Kate Cornick

Biography: Dr Kate Cornick, CEO LaunchVic Ltd Kate has considerable experience in both technology and innovation across startups, corporate, academia and government. In her time as the CEO of LaunchVic, Victoria’s lead startup agency, the sector has become a significant part of the Victorian economy. In 2022 Kate received the Global Policy Champion award at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) for exceptional leadership in developing policies to helps startups grow and ensure a thriving early-stage investment landscape in Victoria. She is the CEO and Investment Committee Member of the Alice Anderson Fund – a fund dedicated to supporting women founders, and also leads the Hugh Victor McKay Fund – a fund dedicated to supporting AgTech startups. She is also a Council Member of Charles Sturt University and Chair of the Investment Committee for the University of Melbourne’s Genesis Pre Seed Fund, Investment Committee Member. In 2024 Kate was selected by the Federal Government to be a Panel Member for the Strategic Examination of R&D – a once in a generation review of the national R&D system. The Panel is due to report in December 2025. Kate previously founded a human resources technology startup and led it through an ASX listing. She was also the Senior Telecommunications Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and worked as a General Manager at NBN Co. Kate has a PhD in optical telecommunications from the University of Melbourne.