QUT Commercialisation Club: Excolo! Pitching Competition Grand Final 2026

QUT Commercialisation Club will host the QUT Excolo! Grand Final.

Teams will pitch for up to $100,000 in investment funding to advance their innovation.

QUT Excolo! is an innovation pitching competition created to empower QUT researchers to transform promising ideas into impact. Through a program of workshops, coaching and mentoring, teams refine their concepts and build their commercialisation capability before pitching to an expert panel for investment funding.

Now in its fifth year, The QUT Excolo! program supports QUT researchers to explore pathways for translating research into products, services, ventures and other forms of impact.

Watch Highlights from the 2025 Excolo! Grand Final.

Research teams are currently completing the final stages of the program, that will culminate in a 5-minute pitch for a share of $200,000 in investment funding to progress their research concept.

Our judging panel brings expertise from across the innovation ecosystem, with experience spanning entrepreneurship, investment, commercialisation, venture growth and innovation leadership. The panel will select the Champion and Runner Up winners, while the audience will vote for the People's Choice winner.

This year we're excited to showcase the inaugural QUT Entrepreneurship Excolo! Student Founder Prize, celebrating the skills, capability and mindset of students who are building and growing their own ventures. Their winners share in a $40,000 prize pool including cash and in-kind support.

Presented by:

• Dr Erin Rayment - QUT Chief Commercialisation and Development Officer

QUT Commercialisation Club events are free to attend and open to the QUT community as well as external partners and guests.

Please invite your network to join you at this event.

Registration and welcome drinks from 3:45pm, the Welcome address will commence at 4:15pm.

Our Judging Panel and Finalist Teams will be announced in early November.