideas that come out of the University have the support and mentoring needed to set up a new and innovative social enterprise in South Australia.
The Innovation & Collaboration Centre's Venture Catalyst program has three categories for potential applicants. Our 30-second application assistance tool can help you find which category is right for you.
This one-of-a-kind program delivers tailored support and guidance working with a global pool of industry experts.
This category is an open industry category for ideas with a focus on technology.
This category focuses on socially enterprising ideas and startups by staff, students or alumni of UniSA.
Email us at iccadmin@unisa.edu.au and we will come back to you soon.
“Running Sport Tech Learn through UniSA’s Venture Catalyst Social Enterprise program at the Innovation & Collaboration Centre has allowed my business to grow and achieve our goal of changing the lives of children and their consideration of future careers in STEM. I was able to be connected with invaluable industry connections, fellow startups who understood my journey, and a detailed educational program that taught me the practical skills to elevate Sport Teach Learn to the next level of our startup. Anyone wanting to scale their social enterprise needs to head to the ICC as they provide help you won’t find anywhere else.”
Katie Gloede
Founder, Sport Tech Learn
“By being located in the ICC, we have had access to world-class mentors whom we meet with on a regular basis. We [were] also exposed to business leaders and potential clients through the range of ICC events and this expanded our network and possible client base.”
Noelle Smit
Co-Founder, Teamgage
“What began as a mix of hobby-development just over five years ago, has now turned into a full-time commercial venture. Apart from giving us the support and resources to focus on product development, access to the working space and resources has been immensely helpful for us pre-cash flow, which has been so valuable.”
Tim Simon
Co-founder, Studio Buddy
“The Venture Catalyst program has allowed us to progress our idea from an early stage project to a working prototype (an online mental health platform) that we’ve recently piloted in South Australia and Europe (including the Netherlands and United Kingdom). It helped us refine our offering and learn how to market it. We’re still using the Business Model Canvas from a workshop 12 months ago and pitching to a life panel helped us identify areas for improvement.”
Joseph Skewes
Co-Founder, Secure Nest
“Since winning Venture Catalyst, we have had massive exposure to the entire UniSA faculty, which has aided in getting advice from various departments. The ICC has provided us with advice on getting investor-ready as well as giving advice on when it is a good time to take on an investor.”
Lindon Lark
Co-Founder, Blend Etiquette
