Programs

No, and most of ours aren't. We've had law, engineering and art students build some of the strongest ventures in the room. What we look for is students who think outside the box, and that turns up in every subject. If a student is curious and willing to have a go, they'll do well.

Most school projects end with a submission. Ours end with a business idea that wants to continue the following week. In fact, 83% of our students finish having met a real investor, up from 5% when they walked in.

Most teams start with nothing, and honestly that's the easier place to begin. We open with design thinking, generating ideas and working out which problems are actually worth solving. Students who arrive already attached to an idea tend to spend the first weeks defending it instead of testing it.

Students build high-demand skills from financial literacy, communication and creativity. Many of these are transferable, and can accelerate into careers of STEM and entrepreneurship. In fact, 9 in 10 can name the skills a startup demands by the end, up from half at the start.

Every session is led by a young entrepreneur or an industry professional, so the examples come from real-world experience rather than a textbook. Sessions run in person or online depending on the program.

• 20% theory. We cover the concept quickly and move on.
• 70% application. Your students use the tool on their own venture, in the room, that session.
• 10% share back. Teams show what they built and get feedback before they leave.

We run structured office hours and bring the mentors together at once, so teams get dedicated time with founders, operators and investors. It's built so your students arrive with a real problem rather than sitting and listening to a panel.

Given their industry experience and exposure, the advice is often grounded in reality and specific to the venture in front of them. 83% of students finish the program, with mentors they can call on directly.

We have a 100+ industry network of founders, operators and investors. Every mentor clears the same checks before they meet a student, and they are matched to teams based on what each venture needs.

• Current Working with Children Check
• Verified industry experience as a founder, operator or investor
• Matched to a team based on the venture's stage and sector

Our judging panel includes investors, philanthropists and local council, so the room is full of people who can either fund the idea or help make it happen. They're assessing three things, and evidence matters more than polish in all of them.

Every student leaves with more than a certificate, and for most of ours it's access they'd never otherwise get.

• A network of 100+ founders, operators and investors they can actually call on
• A chance to win funding, straight to the team rather than the school
• Mentorship, workshops and industry excursions for teams who don't take the top prize
• A real pitch to industry guests and investors, done before they've finished school

Yes, but it depends! Certain cohorts have a fund attached, others don't, so it depends on the program your school joins. Where funding is available, it goes straight to the team, so your students decide how it gets spent.

• Launch grant, $500 — Awarded to winning teams at the end of the program
• Scale grant, up to $1,500 — Available twelve months after the launch grant, for teams still building
• Follow-on grants — Considered at twenty-four months, for ventures with real momentum

Future Minds keep the connections to every mentor, founder and investor they met through us, and those relationships tend to outlast the program itself.

Teams still building at twelve months can be considered for a follow-on grant, so we can reinvest in the ones with momentum. Many alumni even come back as mentors for the next cohort.