Australia's Inter-School Startup Competition

IDEASDON'TBUILDTHEMSELVES

THE FOUNDER'S CUP is a 10-week program that turns student ideas into investor-ready ventures, culminating in a live inter-school competition judged by South Australia's leading investors and founders.

Register Your School How It Works
10
Week Program
8+
Schools Competing
$10K
In Prizes
// Why The Founder's Cup Exists

SCHOOLS TEACH
HISTORY.
THE FUTURE
IS UNSCRIPTED.

The economy students are entering rewards one skill above all others: the ability to find a problem worth solving and actually solve it. Not write an essay about it. Solve it.

NAB's 2025 research shows nearly half of Australian secondary students want to start their own business — up sharply from one in three just two years ago. The ambition is there. The education isn't keeping up.

"Everyone has the potential to be an entrepreneur. They just need the tools to build."
— Luke Lombe, Founder, THE FOUNDER'S CUP

The Founder's Cup was built to close that gap. Real mentors. Real deadlines. Real consequences. Culminating in the only thing that separates performance from preparation: standing in front of investors and defending your idea.

47%
of Australian secondary students want to start their own business — up from 35% in 2023
60%
define success as a balanced life between work, study and pleasure — not just a career
10
weeks from first idea to investor-ready pitch deck, with real mentors every step
150+
parent mentors with C-suite, founder and investor experience available to students

Source: NAB Economics Education Insights Series, April 2025

// The Process

FORGED IN
THREE STAGES

01
The 10-Week Program
Students complete a structured 10-week curriculum — from problem identification through customer discovery, financial modelling and pitch development. Each week, a domain-expert mentor joins the session. Progress is tracked. Deliverables are real.
02
School Qualifier
Each school runs its own internal Demo Day to select their best ventures for the inter-school competition. Judged by a panel of parent mentors and local business leaders. The top teams advance to the state competition.
03
The Founder's Cup Finals
Schools go head-to-head at the annual The Founder's Cup Finals — a live competition before a panel of South Australian investors, founders, and university partners. Winners walk away with real prizes, real pathways, and real momentum.
// 10-Week Curriculum

FROM FIRST IDEA
TO FUNDED VENTURE

Each week builds on the last. Each deliverable feeds the final pitch. No filler. No theory for its own sake.

Week 01
Problem Definition
Identify real problems worth solving. Evidence-based problem statements.
Week 02
Customer Discovery
5+ real customer interviews using The Mom Test framework.
Week 03
Market Analysis
TAM/SAM/SOM, competitive landscape, market sizing.
Week 04
Solution Design
MVP thinking, prototyping, feature prioritisation.
Week 05
Value Proposition
Value Proposition Canvas. Why you, why now.
Week 06
Business Model
Business Model Canvas, revenue models, pricing strategy.
Week 07
Financial Modelling
Unit economics, 3-year projections, break-even analysis.
Week 08
Go-to-Market
Channel strategy, customer acquisition, 30-day launch plan.
Week 09
Pitch Development
Storytelling, deck structure, investor perspective.
Week 10
Demo Day
School qualifier. Live pitches. Panel judges. Top ventures advance to The Founder's Cup Finals.
// The Competition

WHERE SCHOOLS
SETTLE THE
ARGUMENT

The The Founder's Cup Finals isn't a school awards night. It's a live investment competition with real judges, real stakes, and real prizes. Teams have 5 minutes to pitch their venture and 3 minutes to defend it.

The judging panel is drawn from Australia's active investor and founder community — people who have built and backed real companies, and know exactly what they're looking for.

Winning isn't about the best presentation. It's about the most compelling idea, the most rigorous thinking, and the best answer to the hardest question in the room.

The best ventures don't stop at Demo Day. Top teams are connected to the Lot Fourteen startup ecosystem, university accelerator programs, and The Founder's Cup's investor network for continued development.

P1
Term 2
School Programs Run
All enrolled schools run the 10-week program simultaneously. Same curriculum, same deliverables, same standards. Competition begins in the preparation.
P2
Week 10
School Qualifier
Each school selects their top 2–3 ventures via internal Demo Day. Teams advance to state finals and find out which schools they're competing against.
P3
Term 3
The Founder's Cup Finals
State final. All finalist teams pitch to a live audience of 200+ parents, teachers, investors, and guests. Winners announced. Adventures continue.
// What Winners Earn

