The Genesis Program at the University of Sydney is more than just an accelerator — it's a launchpad for ambitious founders and a learning hub for mentors who want to give back and grow alongside early-stage startups.

It has supported more than 1,000 startups with a proven track record. Throughout its 15+ years of history, the success rate of startups from Genesis is 60%. Comparing that with the industry average of 10% success rate, it is clear that Genesis helps prepare startups to win.

As a mentor in Genesis, you get a front-row seat to innovation — and the chance to play a meaningful role in helping ventures go from 0 to 1.

Program Structure: How Genesis Works

The heart of the Genesis program is built around three Goal Nights, spread across 12 weeks. 

Each session brings together:

• ~10 startups across a range of industries
• ~10 mentors with deep operational or investment experience

Here’s how each Goal Night works:

1. Startup Progress Sharing
Each startup presents a short update on its primary goals, recent progress, and blockers.

2. Mentor Rotations
Startups then rotate around mentors in a series of focused conversations — getting actionable advice, fresh perspectives, and industry insight.

3. Ongoing Support
Founders are encouraged to reach out between sessions for deeper guidance or support. It’s optional, but often where the real mentorship takes root.

At the end, it all comes together at the Genesis Finale, where 5 selected startups will present in front of 150+ attendees. The winner takes home a $30,000 cash prize.

What I learnt from Genesis as a Mentor

I’ve been part of Genesis as a Mentor for 20+ startups across 2 cohorts in the past 10 months, and here’s what I’ve learnt:

1. Great founders come from all backgrounds

Startups in Genesis are tackling real-world problems in fintech, edtech, AI, biotech, medtech, and more.

Each founder shares one thing in common: they’re building something from scratch. That energy is contagious — and incredibly inspiring.

As a mentor, you’re exposed to a diverse set of problems and industries, which keeps you learning, too.

If you are in the startup space in Australia, this should give you signals that the entrepreneurship spirit is strong and growing in Australia.

2. Mentors want to see you win

Genesis consistently attracts experienced mentors — often founders, operators, or investors with 10+ years of experience in building or backing startups.

When 10 mentors show up, that’s 100+ years of collective knowledge in the room. And it’s all accessible to the startups.

You learn just as much from your fellow mentors as you do from the founders — it's a powerful ecosystem.

What surprised me was how personally invested every mentor is in nurturing startups that they meet for the first time.

The attitude of wanting to see others grow and win is what I believe to be one of the most important traits of a mentor.

3. Being an advisor reveals what is important

When you’re outside the day-to-day of a startup, you’re reminded that a great product is only one piece of the puzzle.

You need a clear go-to-market.
Good legal and governance structure.
Understanding and ownership of your IP.
A financial plan and a path to monetisation.
And above all, a great team with curiosity, humility, and drive.

Genesis helps founders see these fundamentals early and helps mentors sharpen their own frameworks by articulating them.

Being a mentor reminds you of what matters. It’s more than just a product, it’s everything in your company working together seamlessly.

4. A Culture of Being Metric-Driven

Each startup in Genesis is encouraged to define and report clear, trackable goals — ideally focused on a primary metric like user growth, engagement, revenue, or retention.

This habit helps founders measure progress realistically. It also helps mentors give more grounded advice, focused on what’s moving the needle.

Recommend this blog from Emily Bobis (one of the OG mentors in Genesis) talking about the idea of net new and retention metrics.

👥 Final Thoughts

Being a mentor at Genesis is a rare kind of professional experience. It blends:

Tactical mentoring

Strategic conversations

And a chance to learn from driven people, all while giving back to the startup community

Whether you're a founder, operator, or investor, if you’re curious about supporting early-stage teams while staying close to innovation, Genesis is a program worth being part of.

Apply now: https://www.sydney.edu.au/business/study/student-experience/sydney-genesis.html