Support for entrepreneurs at UTS

At least one founding member on your team who is a current or past UTS student, UTS College student, or UTS staff member. Your startup idea must plan to use technology to address a large market quickly. 

To join UTS Startups you must have either completed the Rapid Value Creation program, OR you must meet one of the following direct entry criteria.

• you have over $1,000/month in sales for a minimum of 3 months
• you have 2 letters of intent from customers to pay $1,000
• you have over 5,000 active monthly users
• you have previously operated a businesses earning $1,000/month for over 6 months.
• you have over $5,000 secured from an investor or invested from your own cash investment
• you have completed a formal degree in entrepreneurship
• you have won an award from a recognised startup-supporting institution
• you have 2 letters of support from experienced entrepreneurs

You can join at any stage of your startup – from an idea through to a mature business. 

Over 47% of UTS Startups are generating revenue.

UTS Startups is a community that inspires others and supports each other. All members are encouraged to give back to the community, and this is a monthly requirement for alumni-launched startups.

Our members are expected to be an active part of our community and commit to progressing their startup. This includes attending an induction, monthly check-ins a.k.a. mentoring sessions, attending community events, using our spaces to collaborate and work on their startup and sharing progress updates.

We are also a give-back community, so there are a range of opportunities for members to contribute through things like organising Cultural Lunch and other community social events, sharing expertise through Lunch & Learns, having a coffee with a new member, and connecting a member to someone in their network who can support them with their next steps.

We have two buildings of collaboration spaces exclusive to our members, so we respect our spaces by keeping them clean, tidy and functional, and respect the people in them. 

Nothing, our support and your membership within the community is free, and we don’t ask for any ownership or equity in the companies we support.

We will prioritise supporting current students, and alumni startups may need to wait to join, or be asked to move on, when our capacity is stretched. UTS Startups is working to inspire and support technology-enabled entrepreneurs, and we ask all of our members to do the same.

For alumni-launched startups, a monthly give-back is a requirement of joining. Opportunities for giving back to the community will be discussed with applicants prior to joining. 

The short answer is yes!

Many founders meet their co-founders while already members of UTS Startups. We also run events to help connect startups with co-founders and other team members if you decide to grow your team.

You can decide how much time to dedicate to your startup.  

Some of our startups work casually on their idea, increasing time when available, and decreasing during busy periods like exams. Others are working full-time on their startup. 

There are full-time desks and casual hotdesks available in our collaboration spaces.  

Get started on your application here.

Student-launched startup applications are approved on a regular basis. If there are any issues with your application, a member of the UTS Startups team will be in touch. 

Alumni-launched startup applications will be added to a waitlist. When capacity for new members becomes available, a member of the UTS Startups team will be in touch to discuss your application and the give-back model required for alumni members.

Once your application is approved, you will be contacted by our Startup Support Manager to be onboarded to the community.