PRIZES WITH
ACTUAL WEIGHT

Grand Prize
$5,000
Founder's Cup Grand Champion
  • Cash prize for venture development
  • 3-month Lot Fourteen incubation spot
  • Direct introductions to 5 SA angel investors
  • University accelerator pathway
  • InDaily and media feature coverage
  • Founding school trophy + perpetual plaque
Runner-Up
$2,500
Founder's Cup Finalist
  • Cash prize for venture development
  • University mentorship program access
  • Investor network introductions
  • Founder's Cup alumni network membership
Special Awards
3 ×
Category Awards
  • Social Impact Award ($1,000)
  • Most Validated Idea Award ($1,000)
  • People's Choice Award ($500)
  • All category winners receive alumni benefits
// The Ecosystem

CONNECTED TO
WHAT COMES
AFTER SCHOOL

The Founder's Cup bridges the gap between the classroom and the real startup ecosystem. Relationships that would take years to build on your own, available from day one.

University Partners Pathways
FT
Accelerator Fast-Track
Top Founder's Cup graduates receive direct pathways into university startup accelerator programs — no cold applications, no waiting lists.
RC
Researcher Mentorship
Ventures with IP or deep-tech components are connected with university research teams and commercialisation offices.
Investor Network Real Capital
AN
Angel Network Access
The Founder's Cup Finals judges are active SA angel investors. The best ventures aren't shown the door — they're introduced to capital ready to back them.
L14
Lot Fourteen Pipeline
Adelaide's premier startup precinct is a Founder's Cup partner. Grand prize winners receive a place in the ecosystem with desk space, community, and deal flow.
// The Mentor Model

INDUSTRY
EXPERTISE IN
THE ROOM

The secret weapon isn't the curriculum. It's the parents. Every independent school has a community of extraordinary professionals — founders, investors, executives, consultants — who've never been given a structured way to contribute. The Founder's Cup unlocks that.

Weekly Expert
Topic Mentors
Commitment: 1 hour only
Domain experts who join for a single session. A CFO for financial modelling week. A VC for pitch week. A UX researcher for customer discovery. Expert guidance at the exact moment it's needed.
  • One 60-minute session
  • Briefed on session content in advance
  • Minimal prep required
  • Connect with future talent
Full Program
Program Mentors
Commitment: 10–20 hours across 10 weeks
Dedicated advisors who work with 3–4 students across the full program. They review deliverables, provide accountability, and connect students with their professional network when the venture warrants it.
  • 1–2 hours per week
  • Deep relationship with student ventures
  • Attends Demo Day to support mentees
  • Ideal: founder, early employee, or investor
// For Schools

YOUR STUDENTS
DESERVE A
REAL ARENA

The Founder's Cup is designed for independent schools with a parent community of professionals willing to mentor. We do the curriculum design, delivery support, and program coordination. You bring the students and the mentors.

Founding School Cohort — 2026
The first cohort is limited to 8 schools. Founding schools shape the competition format and permanently hold a seat on the Founder's Cup advisory board.
Register Your School
// What Schools Get
CX—
Complete Curriculum Package Facilitator guides, student workbooks, weekly session plans, and assessment rubrics. Ready to run.
MR—
Mentor Recruitment Support Scripts, briefing documents, and a proven parent outreach model to recruit both weekly experts and program mentors.
CE—
Competition Entry All schools compete in the annual The Founder's Cup Finals. Finalist teams represent your school in the state competition.
NA—
Network Access Your students tap into the university and investor partner network regardless of whether they win the final.
DP—
Digital Platform Student and mentor portals for tracking progress, submitting deliverables, and communicating with mentors throughout the program.
// 2027 Program Calendar

2027

Feb 2027
School Enrolment Opens
First cohort applications accepted. Founding school spots secured. Mentor recruitment begins across all enrolled schools.
Apr 2027
Programs Launch — Term 2
All schools begin the 10-week program simultaneously. Student applications due. Mentor pairs confirmed. Week 1 sessions begin.
Jun 2027
School Demo Days
Each school runs its internal qualifier. The top 2–3 ventures per school advance to the The Founder's Cup Finals. Finalist teams announced.
Aug 2027
The Founder's Cup Finals — State Competition
The annual inter-school competition. Live pitches. Investor panel. 200+ guests. Winners announced. Prizes and pathways awarded. The night SA's school entrepreneurship community waits for all year.
Sep 2027
Post-Competition Pathways
Winners introduced to Lot Fourteen, university accelerators, and angel investors. Venture development continues beyond the classroom for the best ideas.
// Get Involved

EIGHT SPOTS.
ONE COHORT.
NO SECOND
CHANCES.

In discussions with a leading SA independent school for a 2026 pilot. The 2027 founding cohort opens to 8 schools — filled by conversation, not application. If this is the right fit, let's talk.

Register Your School Become a Mentor