New funding to support the next generation of tech talent

LaunchVic is again partnering with Startmate to launch the careers of the next generation of tech talent. 

 A $300,000 grant over two years will see at least 320 Victorian students complete the Startmate Student Fellowship, a three-week intensive designed to give students the confidence, connections and skills they need to launch their own startup and gain a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem.  

 The program offers university students a peek behind the scenes of what it’s like to work at a startup and life-long access to Startmate’s community.  

 It culminates in the ‘Founder’s Challenge’ where students work on solving a problem they are passionate about and pitch their startup idea to top VCs in ANZ.  

Startmate CEO Michael Batko said a lack of clear or compelling pathways into tech for young people sees many of our most talented and ambitious students lost to corporate life.  

“The #1 barrier identified to moving into tech jobs or founding a startup is the lack of awareness about what tech jobs exist and simply not knowing where to get started,” he said.  

“Instead of the best and brightest students following traditional entry-level career opportunities in corporates, the Student Fellowship will enable students to pursue their most ambitious startup ideas now.” 

“By surrounding students with the right community to support them, we will empower them to raise their ambitions faster and higher than they could have ever done alone, and dramatically increase their chance of success. This will strengthen, develop and grow the startup community and foster the next generation of founders.” 

363 Victorian students have been through the Student Fellowship to date, and more than 160 have gone on to either work at a startup or found one of their own.  

One recent success story is Kai Van Lieshout and Linus Talacko, second and third year university students who met during the Summer 23 program. The duo have since founded Lyrebird Health, Australia’s first and most widely used AI assistant for allied healthcare practitioners. Read more about their story here.   

Applications for the Student Fellowship are open for Summer 2024.  

Apply for early acceptance by October 29.