UTS Unicorn Incubator: Academia’s Secrets to Funding, Credibility & Growth

This isn’t just another startup event - it’s the SparkFest 2025 experience that everyone in Australia’s innovation ecosystem will be talking about.

For one electric evening at UTS Startups, founders, researchers, investors, and innovators will collide in a high-energy, deal-making environment that reveals how Entrepreneurial PhDs (ePhDs) are reshaping the future of funding, credibility, and growth for small businesses.

Hear from a lineup of world-class leaders and ePhD Sophisticated Founders who are rewriting the rules of innovation and impact:

Dr. Ian Oppermann, Commonwealth Data Standards Chair, Previous Chief Data Scientist of NSW Government - on building trust, ethics, and explainability into AI and data-driven innovation.
Murray Hurps, Director of Entrepreneurship at UTS - unveiling the inside playbook on how startups, researchers, and government unite to drive real commercial outcomes.
Deputy Dean Sarah Kinkel, Entrepreneurial PhD lead - decoding how to turn academic depth into startup velocity and competitive advantage.
Mona Chiha, Founder & CEO of JurisTechne, celebrating surpassing her $1.2 million raise for the world’s first ethical AI for law - a true example of research meeting revenue.
Anne Moore, transforming the future of work through strategic workforce design - championing alternate models that maximise impact, productivity, and well-being.
Vibhu Arya, uncovering payment choice and innovation - exploring why instant bank payments flourish in some markets and fail in others, bridging East and West insights.
Lynn Wood - Founder of IdeaSpies, investigating whether being alert to positive ideas can improve wellbeing - sparking a new conversation about optimism, creativity, and innovation culture.

This isn’t theory, it’s the blueprint for action. You’ll also meet the legal, financial, and grants advisors who help startups set up, structure, and scale with confidence, from IP protection and governance, to co-funding and tax incentives.

💡 What You’ll Get

🔥 Learn how to get funded without the runaround - straight from government experts, grant strategists, and investors.
⚡ Discover how ePhDs turn R&D into revenue.
💼 Join clinics on funding, ethics, IP, and startup governance - with real experts ready to map your next step.
🎯 Walk away with your Unicorn ePhD Ready playbook, a practical, actionable tool to fast-track your next big idea.

Expect no fluff, no filler, just sharp insights, real success stories, and networking that will put you shoulder-to-shoulder with Australia’s most forward-thinking founders, researchers, and funders.

Seats are strictly limited, and those in the room will be the ones shaping the future of innovation, research, and ethical AI.

👉 Come with a problem. Leave with a plan.
🗓️ 29 October | 5:30PM – 7:30PM | UTS Startups @Central Corner of Harris Street and Broadway