A workspace for regional start-ups is being developed as part of the NSW Government’s $35 million investment into a start-up hub in the heart of Sydney.
The Regional Launching Pad, located within the Sydney Startup Hub (SSH) on York St near Wynyard, is a work and conference space dedicated for regional start-ups to showcase their businesses and ideas.
John Barilaro, Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW and Small Business, said the Regional Landing Pad will make regional NSW start-ups more accessible, bringing them to the forefront of the national and global start-up ecosystem.
“Supporting regional start-ups is a priority for the NSW Government, with regional entrepreneurs essential to the growth of regional communities,” he said.
The Hub, due to open in late 2017, will have the ability to connect the entire start-up community, regardless of location.
“The Sydney Startup Hub will be a world-class facility servicing an ever growing, connected and collaborative start-up network across NSW that will help drive new business and jobs growth well into the future,” said Barilaro.
Three main objectives for the SSH are:
- Working towards growing the size and strength of the Sydney start-up ecosystem
- Supporting the creation of new jobs across NSW
- Increasing the diversity of the NSW start-up community by putting more start-ups from regional NSW and non-ICT industries at the forefront
The SSH welcomes ideas from all over NSW and is not industry specific. The incubators, which are the leading tenants of the SSH, will select who they wish to work with from various industry backgrounds.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the hub will be funded by Jobs for NSW during its first five years.
“This is an unprecedented investment from the NSW Government, which will support businesses and drive jobs growth across the state,” said Berejiklian.
Berejiklian also commented on the potential the hub brings to NSW’s start-up economy by helping both local and international entrepreneurs flourish.
“More than 40 per cent of the nation’s start-ups are in NSW already and with the addition of this hub and the White Bay precinct we want to see that figure grow,” said Premier Berejiklian.
Currently there is $57 million in funding available from Jobs for NSW to help start-ups and SMEs to boost the regional start-up economy.
The SSH, an 11-storey building spanning 17000 m2, will house 2500 tenants, including start-ups Stone & Chalk and Fishburners.
Both companies are already working with Upstairs, a regional hub striving to implement more start-ups in the Central West Region.
SSH will be the biggest of its kind in both Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.
