A place where possibility takes flight

At Macquarie University, we believe that innovation is the doorway to a better world — and entrepreneurship is the key that unlocks it.


MQi Demo Day 2023

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Our multi-award winning Incubator is a thriving nexus for students, researchers, staff and the broader startup and intrapreneur community to explore, develop and scale their ideas, with infinite potential for real-world impact.

Supporting you

It is the beating heart of a University-wide model of spaces and programs designed to stimulate entrepreneurial thought and action.

Consciously cultivated by our team of experienced professionals with a genuine passion for what they do, our community is deeply engaged and profoundly collaborative.

Sector diversity

MQ Incubator supports companies in a broad range of fields.

Industries


Recent highlights

  • Gender diversity: 31% of our startups have at least one female founder
  • Jobs and wages: Incubator startups paid out over $4M in wages, employed over 201 people, and created 36 new jobs in 2023
  • Research collaboration: 11 of our startups have collaborated with Macquarie University Researchers in 2023

The Incubator difference

It takes a collaborative effort — and a special environment — to challenge the status quo. In a vibrant and accessible space where expertise and ideas flow freely, our resident members gain the confidence and support they need to establish and scale, in a safe atmosphere where true growth arises from sharing the wins, lessons and challenges.

Our bespoke education programs are delivered by industry experts at the leading edge of their fields, with a powerful network of mentors and investors standing by to help you to the next level.

This energetic, high-value ecosystem is continuously activated by a program of diverse and engaging events that connect and inspire.

With support from the NSW Treasury’s Boosting Business Innovation Program and visionary philanthropic donors ready to back tomorrow’s innovators and changemakers, we’re nurturing the people and ideas that will define and reshape tomorrow.

We all know the adage “it takes a village to raise a child”, well to raise a world-class startup it needs a supportive, well connected nation.

We are proud to be a part of Australia’s network of public universities and research institutions including CSIRO and ANSTO that help take our nation's ideas, and discoveries to the world.

  • We host regular events that are open to all – to keep up to date with what's happening at the Incubator, sign up for our newsletter!
  • Have a deep and diverse mentoring program encompassing mentors from around the country and internationally. Interested in joining? Fill out our mentor application form!
  • Work closely with NSW State and Federal Government to deliver our programs to Australian startups/scaleups and innovators with an 'open to all' model.
  • For our country to maintain prosperity, we need to be able to innovate and develop new, globally competitive products and services.*
  • Shifting our focus from a carbon economy to a digital economy.
  • 50% of economic growth in OECD countries is from new business innovation. *
  • Innovation is also critical to a region’s productivity, economic growth and living standards, and strategies to boost innovation are essential for long-term sustainable growth. **
  • At MQ Incubator we are curating a bridge between startups - who are experts at leveraging opportunities for new business creation - with our researchers — who's discoveries underpin deep tech innovation.

Source:
* Let’s Collaborate: SMEs using research to drive innovation, NSW Innovation and Productivity Council 2020
** Clark, G., Moonen, T., & Nunley, J. (2018). The Innovation Economy: Implications and Imperatives for States and Regions. NSW Innovation and
Productivity Council, Sydney.

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