UniMelb StartUp

Visit http://fbe.unimelb.edu.au/students/competitions/unimelb-startup  for more information!

Overview

Pitch your online business idea to a panel of Australia's most prominent Angel Investors and Industry Experts for feedback and prizes at the annual Unimelb StartUp Pitch Competition. The competition is run by internet marketing and social media expert Dr Brent Coker and participants are encouraged to enrol in MKTG90017 Internet Marketing.

Who can apply?

All University of Melbourne students are eligible to participate. Each team must have at least one team member enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Business and Economics. Teams must present an original idea for a company that has not been in existence prior to 2015 and must not be currently backed by incubators, existing companies or venture capitalists.

How do I apply?

Teams must apply online via the link below. The application survey requires you to upload a two page business proposal, which will be used for shortlisting applicants for the preliminary round.

Please refer to the Competition Guidelines for information on what you will need to prepare in advance to apply.

Application dates

Applications open 27th Jul 2015 and close 30th Aug 2015.

Apply online

Selection process

The competition has three phases:

  1. All teams submit a business proposal to sell a product or service using the internet as a core part of their offering.
  2. Twelve teams are shortlisted to appear in the preliminary round, where they present a pitch to judges.
  3. The top five teams are invited to present at the competition final to a panel of Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists.

Judges will evaluate each team on the following:

  • Market Need or Market Problem
  • Solution
  • Competitive Advantage
  • Innovativeness
  • Monetization Strategy

Please refer to the Competition Guidelines for further information.

Important dates

  • Applications Open: Monday, 27 July to Sunday, 30 August
  • Meet n Greet (Launch): Thursday, 13 August
  • Review of Applications: Monday, 31 August to Sunday, 13 September
  • Preliminary Round: Monday, 21 September to Thursday, 24 September
  • Finals: Thursday, 15 October

Meet n Greet (Launch) Event

The Unimelb Startup '15 competition officially launches on:

Date: Thursday, 13 August
Time: 5.30 - 8.00pm
Venue: The Castle Hotel (Upstairs Function Room), 56 Courtney Street, North Melbourne.
Registrations essential by 10 August: Meet n Greet RSVP Form

The objective of this event is to bring together talented students from across the University to meet and potentially form well-rounded, multi-disciplinary groups which will contribute to the ongoing success of your business idea!

Complimentary drinks and canapes will be served at this event.

Preliminary Rounds and Final

Preliminary rounds will commence in Week 9. Teams will have 10 minutes to pitch their idea, followed by 5 minutes of questions from the judges, and feedback. The top 5 teams will then be invited to the final on Thursday, 16 October to present their proposed venture to a panel of judges.

Prizes

A total of up to $10,000 seed funding.