City of Melbourne Ecosystem Introduction
City of Melbourne Ecosystem Introduction
A Half-Day Startup Introduction - A Guided Through Innovation, Culture & Community
Join a curated half-day experience designed for tech and impact-led founders ready to explore Melbourne’s innovation ecosystem. Including leading universities, companies, research bodies, local and state government to coworking hubs and community-driven precincts. Whether you're new to the scene or looking to deepen your network, this is your soft-entry into the people, pathways, and programs shaping the city’s future.
🚏 What to Expect
Business & Innovation Hotspots
✨🚀 On-the-ground discovery of leading coworking spaces, accelerators, and innovation precincts
✨ Insider insights into university-led research or reach bodies, startup programs, and commercialisation pathways (may include UniMelb, Swinburne, RMIT or Wade*)
✨Stopovers at hubs (that may include StartSpace, the Commons, Cremorne Digital Hub, or Richmond’s startup corridors (TBC)
Strategic Ecosystem & Startup Services Access
🏛️ Behind-the-scenes exposure to local & state innovation initiatives (May include City of Melbourne, LaunchVic, Breakthrough Vic – TBC)
💸 Access points for grants, equity-free programs, and early-stage funding — including VCs and angel investors
🤝 Warm introductions to ecosystem enablers, program leads, and potential future collaborators across the private and public sector
Networking on the Move
• Ride alongside up to four private buses of ambitious founders and community builders
• Build meaningful connections without the cold emails
Cultural Immersion & Storytelling
• Explore hidden laneways, public art, and café culture that reflect Melbourne’s creative DNA
• Learn how migrant stories, social enterprise, and civic policy helped shape the city's innovation culture
Food & Hospitality
• 🍽️ Gourmet lunch and drinks included with every ticket
• ⌚Time to connect, digest insights, and enjoy good food with great company
💡 What We’ll Cover
Startup Ecosystem Stops
• Quick visits to coworking hubs, founder communities, and venture growth programs
• Access to commercialisation pathways, equity and equity-free funding options
• Walkthroughs of university innovation labs and research-to-startup initiatives
• Insights into what’s working now in early-stage funding, R&D, and founder support
Business Services & Support
• Spotlights on legal, finance, and marketing experts for startups
• Clarity on where and how help across different venture stages event if you don't know where to start and how to scale sustainably in Victoria
Culture, Context & Community
• A founder-led walking tour through precincts like Melbourne CBD, Cremorne or Richmond.
• Real stories from the streets where Melbourne’s startup spirit was born
⚠️ Please Note: All ecosystem stops and partners are currently are to be confirmed and may change. This is an introductory discovery tour — not a confirmed lineup of meetings or presentations, so pitching is not guaranteed or recommended.
🎟️ Tickets from $59 — includes lunch, transport, and meaningful connections
Genesis Program participants receive early access + exclusive offers
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Perks
Exclusive Coworking space deals.
Free entry to UC events Founders Walk for 1 month
And more