Venture Cup
AcceleratorMelbourne · Pre-Seed–Seed
Investment thesis
Venture Cup is a program of Swinburne University's Innovation Studio aimed at early-stage, pre-investor founders who are Swinburne students, staff, or alumni. Participants join a week-long Venture Week bootcamp with daily seminars, followed by coaching to refine ideas and pitches. Up to 30 startups enter, with 10 finalists (five students, five alumni/staff) invited to pitch for $5,000 cash prizes per category, plus access to mentors, potential customers, and the startup ecosystem. Eligible ventures must not have raised more than $500,000, show scalability and an element of innovation or disruption, and include social enterprises and not-for-profits. The program takes no equity.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Founder mafia
The Venture Cup mafia →6 people who came through Venture Cup went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 1 of 1 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×1EdTech ×1
HQs:Australia×1
Portfolio companies · 1 tracked
alumni founders can tell you what the program is really likeSwinburne University of Technology is a research and teaching institution offering higher education, vocational training, and online qualifications across multiple campuses in Australia and international locations.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechMelbourne, AU
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Venture Cup invest at?
- Venture Cup invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does Venture Cup focus on?
- Venture Cup focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Venture Cup located?
- Venture Cup is headquartered in Melbourne, AU.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
from their channelBringing Space to Every Australian Classroom | LaunchLabz at Swinburne
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology Graduation 13 August 2026, 10am
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology Graduation 13 August 2026, 6pm
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology Graduation 13 August 2026, 2pm
Swinburne University of Technology
Inside Moondani Toombadool Centre's Indigenous Study Tour to Aotearoa | Swinburne
Swinburne University of Technology
How to become a data scientist
Swinburne University of Technology
Images
Similar investors
4DI Ventures was co-founded by repeat tech operator and ESET Southern Africa founder Justin Stanford, giving it unusually deep cybersecurity and software operating experience rather than a purely financial background, and originated from Stanford's own angel-investing experiments that directly led to both the firm's creation and the launch of the Silicon Cape Initiative. The firm explicitly describes its style as "nurture capital" with intensive, hands-on engagement, and Stanford is vocal about avoiding the "unicorn at all costs" mentality in African tech, instead emphasizing sustainable market readiness and fundamentals in a more conservative, durability-focused investment approach.
8VC is a venture capital firm investing across logistics, life sciences, healthcare, IT infrastructure, and government/defense, guided by its Smart Enterprise thesis focused on data integration and platform network effects.
AirTree Ventures runs Pathfinders, a free four-week in-person program in Sydney for young builders (high-school graduates up to age 23) to work on a real product, access the AirTree team and founders, and build a peer network.
August Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in a small number of companies, providing hands-on support to entrepreneurs building their businesses.
.jpeg){kind=logo}
B Capital is a global investment firm backing early to late-stage technology innovators across technology, healthcare, and energy & resilience sectors.