What UK companies can learn from the Australian startup scene

by Startacus Admin
The lowdown on what makes Australia such fertile ground for startups and the lessons we can take from this success
Over recent years, the startup community in Australia has been booming. It has become one of the most exciting places to set up a business and the potential for growth is impressively high. In this article, we're going to discuss what we can learn from Australian-based startups.
Australia's startup ecosystem is characterised by quirky tech companies, effective business models, and strong interest from investors. The ecosystem is comprised of everything from upstart comparison and martech services through to marketplaces and software for remote teams. Of course, this is helped by Australia having one of the strongest economies on the global stage. Read on to find out more about what makes Australia such fertile ground for startups and the lessons we can take from this success.
1. Offer incentives to investors
The biggest obstacle for any new company is funding. In Australia, investment in startups is very much encouraged by the government as well as the new businesses themselves. This allows many new businesses to raise the required funding and support to get up and running.
An investor will always want to know what they are getting for their money. Investing in a startup is always a risk, especially if the service the company is offering is brand new and never seen before. As a startup, it's a good idea to offer extra incentives to the investors to get them on board. These could be financial incentives or other things, but the aim is always to convince the investor that they are taking a worthwhile risk.
2. Developing the 'scene'
If you don't have a space to build your brand awareness, attract investors, and meet other business owners, then running a startup is always going to be difficult. However, in Australia, startups have taken it upon themselves to develop their own scenes and put their growth into their own hands.
This has been particularly successful in Sydney. There, business owners began getting together and arranging meetups, activities, and networking events within their niches. This quickly attracted the attention of larger investors and ultimately resulted in the government committing $35 million into a brand new Sydney Startup Hub.
Investors always want to see potential, so teaming up with other business owners to showcase what your startups can offer is a really valuable technique. As has been shown in Sydney, taking some time to develop a scene can lead to some fantastic rewards later on down the line.
3. Timing is Everything
With a startup, timing is truly everything. An idea that takes off this year might be completely unsuccessful next year, and vice versa. The key is to be in tune with the market you are going into, and taking the opportunities when they present themselves.
Take the Australian company Canva. In 2007, the company's CEO Melanie Perkins was completely unknown in the business world. However, after some impeccably timed decisions, she managed to catapult herself to the top of the tech startup ladder with Canva currently valued at over $2 billion.
Canva is far from being the only example of an incredibly successful tech business in the country. Australian CEOs are known around the world for keeping their ears to the ground and securing investment at the most opportune moments.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Got a business in the manufacturing sector? These tips on how you can reduce energy costs while being more sustainable are well worth a read...

Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.

Nassia Skoulikariti, Director of IoT Programmes, Mobile Ecosystem Forum shares some insights on how IoT is having a significant impact on all our lives.

Roger James Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Genius Group, a world-leading entrepreneur Edtech and education group, discusses how introducing a globalized curriculum will help better prepare students.

SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.

41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.

Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.

Thingtrax Secures £4.3M to Empower Manufacturers to Build the Factories of the Future

A measure of inflation relief for small firms sees transport costs fall but service price increases remain elevated

Bedfordshire-based HR tech startup HR DataHub has built a range of tools for HR departments
Published on: 21st December 2020
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- SureIn Secures €4M to Close the SMB Insurance Gap 15th Aug 2023 Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.
- SuperFi raises $1M pre-seed funding round 28th Jul 2023 SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.
- Startups rely on AI & sustainability for new partnerships 27th Jul 2023 41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.
- Another Round closes £300k Seed round to revolutionise personal training 21st Jul 2023 Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.