The Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre (MEC) is the gateway to entrepreneurship at the University of Melbourne. The centre was formed in 2018 as part of a commitment to enrich the culture of entrepreneurship within the University and provide pathways to support the entrepreneurial leaders of the future. Our aim is to offer students, alumni, academics, industry, government and the general public opportunities to engage with and move innovation forward to create real-world impact. The Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre is part of the Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Melbourne.
The Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre is a gateway to discovering the entrepreneurship opportunities available at the University of Melbourne and oversees the MAP and TRAM programs, key tenants in Melbourne Connect. From pitch nights to hackathons, masterclasses, workshops and programs, it ensures partners are surrounded by the most outstanding emerging entrepreneurial talents whilst within the precinct.
Launched in 2012, the Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP) was one of the first startup accelerators in Australia, and in 2016 was ranked the 8th best University-aligned accelerator in the world. Powered by The University of Melbourne, we've supported over 200 startups, that have raised over $250 million in funding, generated over $200 million in revenue, and created over 1500 jobs.
Every year MAP invests in 10 of Australia’s most outstanding startups, equipping them with $20,000 equity-free funding, inner-city office space and access to Australia’s best business minds to help them accelerate their growth.
MAP also offers a range of additional programs and events to the broader startup ecosystem, including the Velocity Program (a part-time pre-accelerator program for early-stage founders), the Franklins (a female-founders network), the Master Class series, and a range of signature events including Australia’s premier entrepreneurial event, the Melbourne Entrepreneurship Gala.
Here are some of the success stories of startups whose journeys started at the MAP as well as a showcase reel of their annual Launch event, a highlight of the startup ecosystem calendar.
TRAM is Australia’s premier university-based research impact accelerator equipping participants with the skills and mindset to transform their research and inventions into products and services that have real-world impact.
It provides a gateway to research entrepreneurship and industry engagement for ambitious researchers and offers programs that are designed to quickly develop entrepreneurial thinking within proven frameworks to maximise the real-world impact of research-based projects. Participants of TRAM Track, TRAM Runway, and TRAM Air receive ongoing support, mentoring and access to office space.
Learn more about their TRAM Track, TRAMx, and TRAM Runway programs.
