World-first Venture on Campus partnership connects innovators and investors

UNSW Sydney and the principal venture capital fund for the CSIRO, Main Sequence Ventures, have entered a groundbreaking new partnership that will drive innovation and entrepreneurship at UNSW to new heights.

UNSW will become the first university globally to roll out Venture on Campus, a new entrepreneurship and innovation program designed by Main Sequence Ventures for research-oriented organisations and universities.

Phil Morle, partner at Main Sequence Ventures, said that streamlining communication between researchers, student entrepreneurs, early-stage startups, and industry partners would provide closer connectivity and promote greater engagement between researchers and the investment community to share skills, expertise, ideas and resources.

Dr Elizabeth Eastland, Director of Entrepreneurship within UNSW’s Division of Enterprise, said that by equipping staff, students, and researchers with the knowledge and industry-level connections that the Venture on Campus partnership provided, UNSW would be actively powering the next wave of economic growth that would emerge from disruptive startups and research projects.

“With the appointment of someone with the stature of Jennifer Zanich, who has recently taken up the position as head of UNSW Entrepreneurship’s Ecosystem and Partnerships, we are clearly signaling we intend to engage deeply with the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Australia and globally, and this partnership with Main Sequence Ventures is a prime example of this,” Dr Eastland said.

Ms Zanich said: “The Venture on Campus partnership taps into UNSW’s ambition to increase the scale of university-led innovation globally via the exchange of knowledge, while heavily fostering a research, educational, and commercial culture that embraces inclusion, diversity of thought, and entrepreneurship for both industry, staff, and students.

"Our programs and partnerships are purposefully designed to instill in students and staff the skills and resilience they need to succeed in the 21^st century global workplace.” 

Venture on Campus will also deliver, via six modules, a custom-made program that will give UNSW researchers and startups insights into the venture capital mindset and the skills required to navigate it, while also providing opportunities for funding and mentorship.

Promoting the Venture on Campus initiative, Mr Morle said: “Future industries are being born inside the nation's universities, and entrepreneur programs like the UNSW Founders program are helping to make this the frictionless career path it should be.

“Scientists create companies; science creates industries; industries create the jobs of the future.”