South Australia’s capital city Adelaide is a tourist drawcard, boasting a vibrant events calendar, food and small bar scene, and proximity to world-class wine regions and beaches. However, it’s increasingly the business community that’s making headlines. Tech giants including Amazon (AWS) and Microsoft Azure have established offices in Adelaide and a growing number of South Australian startups are finding global success. These include SWEAT, a global fitness software company founded in Adelaide, and Life Whisperer, which uses AI to improve IVF outcomes.
 
Adelaide knows how to play to its strengths, translating findings from world-class research institutes into innovative products and services. Agriculture, health, defense, and Spacetech are all thriving here. The ecosystem is also a global leader in renewable energy, with South Australia having transformed its energy system from 1% to over 70% from renewables since 2006. More broadly, South Australia boasts significant energy, sustainability, and Climatetech activity. Local Climatetech startups include ValAi — a data-driven platform helping customers track, certify, and reduce emissions — and XDI, which allows users to predict and mitigate the impact of climate change on their businesses and infrastructure. Both have showcased their innovations at United Nations Climate Change Conferences in recent years.

A network of innovation districts provides dedicated physical, digital, and social infrastructure to accelerate new ideas into widespread economic outcomes.  The South Australian Government’s Department for Industry, Innovation and Science provides advice and support to founders, including administering competitive Seed-Start grants of between AU$50,000–$500,000 ($33,800–$338,000) to high growth potential businesses.