The prize recognises excellence in financial modelling and strategic clarity among emerging founders in the Genesis accelerator program at the University of Sydney’s Business School. BackPro AI provides compliant on-premises LLM solutions for organisations operating in regulated industries like financial services and insurance, who are unable to use public LLMs like ChatGPT, to improve productivity and ROI. By developing a coherent financial model incorporating various scenarios, BackPro AI were able to demonstrate a clear pathway to achieve their revenue goals.

The award is the result of a unique partnership between MLC and Genesis, the University of Sydney’s flagship startup accelerator, designed to help founders build confidence and capability in financial planning from the earliest stages of their entrepreneurial journey. Launched in August, the MLC Financial Clarity Prize aims to reward the startup team who developed the most clear and compelling three-year financial model aligned to their strategy and funding milestones. The initiative reflects a shared commitment to empowering founders with the foundational financial skills essential for business success.

Genesis, which has supported over 1,000 startups since 2008, incorporated the prize into its 12-week program. To support the startups in building their financial models, all participating startups received a template financial model designed by MLC, attended a workshop, and benefited from one-on-one mentoring with experienced finance professionals at MLC.

Andrew Howard, Strategy & Innovation Director at Insignia Financial/MLC, said: “With 138 years’ experience in supporting Australians with their financial needs, partnering with Genesis to empower their founders to deliver tangible financial models was a no-brainer for MLC.

“At MLC, we know financial clarity is the foundation of confidence, whether you’re planning for retirement or building a business. Great ideas need great financial plans to succeed, and we were so impressed with the calibre of all the startups. Congratulations to BackPro AI as the inaugural winners of the MLC Financial Clarity Prize – we can’t wait to see what you do next.

“We’re excited to support the University of Sydney’s Genesis program again in 2026 with another MLC Financial Clarity prize.”

Anna Fitzgerald, Co-Head of Genesis, commented: “The MLC Financial Clarity Prize is about much more than money – it’s about mindset. With MLC’s support, we’ve motivated and rewarded our founders for building financial clarity into their startup from day one, and empowered them with the tools and mindset needed to turn their ideas into sustainable businesses.”

Krish Singh, Co-Founder and CEO at BackPro AI, said: “The Genesis accelerator program has been transformative for Ethan Dodson, Mansh Maxena and me as founders, and the support we received – especially around financial modelling – was incredibly helpful. We have a vision of ensuring smaller financial firms remain competitive by enabling them to use compliant AI to increase productivity and ROI. Winning the MLC Financial Clarity Prize validates our goal to build an enduring profitable business and deliver our vision.”

The post BackPro AI wins prestigious MLC Financial Clarity Prize at Genesis Finale appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Founders of the 10 startups featured in Genesis Cohort 35 earlier this year. 

A new partnership between Genesis, the University of Sydney’s flagship startup accelerator, and wealth management firm MLC is offering startup founders a $5000 award for excellence in startup financial modelling.

The MLC Financial Clarity Prize will be awarded to the Genesis participant who develops the most clear and compelling three-year financial model aligned to their startup strategy and funding milestones.

The prize aims to help emerging founders develop the skills and confidence to take control of their business finances from the very beginning.

Ashton Jones, Director of Customer Innovation at MLC, said: “At MLC, we know financial clarity is the foundation of confidence, whether you’re planning for retirement or building a business. That’s why we’re proud to support the next generation of founders through this partnership with Genesis. We believe great ideas need great financial plans to succeed, and we’re excited to reward and recognise those who are developing that capability early in their journey.”

Anna Fitzgerald, Co-Head of Genesis, said: “This prize is about much more than money, it’s about mindset. Financial models are one of the hardest and most important tools a founder can develop. With MLC’s support, we’re able to motivate and reward our founders for building clarity into their startup right from the beginning. We expect this will give them better funding options as a result.”

Matt Bright, Co-Head of Genesis, added: “We’re thrilled to partner with a values-aligned organisation like MLC to deliver this prize. It brings together our shared commitment to capability building, confidence and community impact. We can’t wait to see what our founders produce.”

The first-ever MLC Financial Clarity Prize will be awarded at the finale of the university’s 10-week accelerator program this year. The program runs bi-annually and applications for the next cohort close on August 10.

Genesis is the University of Sydney’s flagship accelerator program, based in the Business School’s Discipline of Strategy, Innovation & Entrepreneurship. It supports startup founders through mentoring, education and connection with a supportive entrepreneurial community.

Since 2008, Genesis has supported over one thousand University of Sydney alumni, students and staff to accelerate their startups. Genesis alumni have raised over $50 million in funding and been accepted into programs such as Y Combinator, the Hult Prize Foundation Global Accelerator and StartX by Stanford.

The Genesis program culminates in a finale where the top five startups pitch to win $30,000 of equity-free funding, and other prizes and support opportunities. Applications for the next cohort close August 10. Apply now.

The post Genesis launches $5,000 MLC prize for startup founders appeared first on AdviserVoice.