What is The Fund?
The $15 million Fund aids researchers, students, and alumni in starting and growing startups, supporting them through the 'valley of death' to become investment-ready.
Our history
In September 2022, the University announced its intention to establish the Genesis Pre-Seed Fund with Breakthrough Victoria. We then set up the University’s dedicated venture team, opened an office in Melbourne Connect, invested over $3m into the University’s first pre-seed startup cohort (with over $4m from co-investors) and supported these founders with bespoke, specialist start-up support services to accelerate their growth and get them ready for their next funding round.
In July 2023, the University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund went live and the University now invests in pre-seed startups solely through the new fund.
Let us join you on the path to changing the world
Who is eligible?
The Fund invests in selected talented researchers, students, alumni, staff and honoraries (who are open to, or have already formed a startup or spin out company*) with a demonstrable link to the University of Melbourne, or our partners, to translate their research, Intellectual Property (IP) or invention into a startup
*Applicants don’t have to have formed a startup to be eligible for funding as the process of incorporating a new company can be covered within the Genesis fund
Researchers
Students
Honoraries
Alumni
Staff
Our terms
UoM Genesis Pre-Seed Fund will invest:
AU$15 million over 5 years
Up to AU$500k per startup
At pre-seed stage (TRL 4-6 and/or CRL 4-6)
In all sectors, including social purpose enterprises
Read our Investment Playbook
The Fund invests in startups from:
The University of Melbourne
Affiliated research institutes
Affiliated hospitals
Other industry partners (eg Cremorne Digital Hub)
*For further information, read our Investment Playbook for details of the Fund’s settings and key terms.
Up to 20 per cent of the Fund's capital is available for eligible Social Purpose Enterprises where:
The investment will be used to create a viable, ongoing business model enabling social impact to be sustainable .
There is capacity to generate sufficient revenue to repay the investment over time.
Our team
The Investment team are startup specialists, with experience in research, venture and entrepreneurship.
Hun Gan, CEO
University of Melbourne Genesis
Pre-Seed Fund
Hun brings strong startup experience and technology expertise to the investment team having invested in, led, mentored and grown over 30 deep tech startup companies out of universities, research organisations such as National ICT Australia (NICTA) and CSIRO, of which Audinate, Chrysos, Smart Digital Optics are just a few examples.
Dr Brian Pang
Investment Manager (Tech and Physical Sciences)
Dr Brian Pang has extensive experience across investment management and technology commercialisation. Brian draws from his experiences, including as a co-founder of Brain Builder Mathematics School, to enable the successful commercialisation of startups as a Venture Creator. As an Investments Manager at EDB Investments in Singapore, he managed a Clean Technologies portfolio. Brian’s wide-ranging work has allowed him to develop his experience across engineering-related sectors.
Dr Winnie Gao
Investment Associate (Life Sciences)
Winnie holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Science from MIPs, Monash University. She worked at AdAlta, a clinical stage biotechnology company where she co-led several research projects and spanned research and development and business development teams. Winnie has also worked closely with IP attorneys on in and out-licensing. She is a knowledgeable venture creator within the Genesis team.
Lorraine Daly
Administration Support Officer
Lorraine Daly brings a wealth of administrative expertise to her role as an Admin Support Officer for The Fund. Prior to this Lorraine served as Admin/Executive Support at the Commission for Children and Young People, providing executive-level support. Lorraine plays a pivotal role in supporting Hun Gan, ensuring the smooth operation of day-to-day activities and facilitating efficient communication within The Fund.
The investment committee and board
The investment committee and board is the working group that make decisions about whether a startup will receive investment from The Fund.
Investment comittee
Professor Kate Cornick– CEO, LaunchVIC (Independent Chair)
Andrew Wilkie – Senior Director, Private Equity - Growth Capital, Breakthrough Victoria
Dr Olga Hogan – Senior Director, Pre-Seed, Breakthrough Victoria
Professor Colin McLeod – Executive Director, Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre (University of Melbourne representative)
Ivan Mellado – Managing Director Mellado & Co (University of Melbourne representative)
Dr Andrew Mclean – Managing Partner Tin Alley Ventures (Observer member)
The Board
Ken Jefferd - Managing Director, UM Commercialisation Managing Director, RIC
Allan Tait - Co-Chair, AIID Chair, UM Commercialisation Director, Doherty Clinical Trials
Sabine Dejey - Director, EdConnect Founder, BabelBooks Ex-CEO, Scale Investors
Lauren Morrey – Chief Operating Officer, Breakthrough Victoria, Director FBIDEAs
Jenny Petering - Independent Director, Partner, FB Rice, Mentor Scale, Angels Senior Fellow, Monash Faculty of Law
