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The home of entrepreneurship at UTS. Work with a startup, start your own, and access other entrepreneurial opportunities and events!

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(link in linktree) Applications are closing soon for the @deepgreen_hub Fellowship, which is a practical, industry-focused program supporting NSW startups and SMEs working in algae biotechnology.

This highly competitive Fellowship is designed to help teams take their algae innovations from concept to laboratory application. Selected teams will gain access to a PC1 laboratory at UTS, providing a hands-on technical space to develop, test, and validate their ideas. The program will run from the 23rd of November to the 5th of February, with a break between the 19th of December till the 11th of January.

To apply for the Fellowship, applicants must:
🌿 Be an algae startup or SME
📝 Submit a written proposal through our website
🧫 Have attended at least one Algae Masterclass or be a UTS Start-ups member

Green Light alumni and all Algae Masterclass attendees are eligible to apply.

Ready to take the next step with your algae innovation? Follow the link below to learn more about the Fellowship. E-mail Algaebiotech.hub@uts.edu.au with any questions. taken in UTS Startups by @utsstartups

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3 days ago

Playmakers Arcade @UTSStartups is coming up on Wednesday, October 14th from 5-9PM! Play or showcase games made in the Sydney games community and network in a spacious two-level venue! We provide monitors with HDMI cables, a standing TV, and free pizza!

You can grab a free ticket on our ActivateUTS page which is required as per venue security rules: https://www.activateuts.com.au/events/playmakers-arcade-11/

@uts_playmakers

#sydneygamesfest #sydneygamesfestival #gameshowcase #indiegames #indiegamedevْ by @utsstartups

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6 days ago

56 people. 14 projects. Two days.

The AI for Social Enterprise Hackathon ran over the last two days at UTS Startups as part of #SparkFestival 2026, co-hosted by Sourabh Jain from The Moreneta Initiative and John Wastnage from City Quokka.

Teams formed on Monday morning around problems brought by real organisations or their own, and pitched working prototypes on Tuesday afternoon.

The top 3:

🥇 LegaSeen : AI Interactive Storytelling Vault — turns hours of family footage into a chaptered, searchable archive, so a grandchild can find the ninety seconds that matter in about three seconds. Led by Gina May Diana.

🥈 CommVoice: AI for Community Engagement — AI agents that explain new government decisions, planning proposals and legislation in plain English and in multiple languages, as a first step before people engage with staff. Led by Lynn Zhou.

🥉 Recheck Radar — finds new takers for Recheck.au's platform and makes them findable, including search by everyday wording and by image. Led by Burhanuddin Khambati

Thank you to the organisations who brought real problems: Leah Thurecht at Recheck.au, Ledia Andrawes, and Sanchana S from Social Ventures Australia. Every team that built on one had a better starting point for it.

Thank you to our judges — Nandeeta Maharaj, Ramana K., James Hornitzky and Eva Sheluhina — who scored 14 submissions on problem validation, solution quality, impact reasoning and sustainability.

To our mentors — Diane, Juliette, Ash, sohum, Brian, Bobby, Jo, Martina, Joey, Stuart, Jordan — who guided and encouraged the teams: thank you.

And to the sponsors and partners who made it possible: UTS Startups, Social Impact Hub, ElevenLabs, Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT (SECNA), Goods 4 Good - Social Trader Certified, Lovable, Base44, Red Bull, HackHQ and Spark Foundation.

Finally, thank you to all the participants. We hope you had a great time, made friends and learnt something along the way. Our aim was to help people learn and be inspired to use AI for good and we'd love for you to share your experience and feedback with us!

#AIforGood #SocialEnterprise #Hackathon #Spark taken in UTS Startups by @utsstartups

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6 days ago

🤖 What happens when AI meets social impact?

Last week, Sourabh and John at UTS Startups hosted the AI for Social Enterprise Hackathon as part of Spark Festival, bringing people together for two days of building, experimenting and tackling real-world challenges.

From conversations around the room to teams working side by side, the focus was on exploring how AI can become a practical tool for creating positive social impact.

A huge thank you to everyone who brought their ideas, skills and energy into the space. 💡🌏

#UTSStartups #SparkFestival #SocialEnterprise #AI #Hackathon SocialImpact taken in UTS Startups by @utsstartups

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6 days ago

That’s a wrap on Spark Festival 2026! ⚡️🎉

From conversations and workshops to packed rooms, new ideas and connections across the startup ecosystem, Spark Festival brought the community together for an incredible week.

Thank you to @harry.godber and the @sparkfestivalau for bringing the ecosystem together, and to everyone who helped make this year something worth remembering.

But this is not where the momentum stops. 🚀

Whether you’re building your first idea, already growing a startup, looking to meet other founders, or simply curious about entrepreneurship, Spark Festival 2027 is your opportunity to get in the room.

👀 Keep an eye out for what comes next. We’ll see you in 2027.

#SparkFestival2026 #SparkFestival #UTSStartups #StartupCommunity by @utsstartups

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7 days ago

🚀 Can you pitch your idea just as confidently on screen?

