The next generation of entrepreneurs has officially arrived at Cohort Innovation Space, with 11 student-led startups starting the NextGen Student Pre-Accelerator.
Delivered in partnership with Queensland Government and Griffith University, the programme gives university students and researchers the opportunity to turn early-stage ideas into real businesses, with access to workshops, industry mentors and the wider startup ecosystem.
The first session got straight into one of the biggest challenges facing any startup: how to fund an idea and turn it into a viable business.
The students took part in an in-depth funding workshop with Tim Walmsley, Founder of The Industry Platform, exploring the different avenues available to startups looking to fund their product or service.
The session covered everything from bootstrapping and grants through to angel investment and raising venture capital, giving the founders a better understanding of when each funding pathway might be appropriate and what investors are looking for.
With funding often being one of the biggest hurdles for early-stage founders, the workshop gave the students practical insights which was further supported by one-on-one mentoring sessions with Nathan Challen, Founder of Ascenda, and Peta Ellia, General Manager at Beaten Zone Venture Partners.
These sessions gave each startup the opportunity to put their ideas under the microscope, ask questions and receive direct feedback from experienced industry professionals.
For early-stage founders, having someone challenge your assumptions and pressure-test your idea can be just as valuable as having someone tell you what you’re doing right.
Meet the 11 startups
From AI and health to tourism, student life and community safety, this year’s cohort is tackling a diverse range of problems.
Flick
A quick-service app designed to help people get any job done.
Lume
A marketplace connecting customers with last-minute beauty and salon appointments at discounted prices.
EmberAxis Wildfire Intelligence
Transforms wildfire readiness from passive warning into property-level action through intelligent monitoring and targeted sprinkler defence, helping homeowners prepare and protect their properties before wildfire exposure becomes direct.
Desmodia
Privacy-first AI-generated media detection designed to run directly on-device.
Kookaburra
A campus app for Australian university students combining timetable planning, honest subject and course reviews, and an anonymous student community in one place.
Brain Mind Health
Developing brain supplements designed to support better wellbeing, from people recovering from trauma through to high-performing individuals.
RideMate
A smarter carpooling platform for Australia that matches drivers with empty seats to passengers travelling along the same route.
ArrivalShield
Helping international students verify Australian rental listings, job offers and requests for money or identity documents before they become victims of scams.
Rezi
A startup focused on developing ideas alongside people with industry experience and critical judgement to pressure-test concepts and gain honest feedback and direction.
Smart Planner Tourism
An AI-powered travel platform helping travellers create more personalised, sustainable and meaningful journeys while connecting them with trusted local businesses and community projects.
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See the next generation of startups in action
The first day is only the beginning.
Over the coming weeks, these 11 founders will continue developing and pressure-testing their ideas before taking the stage at the NextGen Student Pre-Accelerator Demo Night on Thursday 8 October, from 4pm–7pm.
It’s your chance to meet the founders, discover what they’ve been building and get an early look at some of the businesses emerging from the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Want to see what they build? Stay in the loop and be the first to hear about Demo Night details by subscribing to the Cohort Innovation Space newsletter.