The conversation

In March 2018 the Startup Melbourne page was launched as a digital destination for the City of Melbourne to engage in a two-way dialogue with local startups and promote projects and events of interest.

The startup page delivers on the following actions from the 2017 Startup Action Plan:

  • Action 1.3: Improve communications to make it easier for startups to be aware of and access relevant City of Melbourne services.
  • Action 8.1: Provide and advocate for ongoing marketing and promotion of Melbourne as a great place to start a business, via media, public dialogue and events.
  • Action 8.3: Make content openly available as a community asset via a digital platform.
  • Action 11.4: Advocate for shared data and a common platform.
  • Action 11.5: Provide event and resource information for the platform.

Founders of Melbourne startups were invited to register their details to add to our startup map.

Gathering insights

What we heard

Through the online survey we asked respondents to tell us about their startup to help us map the location of Melbourne’s most innovative businesses. This included their name, website, what industry their startup is in, their elevator pitch and their business location.

The industries represented include:

  • Administrative and Support Services
  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
  • Arts, Creative and Crafts
  • Arts and Recreation Services
  • Design
  • Education and Training
  • Financial and Insurance Services
  • Food
  • Health
  • Health Care and Social Assistance
  • Information Media and Telecommunications
  • Manufacturing
  • Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
  • Public Administration and Safety
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
  • Social Enterprise
  • Smart Cities
  • Social Enterprise
  • Venture Capital and Investment.

Impact

Feedback we collected was used to help us understand the makeup of the startup ecosystem in Melbourne. The data has helped us identify leading startup industries and co-working spaces in Melbourne, which was mapped and categorised on an interactive map.

We have been able to analyse and compare this data to other available reports and sources from industry support bodies such as LaunchVic and Startup Genome.

We have continued to regularly manage and update a comprehensive map of co-working spaces in the City of Melbourne municipality.

Next steps

We will continue to deliver a range of initiatives that will be relevant to entrepreneurs and startups at all stages of growth in line with our Startup Action Plan.

We encourage startups and entrepreneurs to visit the business section of the City of Melbourne website for:

  • regular updates on initiatives
  • asking questions and accessing new networks
  • information on funding and the startup industry
  • promotional opportunities
  • coworking spaces.

You can also sign up for our Business in Melbourne newsletter for regular updates on news, upskilling opportunities and the support available from the City of Melbourne.

Startup Melbourne