University of Newcastle’s I2N named Australia’s most recommended startup accelerator

newy.com.au – The University of Newcastle’s Integrated Innovation Network (I2N) has been named Australia’s most recommended startup accelerator in a national survey by Startup Muster, which is billed as the largest survey of the nation’s startup ecosystem.

The recognition highlights the growing strength of the Hunter and Central Coast startup scene, with the university’s entrepreneurship and venture development unit credited with helping almost 200 emerging ventures raise capital, create jobs and inject millions of dollars in wages into the regional economy.

As the University of Newcastle’s entrepreneurship and venture development unit, I2N supports innovators, entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses by connecting them with community, customers, capital and coaching. Since it was established in 2016, the network has supported 188 startups and small businesses which have gone on to raise more than $62.7 million in capital, create 280 jobs and contribute $44.1 million in wages for the Hunter and Central Coast.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky said I2N had become a major drawcard for entrepreneurial thinking and investment in the region. “I2N is central to the University’s efforts to build and nurture an entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Professor Zelinsky said.

He said the Startup Muster result showed regional founders could now access high-level support without leaving the Hunter or Central Coast. “This achievement demonstrates that high-quality innovation support can thrive in regional Australia. Founders no longer need to relocate to Sydney or Melbourne to access world-class acceleration support – they can get that support right here in the Hunter and Central Coast.”

The Startup Muster accolade is the latest in a run of honours for the Integrated Innovation Network. In 2024, I2N won the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Activators of the Year award at the Asia Pacific Triple E Awards. At the 2023 Asia Pacific Triple E Awards, Acting Director of Knowledge Exchange and Entrepreneurship Siobhan Curran won the Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year award as well as the People’s Choice award in her category.

Curran said the Startup Muster result reflected the contribution of a broad community backing founders across the region. “Any recognition our I2N programs receive belongs to the people who make it possible – the mentors, coaches, industry partners and funding partners, including the NSW Government’s Boosting Business Innovation Program which has backed regional innovation since 2016,” she said.

She said being ranked the most recommended accelerator was especially meaningful because it came from within the startup sector itself. “Startup Muster’s national survey represents the voice of the startup community, so being named the number one startup accelerator validates that our regional approach is a competitive advantage.

“We’ve nurtured a close-knit community of entrepreneurs and innovators, established a network of accessible mentors, and created a culture of genuine collaboration. Those attributes will continue to serve us well as I2N heads into its 10th year in 2026.”

I2N supports startup founders, researchers and students by teaching essential business skills and helping them test ideas so their ventures can grow faster. The unit runs a suite of programs and engagement activities, including Grand Challenges, hackathons and its flagship Accelerator program for high-potential startups.

The university highlighted several ventures grown through the network as examples of I2N’s impact. Newcastle-based digital health startup Meno Mojo, founded by exercise scientist Amy Lombard and currently part of the 2025 Accelerator cohort, offers evidence-based strength training programs to support women through menopause, aiming to address gaps in women’s healthcare with physiologically grounded strategies for longevity.

Another alum, ByStorm Beauty, founded by Storm Menzies, focuses on adaptive cosmetic tools made from medical-grade silicone that snap onto existing makeup products. Refined through the I2N Accelerator, the venture has secured a strategic partnership with Booie Beauty, combining ByStorm’s National Disability Insurance Scheme-registered designs with mainstream beauty tools to support users with limited dexterity.

FemTech venture Hey Zomi, co-founded by I2N Accelerator alumni Mika Koelma and Zoe Fehlberg, has developed what it describes as Australia’s first locally manufactured reusable menstrual disc, made from medical-grade silicone and designed to offer up to 12 hours of protection. In 2025, the company secured a distribution agreement that will see its product stocked in more than 900 Woolworths supermarkets nationwide, while also working with charities to address period poverty and challenge menstrual stigma.

Expressions of interest for the 2026 cohort of I2N’s flagship Accelerator program are now open via the University of Newcastle’s website at www.newcastle.edu.au/accelerator
.