Student Startup Bootcamp

We’re thrilled to invite a group of your students and an accompanying staff member to our multi award-winning incubator for a full-day of entrepreneurial skills and confidence-building alongside peers from a range of Sydney schools.

In thought-provoking discussions and workshops, students and educators will gain an understanding of the skills, people, and resources leveraged by innovators and entrepreneurs to effect positive, sustainable change in the world.

Participants will build entrepreneurial skills and self-efficacy through: empathising with one another, identifying problems worth solving, designing solutions worth testing, and persuasively pitching new ideas - all on the same day!

Bootcamp details:
When: Friday 11 Sep, 9:00am to 3:00pm OR Friday 18 Sep, 9:00am to 3:00pm
Where: MQ Incubator - 8 Hadenfeld Ave, Macquarie Park NSW 2113
Who for: Open to Years 9 & 10 students
How many (per school): 6-8 students and 1 staff member
Catering: Fully provided for staff members (students should bring packed lunches)
Cost: Fully-funded by MQ Incubator

Please note: Registration is required for the accompanying teacher only. If you wish to bring two teachers, please let us know via email.

Questions? Please reach-out to the Incubator team at incubator@mq.edu.au, or Young Wisdom at shahe@youngwisdom.com.au

Shout-out to the schools that have attended our prior bootcamps: Barker College, Bass HS, Canterbury Boys HS, Canterbury Girls HS, Castle Hill HS, Cherrybrook Technology HS, Hurlstone Agricultural HS, James Meehan HS, James Ruse Agricultural HS, Killara HS, Knox Grammar School, Ku-ring-gai HS, Loreto Normanhurst, Macarthur Girls HS, Marist Sisters College Woolwich, Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College, North Sydney Boys HS, North Sydney Girls HS, Oxford Falls Grammar School, Queenwood, Redlands School, Rooty Hill HS, Ryde Secondary College, Santa Sophia Catholic College, South Sydney HS, St Luke’s Grammar School, Sydney Secondary College Balmain Campus and William Clarke College!

Some testimonials:

“It was unquestionably authentic, real-world learning with value well beyond the classroom. It stretched most of the students well beyond their comfort zone but did so in an environment which encouraged risk-taking and in which the leaders modelled taking the same risks themselves. The end result was a visible transformation in the confidence, performance and polish of the students within a single day. It was masterful.”

- John Wright, Deputy Principal, Castle Hill High School

“The Student Startup Bootcamp at Macquarie University Incubator was a fantastic experience, pushing students out of their comfort zones and enhancing their design thinking skills. They collaborated with peers, tackled real-world problems, and developed crucial life skills. This immersive day fostered confidence and entrepreneurial spirit.”

- Sally Filtness, D&T Teacher, Barker College

“Our students thoroughly enjoyed the excursion and they learned about a whole realm of entrepreneurship that they were previously unaware of. Our students are creative tinkerers and inventors, but have not thoroughly explored entrepreneurship. It is the perfect integration and supplementation to their education, and fills the gaps that our school has not yet explored.”

- Connor Maglis, Science/iSTEM Teacher, Sydney Secondary College (Balmain Campus)

“We can't thank you enough for the brilliant day you gave our students on Friday. The students - as well as the teacher - came back struggling for superlatives to describe it.”
- Head Teacher HSIE

“I found the day to be absolutely amazing. Personally, I've been to 2-3 other similar programs, but none of them have engaged me and my peers as well as this one did. Everything, from the structure of the day, to the quick 5-minute brainstorms, was well thought out and executed perfectly. The thought of collaborating with students from different schools, let alone presenting to them, was daunting at first, but the activities we were given allowed us all to not only quickly familiarise ourselves with each other, but we were able to work efficiently and effectively to pitch our ideas. I am extremely grateful for this experience, and it has most definitely boosted my confidence when it comes to presenting and working with people I'm not familiar with.”
- Stage 5 Student

“It's difficult to pinpoint an exact favourite, but I really enjoyed how well thought-out the whole event was, and it had a very important focus on student engagement. Having been to similar bootcamp type events before, none of them matched this level of student interaction where we actually went through the design thinking process ourselves and did quick-fire empathising and ideation. None of the other events even mentioned pitching, so I am very happy with how this event has communicated these important ideas to students.”
- Stage 5 Student

Contact the host of MQ Incubator & Young Wisdom Student Startup Bootcamp Term 3 2026