Melbourne, A Melting Pot of Culture and Emerging Talent
Australia
Melbourne
Early-Globalization Phase
The Melbourne startup scene is flourishing through the convergence of ICT talent, growth in the number of startups, our commitment to inclusion, and the fact that we are one of the most liveable cities globally.
Sub-sector Strengths
Life Sciences
In 2015, Spinifex Pharma was acquired by Novartis for $200 million, plus a potential $500 million in milestone payments. Telix Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, went public in 2017 at a valuation of $98 million. Successes like these highlight the role of the BioMelbourne Network in fostering the Life Sciences sector, as well as the national Biomedical Translation Fund (BTF). In 2017, BTF awarded a $5.7 million grant to SummatiX, a medical informatics startup.
Edtech
Edtech is the fastest growing sub-sector in Melbourne. More than 10% of startups are targeting the education sector. The University of Melbourne is a leader in educational research and was ranked #6 globally by QS World University Rankings in education in 2018. The state of Victoria has a large proportion of high-growth companies in Edtech, with 15% of scaleups operating in the sub-sector. Study Loans received a $55 million cash injection in June 2018.
Why you should invest in Melbourne
SOFTWARE STARTUP OUTPUT
1k-1.4k
GLOBAL AVG.
1,010
ECOSYSTEM VALUE
$2.2 bn
GLOBAL AVG.
$5 bn
Top 20 Global Ecosystem
Connectedness
Top 25 Global Ecosystem
Talent
3
Exit Growth
INDEX
INDEX
7
Output Growth
INDEX
INDEX
6
Funding Growth
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Reasons to move your startup to Melbourne
Strong tech presence
Startups have access to corporate customers such as Alibaba, Google, Amazon which have all opened local offices. These have been joined by Fintech company Airwallex, which achieved unicorn status in 2019.
Inclusion
One-third of Melbourne’s founders are women, one in three founders are born overseas, and 2% of founders are from indigenous peoples—who are 1% of the total population.
Startup Community
Startup Genome
Partners & Members
ACMI X
BioMelbourne Network
Inspire9
Runway Geelong
Rome2rio
Startup Bootcamp
Startup Victoria
York Butter Factory
Featured Articles from
Local Ambassadors
Daniel Shaw-Dennis
Daniel has over 20 years’ experience in technology and digital transformation. He has passion and experience growing organizations, enjoys the occasional keynote and a frequent coffee.
Would you like to be an ambassador in Melbourne?
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Get connected
Are you interested in diving deeper into this ecosystem? Drop us a message. Our Ambassadors and Partners can plug you in.