10 Years of Innovation at the MCIC
Built on the belief that “There’s always a better way.” – Dr. Michael Crouch AO
In 2015, UNSW opened the Michael Crouch Innovation Centre (MCIC)—Australia’s first university space dedicated entirely to innovation. It was founded with a bold ambition: To become the leading university-based innovation network in Asia-Pacific by 2025.
Fueled by that vision and the philanthropic support, the MCIC has grown into a powerhouse of innovation.
Over the past decade, it has become the home of UNSW Founders, the launchpad for the UNSW 10x Accelerator, and a space where bold ideas come to life. In 2024 UNSW was named the #1 Entrepreneurial University in Asia-Pacific.
In 2025, we celebrate 10 years of impact— and set the next goal of being the #1 entrepreneurial university in the world.
Explore how you can support that vision here.
#1 Entrepreneurial University
Awarded Most Entrepreneurial University in the Asian Pacific Region at the 2024 Triple E Awards
#1 for ventured backed startups
Named “best overall university for aspiring entrepreneurs” and #1 for producing venture-backed entrepreneurs in Australia.
50,000+ people supported
Since 2017, we’ve empowered founders, innovators, and changemakers to build entrepreneurial skills and turn their ideas into impact.
1000+ Startups launched
Since 2017, the MCIC and UNSW Founders have launched over 1,000 startups.
Read some of the stories that have grown from the MCIC 👇
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How can students get hired if they lack the experiences that make them stand out?
This question led Thomas Brunskill and Pasha Rayan to the MCIC in 2018.
Determined to create free, career-building opportunities for all students, they joined the first-ever UNSW Founders 10x Accelerator, finding a home for their vision.
“We were lucky to join the UNSW Founders 10x program early on. It gave us the belief that Forage could be something much bigger.” – Pasha Rayan
From late nights breaking and rebuilding their first landing page, Tom and Pasha set their sights high—turning an idea into Forage, a global platform providing free virtual internships with top-tier companies.
Today, Forage has:
✅ Supported millions of students
✅ Increased employability by 5x
✅ Created equity of opportunityTheir journey took them from MCIC to Silicon Valley, becoming one of the first Australian startups accepted into Y Combinator. In early 2024, they successfully exited—staying true to their mission: 🚀 To ensure every student can access life-changing opportunities—based on potential, not location or background.
Find more about Forage here!
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Most sisters share a special bond, but for Frances Atkins and Naomi Vowels, they’ve always been a team.
In 2019, ready for a new challenge, Frances teamed up with Naomi to join New Wave, UNSW’s female-only innovation program held at MCIC.
“New Wave created a safe environment where I could learn, surrounded by other aspiring female founders. That was really special.” – Frances Atkins
Their first project, GoodGivs, won first prize at the New Wave showcase. Encouraged by their success, they joined the UNSW Founders 10x Accelerator, where they spent hours calling, emailing, and speaking with over 100 businesses—refining their idea into something truly impactful.
Today, their company, Givvable, is a multi-award-winning platform helping companies and governments automate supplier ESG diligence and sustainable procurement. They’ve transformed an eight-month process into just four seconds, empowering global companies like Red Bull, TikTok, and Flight Centre to meet their ESG commitments.
For Frances and Naomi, the mission is simple: make it easier for companies to do good—and we’re proud that MCIC was where it all began.
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Back in 2015, computer science student Hayden Smith was among the first to walk through the doors of MCIC.
Fast forward to 2018, Hayden and his co-founders, Nick and Kurt, set out to tackle one of life’s biggest challenges—financial stress. Their idea was simple: make investing accessible to all Australians.
With this vision, they launched Pearler and joined the UNSW Founders 10x Accelerator at MCIC. Over the program, they gained the essential support—coworking space, coaching, mentorship, and connections—to bring their idea to life.
“There was something exceptionally special about sitting in the MCIC for those 12-hour days,” Hayden recalls. “Meeting people and sharing ideas—that was the most exciting part.”
Today, Pearler is one of Australia’s leading investment platforms—often called the “Spotify of fintech.” With 150,000+ users and over $1 billion invested, it’s helping Australians build long-term financial security.
Their $7.8 million seed round, led by Portage Ventures, is fueling their next chapter—expanding into mortgages, home deposits, and superannuation management.
“We’re not just helping people invest. We’re helping them build a future.” – Nick
For Pearler, it has always been about connection, community, and creating something that improves lives—the same values that first drew Hayden to MCIC all those years ago.
Find more about Pearler here!
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In 2016, while completing his Ph.D. in astrodynamics, Dr. William Crowe had an idea to tackle a growing but often overlooked issue: space junk. Teaming up with co-founder Dr. Hiranya “HJ” Jayakody, they expanded their vision to include satellite monitoring in orbit.
From there, HEO was born—launched from MCIC through the UNSW Founders 10x Accelerator. Using the Centre as their base camp, they developed groundbreaking technology that is now a world-leading space system, empowering the monitoring of space assets and reducing the threat of space debris.
As John Davidson wrote in The Australian Financial Review, HEO “uses 33 cameras orbiting the planet to photograph and identify space junk before it crashes into something or someone.”
Since then, HEO has made history, becoming the first company in the world to offer commercial in-orbit satellite inspection services.
