Govt launches San Fran ‘Landing Pad’ for tech startups

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news The government has launched a startup ‘Landing Pad’ at Rocketspace – a technology campus in San Francisco.

The Landing Pad – which was officially launched by Minister for Trade and Investment, Steven Ciobo; Assistant Minister for Innovation, Wyatt Roy; and Special Envoy for Trade, Andrew Robb – is designed to help Australian entrepreneurs bring their ideas to market and build successful enterprises.

“It will provide Australian tech start-ups with a collaborative workspace, allowing them to pursue international opportunities. The next Atlassian, 99 Designs or Hydrus could be launched from here, ” Ciobo said.

Pointing out that San Francisco is a global innovation hotspot, Robb said: “Positioning the Landing Pad within RocketSpace will accelerate access to international business networks, entrepreneurial talent, business development and investors.”

RocketSpace has been working with tech startups since 2011. To foster an innovative environment, the company offers a variety of services, including office-as-a-service, accelerator-like programmes, consulting and events.

Integral to the appeal of the Landing Pad will be a locally engaged coordinator responsible for providing of “value-added” services, said Roy.

“The locally engaged coordinator will be a significant resource and will bring unique knowledge and experience to help Australian startups achieve their internationalisation efforts,” he said.

Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Christopher Pyne said the Landing Pads are a key element of the government’s $1.1 billion National Innovation and Science Agenda, and will support Australia’s ongoing economic and science diplomacy efforts globally.

“Innovation in our economy is key to our nation’s future jobs and growth which is why the Government is vigorously implementing its National Innovation and Science Agenda,” Pyne said.

“Our global innovation strategy will advance Australia’s international collaboration performance and encourage Australians to leverage entrepreneurial expertise found in key locations overseas, like San Francisco, Tel Aviv and others,” he added.

Austrade – the country’s trade, investment and education promotion agency – has received $11.2 million in budget funding to establish five Landing Pads and develop a new annual ‘in-bound innovation forum’, aimed to encourage international collaboration and attract overseas market experts, entrepreneurial talent and investors to Australia.

In addition to San Francisco, one Landing Pad has already been set up in Israel, and a further three locations will be identified in the near future.

Today’s event was part of the inaugural Australia United States Business Week (AUSBW), an initiative to increase Australia’s business links with the world’s biggest economy that will see Andrew Robb lead a delegation to the US.

Image credit: Office of Wyatt Roy

4 COMMENTS

  1. I’m sorry… Whose startups are we talking about? Or is it that we need a startup that will build a “Launch Pad” in Oz for Oz startups?

    How on earth can Oztralians expect to be taken seriously when we can’t even foster and equip our Oz startups IN OZ???????????????

    And we expect other places to listen to us telling them how to run the world?

  2. that little shit Roy time is coming. He will be shipped off to jail for political fraud. mr innovation of copper. Meanwhile in Australia the Liberals sold off the Australian Technology park not to Atlassian but their criminal developer donors Mirvac and commonwealth bank leaving nowhere else to go. Invest our money elsewhere while gutting the place locally. Gutting our fibre internet for ideology reasons have killed all productivity and economies. technology companies can spend all their funding on enterprise fibre or be stuck with faulty copper I believe that falls over when it rains.

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