Kinesis Pre-Accelerator
A lab-embedded program for Victoria's deep tech founders.
Kinesis is a pre-accelerator designed to bring promising minds into the CoLabs circle and support emerging founders and startups to investigate and validate bold ideas. This we believe will build the foundations for ventures with real-world impact.
The Grand Challenges are what we at CoLabs define as the world’s most critical challenges of our time that require breakthrough solutions.
Through Stanford Biodesign structured education and Industry based expert mentorship, The program aims to strengthen Victoria’s startup ecosystem by enabling founders to progress from idea and early-validation stages toward investment readiness, accelerator participation and sustainable business growth. It addresses a critical gap in the founder support landscape: the period before a startup is ready for a formal accelerator, when the need for structured guidance, peer community and industry connections is highest.
Kinesis is supported through Innovation Victoria funding and will be delivered by CoLabs Australia across two cohorts between June 2026 and August 2027. CoLabs Australia brings established networks across Victoria’s startup, university and innovation ecosystems and has a track record of building high-quality founder communities.
Health and wellbeing
Creating healthier, more equitable futures through technologies, services and systems that prevent harm, improve care and strengthen wellbeing across communities
Energy, materials and critical minerals
Reimaging how we power, build and manufacture through clean energy, responsible resource use and regenerative materials that reduce dependence on extractive systems
Food, agriculture and water
Building resilient food and water systems that nourish growing populations and restore ecosystems
Climate, circularity and resilient places
Designing circular, adaptive solutions that turn waste into value, respond to climate change and help communities, industries and ecosystems thrive together
Why Kinesis?
Most pre-accelerators are classroom-based and built for software ventures. Lab-dependent startups – particularly in applied biology – are left without programs suited to how they actually work, which means delays, early failure, or relocation offshore.
Kinesis closes that gap. It provides in-kind access to laboratory and workspace infrastructure alongside structured ecosystem connectivity – linking you to industry partners, investors and specialist mentors. The program is inspired by the Stanford Biodesign methodology, which insists on one discipline above all: validate a real-world problem before you commit to building a solution.
Who's it for?
- Founders at idea → pre-seed stage
- Researchers and students exploring venture pathways
- Operators transitioning into venture building
- Individuals or early teams working on complex, system-level challenges
How the program works
Kinesis follows a three-phase Biodesign-inspired framework, adapted for deep tech conditions:
- Identify: Rigorously define and validate unmet needs – through research, expert interviews, market sizing and competitive analysis – before committing to a solution.
- Invent: Develop and iterate solution concepts, tested against technical feasibility, differentiation and stakeholder value through experimentation and structured feedback.
- Implement: Translate validated concepts into credible commercial pathways – covering IP, regulation, manufacturing, go-to-market and investor readiness.
Each cohort spans roughly 24 calendar weeks of delivery (allowing for holiday breaks), is supported by ongoing mentoring, and concludes with an investor and industry Demo Day. Graduates transition to alumni status with continued access to the infrastructure and 12 months of post-program support.
What founders get
- Lab and workspace access at CoLabs’ PC2 facilities
- A structured, Biodesign-led curriculum
- Ongoing mentoring from specialist mentors
- Industry and investor connections
- A Demo Day showcase to investors and industry
Key Details
| Format | In-person, lab-embedded at CoLabs’ PC2 laboratory and co-working facilities in Victoria |
| Duration | 20-week structured program per cohort, delivered across two cohorts |
| Cohort size | Up to 8 startup teams per cohort |
| Sectors | Applied biology, AI-enabled and deep tech – across health, agriculture, advanced manufacturing and sustainability |
| Cost to participants | $3,000 upfront, with $1,000 refunded on completion – Partial scholarships available |
Timing
| Stage | Cohort 1 |
|---|---|
| Recruitment and selection | August – October 2026 |
| Program delivery begins | October 2026 |
| Demo Day | April 2027 |
Powered by Innovation Victoria
Kinesis is supported by Innovation Victoria, Victoria’s startup agency, and delivered by CoLabs – a trusted provider of PC2 laboratory infrastructure and an established deep tech ecosystem builder. We bring the labs, the network, and the operational experience to help Victoria’s most technical founders move from curiosity to validated venture.
Apply for the Kinesis Program