Sydney is becoming an increasingly popular choice for start-ups in Australia. New South Wales, the state in which the city lies, has been deemed ‘Australia’s start-up capital’ and is home to 48% of new businesses in the country. According to the latest research from Start-Up Muster, Sydney accounts for 12% of the country’s start-ups – more than any other city in Australia. In the last two years in particular it has seen substantial growth in entrepreneurship. The start-up scene is now as big as those in Paris, Tel Aviv and Singapore.
With growing support networks popping up across the city, Sydney is fast becoming the place to be for entrepreneurs and new businesses Down Under.
In order to support this, Instant Offices has created a google maps mashup highlighting some of the best start-up accelerators, office space options and the hottest start-ups in Sydney at the moment.
Hottest Start-ups in Sydney
TECHNOLOGY
- Renting Smart – Landlord software and support to help with the professional running of lettings.
- Productify – A real-time hosted app that simplifies the managing of product information.
- Bubble Gum Interactive – An independent game developer that provides mobile and gaming solutions.
- Maestrano – An advanced cloud computing service for SMEs.
- Atlassian – A community of innovators who build and launch new software across the world.
- The App Village – A community of developers, designers, marketers and investors who create a range of game-changing apps.
- AirService – A mobile ordering platform that allows customers to browse menus and order straight from their devices.
- DesignCrowd – An online marketplace for freelance graphic designers and design studios from around the world.
RETAIL
- I Love Tech – Specialised online retailer selling unique and funky tech gadgets and accessories.
- George and King – Premier internet retailer of made-to-measure suits and shirts.
- You Chews – Catering curators that find great food for meetings, events and functions.
- IFLYflat – A loyalty program concierge that optimises user frequent flyer points so they can fly premium cabins at their leisure.
- The 360 Mall – A virtual online shopping centre that brings together the popular aspects of physical shopping with the ease of online shopping.
- Food Orbit – Sustainable food system that helps chefs and restaurants buy and sell locally sourced food.
NETWORKING
- ENYA – The Enterprise Network for Young Australians is a non-profit that supports the participation of young people in enterprise.
- Sportaroo – A crowd sponsorship platform for sports, connecting athletes, fans and businesses.
- Tinybeans – A nurture network helping families raise their children.
- Airtasker – A community marketplace for people to outsource tasks, find services and do flexible jobs to earn money.
Featured Accelerators and Incubators
- BlueChilli – Partners with entrepreneurs to help build, grow and invest in their new tech start-up businesses.
- PushStart – A community-first organisation that starts and grows services based on the needs of start-ups and entrepreneurs in Australia.
- muru-D – The start-up accelerator backed by Telstra. They seek to support the very best digital talent the Australasian region has to offer.
- Ignition Labs – Draws from a pool of mentors, each with entrepreneurial skills and experience in the health and medical technology industry. A mentor is married to each project, acting like a case manager to ensure you’re always headed in the right direction.
- Pollenizer – Builds incubation and acceleration programs that help entrepreneurs and big companies all over the world get started with high growth, tech-powered businesses.
- ATP Innovations – Australia’s leading business incubator. They partner with technology based businesses to help them achieve success as quickly as possible.
- Green Lane Digital – Invests directly in Australia’s best technology entrepreneurs and businesses by providing venture capital and angel investment. Their focus is on investing in, and working with, start-ups and early stage businesses in the online and mobile spaces.
- Fishburners – Aims to bring together the best start-ups in Australia and help grow the tech scene in Sydney. They differ from other coworking spaces as they are a non-profit that is fully supported by the community as well as sponsors. This means they can offer one of the cheapest coworking memberships in Sydney.
- CtechBA – A group of leading entrepreneurs with experience in commercialising technology. They identify promising emerging technologies and support them over and around the barriers and vested interests that impede progress towards achieving successful businesses.
- Startmate – A network of founders offering mentorship and seed financing to technical teams creating global Internet start-ups from Australia.
Top Areas for Start-ups in Sydney
- Sydney CBD: Sydney’s bustling CBD and financial hub is the largest in Australia, and is home to most of the large corporations in the city. A number of Asia-Pacific corporations are also headquartered here, letting start-ups rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in their industries. The CBD is also home to the highest number of coworking spaces and meet-ups in the city.
- Northern Sydney: While businesses from across all industries can be found in Northern Sydney, this area is the IT hub of the city and typically attracts both start-ups and large IT companies including Panasonic, Microsoft and HP. Macquarie Park, a suburb in Northern Sydney, is also an important commercial centre, attracting businesses with its prestige, local amenities and beautiful surroundings.
- City South / Surry Hills: Surry Hills, just south-east of the CBD, is dominated by creative industries like fashion and design. It’s also the city’s main fashion wholesale centre and has a growing start-up base. Surry Hills is within walking distance of the CBD, and is also part of a growing cycle network. Central railway station, the largest station in Australia, can be found on the western edge of the area, and provides links across the city.
Sydney’s start-up community has carved out a niche that is distinctly different from that of Silicone Valley and other global hubs. With more product and people led ventures, Sydney offers entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to be part of a quickly growing start-up ecosystem of people looking to make a name for themselves. If you’re looking for office space in Sydney or would like to find out more about the city, you can contact Instant Offices’ local consultants, who would be happy to offer you expert advice.
If you’re a start-up and would like to be featured, please email us at [email protected].