FounderHUB

FounderHUB

RMIT Activator's No. 1 program for aspiring entrepreneurs

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Move fast, move forward. Build your startup idea with Activator.

Over four short weeks, gain the skills, knowledge, and mindset to turn your shower thoughts into a startup idea that can create REAL impact.

FounderHUB feels fast because it is. With the support of our facilitators, we'll help you understand the importance of validating your idea and the impact it may have for the future. FounderHUB quickly helps you unlock the next steps so you can keep moving forward.

Best of all, FounderHUB is run after-hours as a mix of in person and online interactive workshops. If you've been on the search to explore your side hustle or passion project, this is your sign to do it without interfering with your nine to five.

Is FounderHUB right for me?

FounderHUB is for aspiring founders who are also RMIT students, staff, researchers and/or alumni. Successful RMIT affiliated applicants will have:

A problem you are passionate about solving

An innovative and impactful business idea

A growth mindset and eagerness to support your fellow founders

Yourself as a solo founder, or a team of co-founders.

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Key dates and application form

Applications open: Due to high demand, applications for FounderHUB Cohort 7 are now open

Applications close: Sunday, 25 August 2024 at 11:59 pm

Program Dates

Week 1

In person workshop: Tuesday, 10 September, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Online workshop: Thursday, 12 September, 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Week 2

In person workshop: Tuesday, 17 September 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Online workshop: Thursday, 19 September, 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Week 3

In person workshop: Tuesday, 24 September, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Online workshop: Thursday, 26 September, 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Week 4

In person workshop: Tuesday, 1 October, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Pitch night in person: Thursday, 3 October, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Please note: This program is delivered at RMIT Activator, 102 Victoria Street, Carlton, Victoria, Australia. 

Program overview

Weekly in-person workshops

Duration: 2 hours (Tuesday)

In these sessions, you will get to know frameworks, tools, and methods to help progress your founder journey. Here is where you will meet and spend time with the founders in your cohort.

Weekly online workshops

Duration: 1 hour (Thursday)

We know that life get busy so your second weekly workshop will only go for 1 hour and will be hosted online. During this session we will land more of the concepts to refine your startup idea.

In person workshop (2 hours): Frame your idea

Build your entrepreneurial foundation and gain a better understanding of the problem you are solving, your idea and the user it affects.

Online workshop (1 hour): Understand your market and user

Apply entrepreneurial research methods to discover more about your industry, market and customers to create new opportunities moving forward.

In person workshop (2 hours): Design value and impact proposition

Harness strategic insights to identify customer desired gains and existing pains, and develop a compelling value proposition that ensures desirability, feasibility, impact, and viability. Learn to identify, define, and communicate your business impact based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Online workshop (1 hour): Customer experience design

Using user journey and stakeholder mapping tools to land your customer research and design products/ services focused the user experience optimise your startup success.

In person workshop (2 hours): Prototyping and testing

Master the essential principles of prototyping for your business idea and learn how to create rapid in-expensive prototypes to test, validate and refine your solution.

Online workshop (1 hour): Build your business model

Create a winning business model by utilising the lean canvas to map key components such as target market, value proposition, channels, revenue streams and cost structures.

In person workshop (2 hours): Sell your vision

Use the power of storytelling and pitching to captivate your audience and effectively communicate your idea and secure buy-in from your stakeholders and potential users.

In person pitch night (2 hours): Time to show off your startup idea!

Showcase your pitch to a panel of experts from RMIT Activator's community, who will offer valuable feedback, advice, and guidance to accelerate your business growth and success.

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FounderHUB Residency

After completing FounderHUB, you'll have the opportunity to keep building on your momentum through our 3 to 6 month Residency program.

In Residency, you'll get access to support, networks and co-working space to keep you accountable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! FounderHUB is perfect for founders with an early stage startup idea, side hustle or a university project you want to take further. If your idea is not too developed, you've come to the right place — FounderHUB will support you in shaping your idea into a viable business.

We regret to inform you that FounderHUB is specifically tailored for founders who already possess a startup or business idea. But there are still two pathways you could take from here:

  • Reapply once you have an idea: you can watch How to Get and Evaluate Startup Ideas | Startup School to help you create a new startup idea, ready to apply for the program. 
  • Join another startup/ group: you might be interested in joining an existing startup or group, please continue fill out the application form indicating that you don't have an idea and we will endeavour find you a match.

You can apply as a solo founder or as a team, just indicate it on your application form.

Absolutely! You just need at least one of your members to be RMIT affiliated.

Fantastic to hear that you are interested in joining a startup, you have come to the right place. Please fill out the application form above by indicating that you don't have a startup idea and want to join an existing group. From there the Activator team will connect you up with a group that aligns with your skills and interests, then we will leave it up to you and the group to decide if it is the right fit. 

RMIT Activator does not take any stake in your IP, the knowledge we share on this program is the University's way of supporting the wider community with no strings attached. However, if you are a staff member and/or looking to translate your research, we strongly encourage you to contact IP & Commercialisation.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.