Swinburne Innovation Studio

Congratulations again to Hashtag AI on the runner-up prize! They're building accurate, traceable knowledge retrieval for AI agents across complex documents, making it easier to get reliable answers from large volumes of information. So proud to have them in the Luminate cohort. We can't wait to support you on what comes next! 🙌

Seeing one of our startups go from pitching at Venture Cup 2025 to sitting on the judging panel is a full-circle moment we love to witness. Thank you for being part of the night 🙌

What does six weeks of real commitment look like? Last night, ten founders showed us. The Luminate Program showcase was more than a series of pitches, it was a room full of founders who had engaged with real customers, challenged their assumptions, and built something grounded in real need. Across AI, sustainability, aged care, robotics and beyond, the depth of customer insight and validation on that stage was exceptional. 👏 Congratulations to our incredible cohort: Coco the Creator, Circular Diagnostics, Brail, Swin my Cotech, Accelerandos, manatzura (LIDA Composter), and Guardian Care. Celebrating our award winners: 🥇 Winner: Poly-Motion, founded by Swinburne alumni Joshua Ince 🥈 Runner-up: Hashtag AI, founded by Angie Simmons (Swinburne alumni), Anupam chaudhuri and Tuan Dung Lai 🎯 People's Choice: SyncPay.au., founded by Swinburne student Ezana Yohala A huge thank you to everyone who made the program and showcase possible: ✅ The Product Bus for partnering with us every step of the way ✅ Tom Forbes for hosting a brilliant night as our MC ✅ Dr Werner V., Christine Tursky, and Nate Spiteri for their thoughtful evaluation on the night To everyone who joined us last night, thank you for being part of it. The next chapter starts now. 🚀 Learn more ➡️ https://swi.nu/uhqzd 👩💻👩💻Nguyen Nguyen, Olamide Shittu, Riya Malik, The Hong Phong Nguyen, Lachlan Thompson, Elaine Young, Wayne Merry CPA, Afra Nawer, Beau Cruz, Alex Jaimes Castillo, Scotty Allen 🚌, Abhay (Abs) Seth, Audrey Jean-baptiste, Sarah Barter, Liya M., Alex Hadley, Tathagath Mariswamy, Jennifer Bevis, Ge Li, Kathleen Messimeri, Carly Djosovic, Isabelle Harris, Darcy Marsh, Randhita Nanayakkara, Lakshit Bansal, Mahbuba Jerin Barsha

Every founder starts with more questions than answers. A cohort of early-stage founders are deep in Swinburne Luminate program, testing assumptions, challenging their thinking, and figuring out what works and what doesn't. On 26 May, they'll walk into Showcase Night and share what they found. The night is a chance to: 💡 Hear bold ideas tackling real problems 🤝 Connect with founders and the startup community 🗳️ Vote for the People's Choice award 🥂 Enjoy drinks and canapes on arrival Free entry. Come along and be part of it. 📍 Level 1, The Hawthorn Hotel 🗓️ Tuesday 26 May, 5pm ➡️ Secure your seat now: https://swi.nu/6yknu Meet the cohort: 🔹 Accelerandos - co-founders: Elaine Young, Wayne Merry CPA  🔹 Brail - founder: Riya Malik  🔹 Circular Diagnostics - founder: Olamide Shittu  🔹 Coco - founder: 👩💻Nguyen Nguyen 🔹 GuardianCare - co-founders: Afra Nawer, Beau Cruz  🔹 Hashtag. AI - co-founders: Angie Simmons, Anupam Chaudhauri, Tuan Dung Lai  🔹 LIDA Composter - founder: Alex Jaimes Castillo  🔹 Poly-Motion - founder: Joshua Ince  🔹 SwinMycoTech - co-founders: The Hong Phong Nguyen, Lachlan Thompson  🔹 SyncPay - founder: Ezana Yohala

Got an idea but no clue what to do next? Swinburne Initiate Program is a free 4-week program that helps you move from "maybe someday" to a real plan. You don't need a business degree or a finished idea to start. Across four 90-minute workshops, you'll: · Leave with a clearer idea and defined next steps · Learn how to find and validate real customer problems · Get personalised coaching from mentors with real startup experience · Meet like-minded people within the Swinburne community 📅 Program runs: 16 June to 7 July 2026 📍 In-person, Hawthorn campus 🚨 Applications close: 29 May 👉 Start your application: https://swi.nu/54h2y

Ever had an idea you just couldn't let go of? Simon Mildren did. Frustrated as a beekeeper himself, he spent years sketching solutions after work, testing prototypes, and talking to fellow beekeepers, until he built the Micro Honey Harvester, a 2025 Good Design Award winner that launched on Kickstarter. Join our May masterclass where Simon will demonstrate the product live and unpack the unfiltered founder journey behind it, including: ✅ How he identified a real customer problem worth solving ✅ The prototyping and testing process ✅ Lessons from bringing a hardware product to market ✅ How HiveKeepers used Kickstarter to build momentum ✅ Balancing startup progress with work and family life Event details: 📅 Thursday, 28 May 2026 ⏰ 2-3pm (AEST) 📍Online via Zoom (Free) 🐝 Free to attend. Your idea might be next. Register today ➡️ https://swi.nu/i9q2b

We are thrilled to welcome Heath Evans into the role of Associate Director at the Climate 4.0 Hub. Heath brings a wealth of experience across the not-for-profit, education and sporting sectors, working alongside startups and playing a key role in launching the University of Melbourne's innovation precinct, Melbourne Connect. This is a particularly exciting time to be joining the Climate 4.0 Hub. We are in the final stages of recruiting for the inaugural Accelerator program, set to bring promising French startups to Australia to grow their international footprint through industry partnerships, pilots and investor engagement. We can't wait to see what's ahead. Welcome to the team, Heath! 🙌

Our IP expert Zahra Shahbazian spent yesterday with undergraduate students in Swinburne's Grand Challenges in Science program, talking all things Intellectual Property, innovation, and commercialisation. They explored how patents, copyright, trade marks, and IP ownership connect to real scientific discoveries and why students should start recognising the value of what they create. Biggest takeaway of the day? You’re not just doing science — you might be creating something valuable. A huge thank you to Professor Emma Ryan-Weber for organising and making the session possible. #IntellectualProperty #Innovation #Commercialisation #STEM #Swinburne #Science #Entrepreneurship 

Nothing better than seeing students inspired and ready to take on the startup world! 🙌 At the Swinburne Innovation Studio, supporting students through their entrepreneurial journey is at the heart of what we do, whether that's helping them explore an early idea, build confidence, or connect with the right people to get started. Jennifer Bevis from our team was recently on the panel at the International Student Job Club: Careers in Startups session, sharing exactly how students can access that support and take their first steps forward. Huge thanks to Olivia Doyle for having us and for making this such an engaging and inspiring event!

Six weeks from now, these startups will look very different.   Today, they are early, evolving, and full of questions.   That is exactly the point.   The Swinburne Innovation Studio Luminate Program is a validation program, delivered in partnership with The Product Bus, where founders get out of the building, test assumptions, and gather real evidence. It is not about polishing a pitch, it is about proving what works and what does not.   This cohort is tackling some big challenges, from energy decarbonisation and industrial food waste to improving diabetes diagnosis and more. The solutions are just as ambitious, ranging from artificial muscles to novel AI systems.   Over the next six weeks, these teams will speak to customers, run experiments, and make tough calls, refining, pivoting, or even rethinking their solutions entirely.   That is where the real progress happens.   We are excited to support them on the journey from early-stage startups to evidence-backed ventures Scotty Allen 🚌Natalie Ellis