“We are thrilled to put an Australian-manufactured camera in space and continue our mission of making space transparent, providing high-quality data for evidence-based decisions.” – William Crowe
From a notepad at MCIC to the ability to image anything in the solar system on demand, HEO’s journey has been nothing short of astronomical—helping all of us shoot a little closer to the moon.
Find more about HEO here!
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A stroke occurs every 19 minutes in Australia.
During his PhD, Sam van Bohemen saw an opportunity to improve the lives of stroke patients.
Globally, strokes are the second leading cause of death and third leading cause of disability. Yet, there is still no way to continuously monitor brain activity and blood flow—two critical factors for recovery.
Sam set out to change that. He used his PhD research to develop Nuroflux, the world’s first safe, non-invasive, continuous monitoring system for stroke patients.
The commercialisation timeline for medical devices typically takes 10 years, but with the support of the MCIC Makerspace, Nuroflux has saved over $1 million in product development over the past four years.
Recently, Sam published his first clinical study, proving that the device is safe, well-tolerated by patients, and does not interfere with routine care. Now, he’s moving forward with clinical trials, and Nuroflux is currently being tested in a clinical efficacy study at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in partnership with The George Institute for Global Health.
Sam’s mission is simple: create a solution that improves patient care.
Since 2015, MCIC has been supporting founders and innovators in creating solutions for a better world—helping ideas like Nuroflux become reality.
Find more about Nuroflux here!
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Ever wished you had a second brain to take notes for you?
Andre Dean Smith and Buddhika Jayawardhana decided to build one. They created ScreenApp, an AI-powered assistant that transforms any meeting or screen into actionable insights and searchable knowledge, ensuring no important detail is ever lost.
Their journey began at MCIC, where they launched ScreenApp with the support of the UNSW Founders 10x Accelerator. Within MCIC, they found more than just a workspace—it became a hub for collaboration, mentorship, and refining their vision.
“The mentors, peers, and even casual connections continue to be an invaluable part of my network. The MCIC isn’t just a workspace; it is a launching pad for growth and collaboration.” – Andre Dean Smith
By the end of 2024, ScreenApp hit a major milestone—$1 million ARR, and now they’re aiming even higher. MCIC remains their go-to space—a hub for connecting, working, and collaborating with fellow entrepreneurs.
As we celebrate 10 years of MCIC, we recognise it as the launchpad for some of UNSW’s biggest breakthroughs in startups and innovation.
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What do you do with your wallet when you're at the beach?
That simple frustration—wanting to be hands-free—brought together four students in 2018: Adrian, HoJun, Vanessa, and Ben. They took the problem and turned it into Yellowbox, an Australian startup now selling to companies worldwide.
They spent their early years working out of MCIC, where they found the space, resources, and support to focus on solving real customer and market problems.
“Having access to the space and resources gave us the freedom to focus on solving customer and market problems, rather than worrying about where to collaborate or prototype.”
Their breakthrough came when they were accepted into the UNSW Founders 10x Accelerator.
“I remember pitching with just a little prototype. Getting into 10x was such a pivotal moment. We were starting graduate jobs at the time, and the program gave us the energy and structure to go all in.”
From late nights at MCIC to global expansion, they built Yellowbox from the ground up.
“I remember one night we were in the space till 3 AM, building our first set of Yellowbox lockers for an install at nightclubs the next day. Almost nothing went to plan, but we persevered and saw the first successful installations!”
Today, Yellowbox is a global business and a 2024 Forbes Australia 30 Under 30 company. But it all started at MCIC.
“We started our journey within MCIC with just an idea... and left as a global smart locker provider for Fortune 500s and ASX-listed companies in eleven countries.” – HoJun Tang
Learn more about Yellowbox here!
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Founding a startup is hard—doing it alone is even harder.
At 19, Alinta Furnell joined the Peter Farrell Cup, UNSW’s student pitch competition. She spent countless hours at the MCIC, learning how to build her first startup.
"This whole experience opened my eyes and showed me an alternate route for impact that I’ve pursued ever since."
Since then, she has co-founded two ventures—Synbiote, a DeepTech SynBio company, and Sörzero, the world’s first tea-based non-alcoholic beer, brewed right here in Sydney.
While growing these businesses, Alinta and her co-founder, Ismat, found a home at MCIC—a space that became more than just a workplace.
"Being part of the MCIC and sharing a space with others on the same journey has been invaluable for both our company and personal growth. It’s great to have a community there to support us on both the good days and bad."
A perfect example? Sörzero’s launch. They ran tasting sessions at MCIC, gathering feedback from the community. Over 37 test batches were shared, tasted, and refined before they landed on the winning formula—now sold across Sydney.
From pitching at MCIC at 19 to being featured in Australian Vogue in 2024 as a leading female shaping the future of innovation, Alinta is proof that a single opportunity can change everything.
Learn more about Synbiote here!
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Michael Crouch was an Australian inventor who revolutionised home water systems by bringing instant hot water into our homes. His vision led to the creation of the world’s first small instant water boiler, growing Zip Tap into a global empire.
In 2015, Michael had another bold vision—to create a space “to inspire in students a life of innovation.” With his philanthropic support, UNSW opened Australia’s first university-based innovation hub: the Michael Crouch Innovation Centre (MCIC).
Over the past 10 years, MCIC has become a hub for world-class innovation, supporting 50,000+ innovators and launching 1,000+ startups. In 2024, UNSW was named the most entrepreneurial university in the Asia-Pacific
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Photos from the MCIC 10 year anniversary celebrations
