La Trobe LaunchPad

On top of an already powerful program, unlock a suite of extra benefits designed to boost your entrepreneurial momentum.

• Exclusive invites to startup ecosystem and industry events
• Dedicated squad leader for accountability groups
• Peer-to-peer accountability groups
• Six month access to a co-working space at the Eagleworks Innovation Centre on the La Trobe Melbourne Campus (Bundoora)
• 60‑minute one‑to‑one mentoring session with an industry expert
  For reference, previous mentors have included Dr Cerasela Tanasescu, Director, La Trobe Entrepreneurship; Prof Alex Maritz, Professor of Entrepreneurship, La Trobe Business School; Jasmin Chia, Founder, The Marketing Essentialist; Thien Trinh, CEO, STRYDA.
• Access to Startmate Resource Library and the La Trobe University Entrepreneurship ecosystem
• Access to the Ignite Innovation Community platform with expert professional service clinics in legal, IP, finance, and company formation.

LaunchPad is Victoria's premier pre-accelerator program for technology-led startups. It's a 12-week intensive program that transforms entrepreneurial ideas into venture creation, delivered by La Trobe University and Startmate with funding from LaunchVic.

LaunchPad offers two intakes annually, in March and August.

The next intake is August 2026, and is scheduled to commence on 31 August.

Yes. You'll earn an accredited microcredential equivalent to 15 credit points at AQF Level 9.

Yes! LaunchPad participants can compete   for $5,000 in prizes at our end‑of‑program pitch day, LaunchPad Lift‑Off.

Not directly - but that’s a good thing. We’ll place you in the stream that best aligns with your startup’s stage and needs, based on your application. This ensures you get the most relevant support, whether that’s fast‑paced acceleration or structured idea development.

Yes. Both streams come together each week for accountability check‑ins and unite in Weeks 9 to 12 to focus on business model design, company formation, and investor pitch development.

Examples include Software as a Service (SaaS) products - software that’s delivered online (usually through a subscription) rather than installed on a device, hardware solutions, AI‑powered tools, and tech‑enabled services. An example is past LaunchPad participant, Binstalk. Explore Binstalk!

Keep in mind that the current intake is focused on ideas connected to care‑economy innovation, so submissions should align with that theme.

Very competitive, only 50 places are available per intake.

The program is delivered in a hybrid format. Most sessions are held online, with key in-person events including:

• Kick-Off Day
• Pitch Mastery Clinic
• LaunchPad Lift-Off (pitch day).

The Startmate and La Trobe Discovery streams have different approximate time commitments across the 12‑week program.

• Stream One - Startmate: Involves roughly 25 hours over eight weeks, plus optional additional activities
• Stream Two - La Trobe Discovery: Requires approximately four hours per week.

An 80 per cent program attendance rate is required. Please note that both streams (Startmate and La Trobe Discovery) have specific sessions and program feedback that must be attended/completed in order to obtain the microcredential and to be eligible to participate in pitching activities.

Yes. coursework includes:

• Survey feedback at designated points throughout the program
• Weekly accountability check-ins
• Three assignments
• Milestone deliverables specific to your stream
• Final pitch presentation.

Yes. Your team can participate in LaunchPad; however, each team member will need to submit an individual application and pay the program fee separately.

If you choose to apply on your own, that is completely acceptable, but please note that your other startup team members will not be able to take part in the program modules or activities.

For more than 50 years, La Trobe University has been transforming people and societies. The University works collaboratively across disciplines and with partners to develop fresh ways of thinking and conducting research – constantly seeking new ways to engage with and better serve its partners and communities, to build relationships and develop solutions for the issues facing society. Along with holding its top 300 ranking in Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2025, La Trobe earned the prestigious ‘Most Improved – Oceania Award’ in the QS World University Rankings 2025, rising 183 places over the past five years to claim its new spot at 217 of the 1,500 universities evaluated. Read more about La Trobe here.

Located at the heart of La Trobe’s innovation ecosystem, the Eagleworks Innovation Centre on the Melbourne Campus (Bundoora) brings together researchers, industry partners, students and entrepreneurs to turn ideas into real-world impact. Explore Eagleworks.

Startmate was created in 2011 when there was latent creativity and potential in Australia, but no venture capital or accelerators to support it.

Niki Scevak (who would go on to found Blackbird Ventures) and a bunch of successful founders (including Mike and Scott from Atlassian) put their money where their mouths were. Everyone invested $10k into a micro-fund to invest in the next generation of early-stage founders, and started building a community of successful founders to support them. Nowadays, Startmate runs two Accelerator cohorts a year and have a world-class community of VCs, mentors and alumni who share our vision, all of whom invest their own time and money into each cohort. To date we have invested in 170+ startups.

Startmate challenge and support the ecosystem to think bigger. Their mission is to create a prosperous country as the world progresses.

LaunchVic is Victoria’s startup agency. Their role is to fuel the growth of Victoria’s startup ecosystem. They do this by building the confidence and capability of Victorians to create, scale and invest in startups. They were established by the Victorian Government in 2016.

LaunchVic is driving improvements in the startup investment landscape by developing the angel investor and early-stage venture capital markets in Victoria; supporting programs that build founder, investor, and talent capabilities; and continuing to drive awareness and advocate for startups.