“I was always surrounded by young entrepreneurs”: Why UNSW makes up 25% of The Australian’s Top 100 Innovators for 2022

UNSW Top 100 Innovators: Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Dr Erin Watson, Joshua Ismin, Ajay Prakash, and Nicole Liu

Director of Entrepreneurship at the UNSW Founders Program, David Burt, reveals the important role universities play in equipping founders for startup success

With all net new jobs in Australia created by companies less than 10 years old, our universities must shape not just “job-ready” graduates but also “job-creating” graduates.

UNSW is committed to equipping the next generation of our entrepreneurs with the right skills, networks, and investment capital they need to grow their new business. We have a clear mission to be Australia’s most entrepreneurial university, ensuring our innovations and discoveries are translated into positive economic, social, and environmental impact. 

With inflation rates rising and Australia’s economy stumbling, new job creation is of the utmost importance. Australia’s entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our economy and as a university we need to support the people who are stepping up to start and lead our new companies.

David Burt hosting a panel with Xendit CEO and founder Moses Lo at UNSW Founders

Seeing a quarter of The Australian’s Top 100 Innovators affiliated with UNSW is a proud moment for us and shows the crucial role universities play in fostering Australia’s talent. As a world-class research university that had its beginnings as a technical college, we have a unique culture of innovation. This has resulted in alumni who know that great new ideas must also be put into practice. After all, it’s only through implementation that ideas have a positive impact on society. UNSW will continue to nurture these values as we develop the next generation of Australia’s leaders. 

The news of our strong representation in the Top 100 Innovators comes off the back of The Australian’s report that UNSW was ranked the best university overall for aspiring entrepreneurs with ~100 startup founders attracting VC funding. Some of the notable UNSW students, alumni and staff turned startup founders include: Airtasker co-founder and CEO Tim Fung, Atlassian co-founders and co-CEOs Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, and Afterpay co-founder and co-CEO Anthony Eisen.

At UNSW Founders, we offer Australia's most comprehensive university entrepreneurship program comprising multiple programs and services that can take ideas from the curiosity stage to a fast-growing startup. Since 2018 we’ve supported over 600 startups, and seed funded over 70 of them through our flagship 10x Accelerator programs. These seed-funded startups have gone on to raise over $70M in post-program funding and generated over $250 million in enterprise value since graduating.

But don’t just take my word for it. Here are some insights from some of the UNSW-affiliated startups and entrepreneurs to make the Top 100 Innovators list on how the university has helped them amplify their businesses.

Ajay Prakash – Founder of edtech startup, EntryLevel which offers graduates and job seekers virtual experiences at some of the best companies across the globe in order to get a foot in the door.

“I started my career as an entrepreneur when UNSW was finding its feet as a university supporting entrepreneurs. They had just started the UNSW Founders program, but it was clear they were seriously investing time and resources to support us. The biggest support for me was the community.

“I was only able to launch EntryLevel because of the 4 to 5 years in UNSW where I spent time launching and constantly failing at various endeavours. You want a place where it’s okay to fail and try things. UNSW has been great at challenging the status quo and opening doors for students to explore alternative pathways such as entrepreneurship as a viable career.”

Joshua Ismin – CEO and co-founder of Psylo, a preclinical biotech firm with ambitious plans to revolutionise the treatment of mental illness, using naturally occurring psychedelic drugs as the starting point.

"UNSW has been a cornerstone partner for the company, and the benefits we've seen have only grown since we moved on campus. The access to cutting edge infrastructure, networking and promotional support, and world-class scientific talent has been fundamental in taking the company from concept to reality."

Dr Erin Watson – Renowned public policy expert Dr Watson will this month launch a government relations and public policy firm, Baker and York. Dr Watson’s public profile rose when she won the Australian government’s Policy Hack competition in 2016.

“I was looking for a finance qualification that would give me specific technical and conceptual skills to provide a better offering to my clients.

“I already have a PhD in international entrepreneurship, but UNSW delivers a practical course that enables me to provide tangible outputs for businesses and governments across a range of policy areas including geopolitics, trust and safety, and international trade.”

Professor Veena Sahajwalla - Recently named NSW Australian of the Year, Professor Sahajwalla’s most notable invention – polymer injection technology – has diverted millions of old tyres from landfill globally. 

"Science and engineering are crucial disciplines in the innovation space and at the UNSW SMaRT Centre, we are driven to continue developing innovations that reform various waste streams often destined for landfill into new, value-added materials and products."

Nicole Liu – Founder of Kin Fertilty, a digital platform that helps women take control of their fertility journey. 

"UNSW was a melting pot of diverse people with big ambitions. Throughout my time there, I was always surrounded by young entrepreneurs who were running startups, applying what they were learning along the way. They definitely left a big impression on me."

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