As part of City Of Melbourne’s Startup Action Plan, we’re mapping Melbourne’s startup ecosystem.

The aim of this project is to build a better understanding of the Melbourne startup ecosystem, and develop an online resource where startups can proactively engage with the City of Melbourne. There'll also be access to updates on initiatives and funding opportunities, and resources to help support innovative businesses. Submissions will be open until June 2021.

The Participate Melbourne startups page will deliver on actions in the following action areas of the Startup Action Plan:

Action Area 1 of the startup action plan focuses on business readiness support services. As part of action area 1, participate Melbourne has been identified as being a resource to help enhance and better promote City of Melbourne’s business readiness support services for startups.

Action Area 4 focuses on international connections for startups to continue to help connect local startups with international customers, investors and talent, particularly in Asia. As part of action area 4 participate Melbourne will be help develop an online resource to promote curated CoM services for Melbourne startups that are considering international growth, based on CoM’s existing small business services.

Action area 8 of the startup action plan to showcase Melbourne and build the reputation of Melbourne as a great city for startups by identifying and promoting Melbourne’s startup success stories. As part of action area 8, Participate Melbourne was identified as a resource to show what events CoM has upcoming and to gather startup information to 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 Area 10 of the startup action plan focuses on startup feedback channels to connect with respected startup community members to provide ongoing feedback on the effectiveness of the City of Melbourne's startup actions and the community's evolving needs. As part of action area 10, Participate Melbourne has been identified as a resource for creating selection criteria and logging interested for representatives of the startup community to participate in regular meetings, mentoring and events, and delivery of key projects.

Action area 11 of the startup action plan focuses on startup community information to Help startup community members access key resources (e.g. Data, community events and resources) via an open and accessible digital platform. As part of action area 11, participate Melbourne has been identified as being a resource to help pull together startup information into one place and be a two way tool, for startups to get their businesses and what they do out into the ecosystem as well as for CoM and other organisations to be able to contact startups.

Image: Omer Nazeer (Cabaro), Eleanor Toulmin (MimicTec) and Ruqi Nazeer (Cabaro) and Melbourne Accelerator Program.
Photographer: Wren Steiner
Credit: City of Melbourne and That Startup Show