NEWS: Launching our new program for investors, VC Catalyst - Wade Institute

NEWS: Launching our new program for investors, VC Catalyst

8th August 2018

Victoria’s startup agency, LaunchVic, today announced a new deal to fund the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship to deliver one of Australia’s first university-affiliated startup investor courses, VC Catalyst.

VC Catalyst will be a six-month program delivered by world-class VC experts and practitioners. Open to local and international high net worth individuals, family office investment managers, corporate venturing team members, emerging and future venture fund managers, and current and potential angel investors.

A Melbourne-specific report by Startup Genome released in May found that while there is no shortage of capital in Victoria, the key issue is connecting that capital to the startup community and educating investors on how to invest in startups.

The program aims to build the Angel and VC investor capabilities to transform Victoria’s startup investor landscape. A short-course consisting of over 100 hours of education including 1:1 mentoring for 6 months for each participant.

The program includes:

Part 1: 5-day classroom experience with content delivered by academics, practitioners, industry leaders and key ecosystem stakeholders with the last day an opportunity to share their investment theses and receive feedback from peers and experts

Part 2: In-depth learning on technical content (ie tax and legal) delivered by industry experts delivered as optional modules

Part 3: Participation with pre-qualified Victorian startups via a Demo Day to bring the learnings to life and 1:1 mentoring support for all participants for six months following the course

Program participants will come away with the skills and strategies for building high-yield portfolios and new connections and context for generating future deal flow. Global experts and practitioners will be brought to Melbourne to deliver the Program, making this a truly world-class initiative and positioning Victoria on the global stage.

The program will also target international participants and aims to be the leading startup investor education program in Asia, that could help unlock access to capital in Asia.

The program seeks to build a robust community of practice that grows and strengthens the local Victorian Angel and VC investor ecosystem.

Learn more about VC Catalyst. Expressions of interest now open, program to be delivered in early 2019.

Learn more about the LaunchVic’s investment 


Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship is a leading centre for entrepreneurial education. We deliver programs to accelerate learning, creation and connection.

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