Startup Educate Program

The validate masterclasses focus on creative thinking and lean business methodology, with a customer centric approach at its core. Its aim is to help participants assess & critically determine the commercialisation potential of their ideas.

The articulate masterclasses are all about developing the skills to tell your story in a succinct and compelling way to create an authentic connection with your audience.

The market masterclasses aim to provide founders and innovators with enough understanding of branding, marketing, sales and digital platforms to launch their MVP.

The structure masterclasses focus on getting business structure in place and ready for growth from the start. It aims to help participants understand corporate governance, what they need in place when raising capital and managing IP.

The fund masterclasses are all about investors and investment. Focusing on what are the different types of investors and investment options for what stage, how to find and approach investors, and how to negotiate to secure the best deal.

Yes – you need to be actively working on an idea to apply at The Incubator BUT you don’t have to have the problem solved. We’re open to anyone working on a problem from very early stage to scaling startups.

Absolutely!

Cost: Memberships start at $300 + GST per membership per month

This monthly membership fee includes:

• access to the Educate program, with 40+ hours of content (in person, online and recordings available)
• your own workspace in The Incubator, with 24/7 access to our award-winning timber building on campus
• access to work spaces including offices and boardroom, meeting rooms, event space, wi-fi, kitchens and amenities
• we also offer spaces such as secure offices and laboratory space at our DeepTech Incubator at additional costs. Want to know more? reach out to the team on incubator@mq.edu.au.
• On-demand introductions to mentors and industry experts
• connections to Macquarie University research and student networks
• a community of like-minded entrepreneurs
• support from our dedicated Incubator team
• opportunities to host interns through the Macquarie PACE program
• valuable connections to university commercialisation experts, researchers and students
• access to hours of content and rich resources on our members-only intranet
• a calendar of exciting networking, educational and industry engagement events, socials and more (in person and online).

Our startups estimate the value of this membership around $100,000++ PA.

To be part of this program you need to be actively working on your startup idea both in and out of class time. The Educate program runs on Thursday mornings (and some Tuesdays) for one to two hours and attendance is expected either in person or online. That said, many founders complete the program alongside studies or full-time work. We believe you get as much out of the program as you put in so make sure you’re applying at a realistic time for you.

While the opportunities for joining in person are rich and allow you to better connect with expert trainers, colleagues and mentors, we recognise this isn’t always realistic. We live stream all of our sessions so you can join from wherever you are.

While we won’t send you a shortlist of potential cofounders, we love a warm lead at Macquarie. There is no better place to meet a rich network of likeminded people, who will likely introduce you to whoever you need in that particular season! We will also promote events across the Sydney ecosystem that you can attend to potentially find a co-founder.

Our motto is that we teach you to fish, but we won’t fish for you. We provide education in all the skills you will need to pitch to and negotiate with investors. We won’t find investors for you, this is your job. An investor needs to be the right fit for your company, and we want you to do this due diligence on investors to ensure you are happy with the relationship. We do create opportunities for investors to have visibility of your startup, such as through our demo day, our Pitch Final and our newsletters, where we share startup updates to a network of over 4000 readers.

The short answer – no. Companies working out of The Incubator create their own IP and work independently from the University. For researchers looking to commercialise whilst staying on the university campus the incubator provides separation between your research work and your commercialisation activities.

Applicants are required to submit an application form outlining their startup idea, team, and goals. Selected applicants will be invited for an interview before the final cohort is chosen. Applications are welcome at all times, however we will place you in the best cohort depending on the timing of when an application is successful.

The program is open to Macquarie University students, alumni, staff, and the broader community. Both individuals and teams with an innovative startup idea are encouraged to apply.

Participants will have access to a network of experienced mentors and advisors from various industries. These professionals provide guidance, support, and valuable insights to help accelerate your startup's growth.

By the end of the 20 weeks, participants will have:

• a validated business model
• a go-to-market strategy
• a polished pitch deck
• the opportunity to present their startup at a Demo Day or Pitch Final to potential investors and partners
• a rich network
• IP strategy
• understanding of corporate governance and company structuring
• and so much more!

Incubator members have access to:

• fully furnished co-working office spaces at the Macquarie University Incubator – including desks, chairs and storage allocation
• bookable meeting rooms for internal and external meetings
• event space hiring options
• staff parking rates
• office facilities such as University-wide Wi-Fi, printing, on demand ICT and AV support
• opportunities to host interns through the Macquarie PACE program
• access to university libraries, journal subscriptions, software such as Mathworks, AWS, Notion, iStock Images and more
• staff rates at the extensive Macquarie University sports precinct (2 pools, gyms, tennis courts and a comprehensive class program!)
• discounted on-campus childcare and vacation care
• on-campus medical services including pharmacy, general practice clinic, medical imaging services, Douglass Hanly
• Moir Pathology and physiotherapy are available through Macquarie University Hospital which is located on campus.

We have relationships with some of these providers that startups can access after three months of membership with MQ Incubator. The access will only be given to startups that are actively participating in the MQ Incubator community in the way we expect.

No problems! Send us an email at incubator@mq.edu.au.