La Trobe LaunchPad
Launching the Next Generation of Founders
LaunchPad is La Trobe University’s 12-week Pre-Accelerator Program for emerging and aspiring founders with technology-led startup ideas and the ambition to turn them into scalable ventures.
Over 12 dynamic weeks, LaunchPad offers:
- 8 weeks, powered by Startmate, focused on foundational sessions to help early-stage founders validate a problem, identify first customers, develop and test an MVP and kickstart their founder journey. This includes the opportunity to be selected to pitch at Startmate Pitch Night
- 4 weeks, delivered by La Trobe University, to support participants in maintaining momentum towards business model testing, company and team formation and initial venture launch.
LaunchPad is the program for high potential emerging and aspiring founders seeking to uplift their readiness and entrepreneurial capital: building their mindset, toolkit and connections, as well as help convert entrepreneurial intention into true venture creation.
Whether an undergraduate with a bold idea or a PhD student looking to commercialise research ready to take the leap - this is your chance to accelerate your startup journey.
Applications are now open until Thursday 7 August 2025, for a September commencement.
LaunchPad will also be running two intakes per year in 2026 and 2027.
LaunchPad is made possible with funding from LaunchVic, Victoria’s startup agency
Program details
Session content and timing
Week 1
Startmate: Identifying a Problem & Customer Interviews (online)
Week 2
Startmate: Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Development (online)
Week 3
Startmate: Get your First Customers (online)
Week 4
Startmate: Think Bigger & Get Investment (online)
Week 5
Startmate: Make Progress & Build Your Pitch (online)
Week 6
Startmate: Nailing your Pitch (online)
Week 7
Startmate: Practice your Pitch (online)
Week 8
Startmate: Building a Successful Start Up (online)
Startmate Pitch Night
Pitching event for all participants (in-person, online)
Opportunity to apply to pitch
Week 9
La Trobe Masterclass: Business Models that Scale (in-person, online)
Week 10
La Trobe Masterclass: Building Teams that Thrive (in-person, online)
Week 11
La Trobe Masterclass: Building Company Foundations (in-person, online)
Week 12
La Trobe Masterclass: Building Network Capital (in-person, online)
Additional Information
- Virtual squad meetings/founder mixers
- Dedicated external squad leader from industry/scaled venture
- Expert professional service clinics in Legal, IP, Finance and Company Formation
- Access to co-working spaces and infrastructure
- 1:1 mentoring
- Access to Startmate Resource Library and La Trobe University Entrepreneurship ecosystem
- Program Start: Monday 8 September 2025
- Program Finish: Friday 28 November 2025
The LaunchPad program costs $100 AUD per participant, with the remainder of the fee subsidised by LaunchVic.
Participants must be a current La Trobe University Student from any campus (including online), discipline or level of study and La Trobe Alumni based in Victoria.
The upcoming September 2025 cohort has 15 positions available
Application Process
Applications close Thursday 7th August 2025. Application requires a video submission, full details are available via the Apply now button.
Successful applicants will be notified of an program offer by Friday 15 August. Applicants must accept offer and pay the required fee by Monday 25 August 2025.
Snapshot
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.
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.
More information
For any queries, please email: accelerator@latrobe.edu.au and one of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Team will get back to you.
