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Free National Program Aims To Turn 1,500 Australians Into AI Founders
iTWire reports on SMEC AI's fifth AI Pathfinder cohort and its push to turn 1,500 industry experts into AI founders.
First published by iTWire. Summarised here by SMEC AI.
In brief
iTWire reported on 15 September 2026 on SMEC AI's fifth AI Pathfinder cohort and the aim of turning 1,500 industry experts into AI founders. The number is a target for applications, not a claim that 1,500 companies have already been built. SMEC AI's own wording is that the program is free and national, and that it wants founders who understand a sector before they understand a model. The iTWire story is the publisher's report. This page does not reproduce it. Cohort 5 has started and that round of applications is closed. The original article is still on iTWire.