🇦🇺 Startup ecosystem in Australia
The Open Ecosystem Atlas lists 48 organisations and people supporting startup founders in Australia: 11 investors, 16 programs, 14 media, 3 corporates and 4 startups & venues. Most are based in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. 24 of them are free to reach.
Open in the Atlas mapInvestors in Australia · 11
Blackbird Ventures
VC · Sydney
ANZ’s largest venture firm, backers of Canva.
Offers: investment
AirTree Ventures
VC · Sydney
Leading early-stage ANZ venture firm.
Offers: investment
Square Peg Capital
VC · Sydney and Melbourne
Global fund from Australia investing across ANZ, Israel and SEA.
Offers: investment
Main Sequence
VC · Sydney
Deep tech fund founded by CSIRO, turning national science into companies.
Offers: investment
Folklore Ventures
VC · Sydney
Early-stage firm known for founder-first practices.
Offers: investment
Sydney Angels
Angel · Sydney
The established angel investment group for NSW early-stage companies.
Offers: investment
Melbourne Angels
Angel · Melbourne
Victoria’s member-led angel network.
Offers: investment
Brisbane Angels
Angel · Brisbane
Queensland’s angel investment group.
Offers: investment
Scale Investors
Angel · Melbourne
Angel network investing in women-led startups.
Offers: investment
Mike Cannon-Brookes
Angel · Sydney
Atlassian co-founder, invests through family office Grok Ventures.
Offers: investment
Scott Farquhar
Angel · Sydney
Atlassian co-founder, invests through Skip Capital with Kim Jackson.
Offers: investment
Programs in Australia · 16
R&D Tax Incentive
Program · Nationwide · Free access
The backbone of Australian startup funding: companies in tax loss get a 43.5% cash refund on eligible R&D spend, no cap, settings stable until 2028.
Offers: funding
Industry Growth Program
Program · Nationwide · Free access
Federal advisory plus grants from $50K to $5M for innovative SMEs commercialising. Currently paused to new applications.
Offers: funding, mentoring
CSIRO Kick-Start and ON
Program · Nationwide · Free access
The national science agency’s matched funding and open innovation programs for research-driven ideas.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Export Market Development Grants
Program · Nationwide · Free access
Reimburses promotional spend for businesses taking Australian products global.
Offers: funding
National Innovation Visa
Program · Nationwide · Free access
The talent residency route, successor to the Global Talent visa, for exceptionally skilled individuals including founders.
Offers: info
LaunchVic
Program · Melbourne · Free access
Victoria’s startup agency, funding programs, communities and founder initiatives statewide.
Offers: funding, community
Startmate
Accelerator · Sydney and Melbourne
The best-known accelerator in ANZ, plus a Fellowship that places individuals, not companies, into startups.
Offers: funding, mentoring, community
Antler Australia
Accelerator · Sydney
The day-zero investor: apply solo with no idea and no team, get matched with co-founders and funded.
Offers: funding, community
Openfor.co
Incubator · Virtual, global
The virtual incubator for individuals: accelerator-grade support before you have a company, joinable from Australia or anywhere. This atlas is one of its projects.
Offers: mentoring, community, info
Founder Institute
Accelerator · Global chapters
The global pre-seed accelerator, running in 200+ cities, for people at idea stage.
Offers: mentoring, community
Cicada Innovations
Accelerator · Sydney
The deep tech incubator, decades of hard-science companies built under one roof.
Offers: mentoring, space
Skalata Ventures
Accelerator · Melbourne
Seed program investing in and coaching early Australian companies.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Media in Australia · 14
Steve Baxter
Media · Brisbane · Free access
Founder of River City Labs and a former Shark Tank Australia investor.
Offers: info, community
Naomi Simson
Media · Sydney · Free access
Founder of RedBalloon and a former Shark Tank Australia investor.
Offers: info, community
Janine Allis
Media · Melbourne · Free access
Founder of Boost Juice and a Shark Tank Australia investor.
Offers: info, community
Andrew Banks
Media · Sydney · Free access
Recruitment entrepreneur and former Shark Tank Australia investor.
Offers: info, community
Mark Bouris
Media · Sydney · Free access
Founder of Wizard Home Loans and Yellow Brick Road, and host of The Apprentice Australia.
Offers: info, community
Jack Delosa
Media · Sydney · Free access
Founder of The Entourage, an education company for entrepreneurs.
Offers: info, community
Sabri Suby
Media · Melbourne · Free access
Founder of the agency King Kong and author of Sell Like Crazy, with a large small-business audience.
Offers: info, community
The Startup Playbook Podcast
Media · Sydney · Free access
Rohit Bhargava's weekly podcast interviewing founders, investors and operators, running since 2015 with 200+ guests.
Offers: info, community
Rohit Bhargava
Media · Sydney · Free access
Host of The Startup Playbook Podcast and the Playbook Deal Flow newsletter, which features startups raising.
Offers: info, community
Wild Hearts (Blackbird)
Media · Sydney · Free access
Blackbird Ventures' podcast, hosted by Mason Yates, telling founder stories alongside the investor who backed them.
Offers: info, community
This Week in Startups Australia
Media · Sydney · Free access
Podcast running since 2014, interviewing founders, investors and accelerators across the Australian ecosystem.
Offers: info, community
Australian Financial Review
Media · Sydney · Free access
Australia's business daily, with regular coverage of startups, venture capital and tech.
Offers: info, community
Corporates in Australia · 3
W23
Corporate · Sydney
Woolworths Group’s corporate venture fund investing in retail innovation, sustainability and digital health, backer of Marley Spoon and Eucalyptus. Now expanded into W23 Global, a $190M fund with Tesco and other retailers.
Offers: investment, mentoring
NAB Ventures
Corporate · Melbourne
National Australia Bank’s $50M corporate venture fund, backer of Data Republic, Veem and BrickX.
Offers: investment
muru-D
Corporate · Sydney
Telstra’s startup accelerator, the largest in Australia, running programs in Sydney and Melbourne with partner tracks in Brisbane and Perth. 300+ alumni, 20+ companies have raised over $1M.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Startups & venues in Australia · 4
StartSpace, State Library Victoria
Melbourne · Free access
Free coworking and founder community inside the State Library, powered by the state, for early-stage founders.
Offers: space, community
Fishburners
Sydney
The nonprofit startup coworking community, hundreds of founders under one roof at Sydney Startup Hub.
Offers: space, community
Stone & Chalk
Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide
Innovation hubs for emerging tech companies across three cities.
Offers: space, community
Josh
Sydney · Free access
Early believer Nº 004 and anchor of this page. Open for a coffee and an intro.
Offers: mentoring, community