Whether you’re speaking to an investor, pitching a new idea, meeting a client or jumping onto Zoom, how you show up matters.

Happening now at UTS Startups, Genevieve Share is running an interactive session on turning nerves into presence through voice, movement and practical on-camera exercises.

Five participants will also get the opportunity to deliver a 2-minute pitch on screen and receive feedback.

📍 UTS Startups, Ultimo

Come ready to move, experiment and find what makes your communication uniquely yours. 🎥 taken in UTS Startups by @utsstartups

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11 days ago

Sneak peak of spark fest so far : @vinii_shar_thebriefcaseeffect personal branding event taken in UTS Startups by @utsstartups

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12 days ago

it's happening 🎉 my book When Robots Move In is getting a launch and you're invited!

Based on my PhD, it's all about what actually happens when AI moves into our homes and quietly start reshaping our routines, our relationships, and our spaces. Years of research, finally out in the world 🥹

Come through for a live reading, an interview with me and just meet a bunch of awesome people.

📅 Wed Oct 7th, 6:00 to 7:30pm at UTS Startups Event Space
🎟️ Free entry, link in bio to grab your spot

Come learn about my work and celebrate with me. woo 🤍 taken in UTS Startups by @utsstartups

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13 days ago

Spark Festival 2026 is officially underway! ✨🚀

Sydney’s startup community came together at UTS to kick off a week of ideas, conversations, connections and people building what comes next.

From founders and investors to students, operators and ecosystem leaders, opening night was a reminder that startups aren’t built in isolation. They grow through communities willing to share ideas, challenge each other and create opportunities together.

This year also marks the launch of the Spark Foundation, creating a permanent platform for Australia’s startup community as Spark Festival enters its 11th year.

And we’re only getting started.

📅 21 to 27 September 2026
📍 Sydney + across NSW

Keep an eye on UTS Startups throughout the week as Spark Festival continues across Tech Central and beyond. ⚡

#SparkFestival #UTSStartups #SydneyStartups #Startups #Entrepreneurship TechCentral Innovation Founders Sydney taken in UTS Startups by @utsstartups

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14 days ago

Get ready for big ideas! 🚀

Spark Fest is Australia's largest grassroots startup and innovation festival. It's a week of free, community-led events and networking across the startup sphere and beyond.
Swipe through to meet the UTS community serving as speakers at Spark Fest 2026, and mark your calendars: Spark Fest is on 21st September! 💙

Want to see who else is involved? Check out the full program on the Spark Fest website, featuring many more members of the UTS community.

#UTSAlumni #UTS #SparkFest #Startups #Innovation by @utsstartups

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17 days ago

You've been invited. 👀🔥

Hosted at @utsstartups by @theccoverau, we're bringing university students (and any young professionals) an exclusive evening with people across insurtech, recruitment, underwriting, claims, actuary, ops & analytics, risk, software & systems — a line-up you don't get easy access to anywhere else. It's the kind of room that only happens with the CC:OVER, and the conversations you have could bring real clarity on where your skills fit — and open doors to a career you never thought possible.

Insurance isn't the boring, beige industry you think it is. It's one of the most dynamic, opportunity-rich spaces going — with room for every skillset. Whatever you're studying (genuinely, any degree), this is for you.

The perks:
🏆 One lucky attendee wins a 1-hour 1-on-1 career consultation with a respected industry veteran
✨ A surprise perk for every single attendee
🎓 First access to future CC:OVER events

📅 Wed 28 Oct, 5–8pm
📍 UTS Startups, near Central Station.
🎟️ Free — spots limited by venue capacity.

👔 Dress code: business casual. You'll be in the room with well-regarded industry professionals, so come dressed to match the calibre of the room.

Bring a friend along — the more people in the room, the better the conversations.🔥

Register via the link in bio, or head straight to: https://luma.com/oflce7nf

🤫 This is our inaugural event — which makes everyone in that room a founding member of the CC:OVER community. Founding attendees get advance invites to everything we run next, before anyone else hears about it. Follow along, share this post, and tag a friend who deserves a founding spot too. 🫶

#CareersInInsurance #Insurtech #UTSStartups #UTS #GradJobs #InsuranceCareers #SydneyUni taken in UTS Startups by @utsstartups

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19 days ago

UTS startups: Founder Stories 🧶 Meet @elise.luiii , founder of @lilthings.world

Sometimes a startup doesn’t begin with a pitch deck.

Sometimes it begins with finding something that makes life feel a little easier.

After moving from Hong Kong to Australia, Elise felt out of place. Crochet became a way to find comfort in her own company, and eventually, something she wanted to share with other people.

So she started creating.

Tutorial by tutorial, video by video, lilthings grew into a YouTube community of more than 1.2 million subscribers.

But Elise didn’t stop at content.

What started as crochet tutorials has grown into an online yarn store, patterns, project bundles and a community where people from around the world can crochet together. 🧶🌏

Her journey is a reminder that entrepreneurship can start with something deeply personal.

Find something that helps you.
Share it with others.
Listen to the community that forms around it.
Then keep building. taken in UTS Startups by @utsstartups

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a month ago