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
✨ Discover an uncommon world-class innovation prescient for innovation, Commercialisation, Coworking.
✨Stopovers at coworking hubs like Melbourne Connect, Stone and Chalk, Inspire 9
Strategic Ecosystem & Business Enablement
🏛️ An insider guided tour with Melbourne's leading local and public innovation players.
💸 Insights and pathways 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
Agenda
8:30 AM — Stop 0: Cafe Kickoff
Meet and mingle over coffee before heading out on the ecosystem journey.
9:10 AM — Stop 1: A Tour of Melbourne Connect | Melbourne University
Explore how Melbourne is activating founder pathways through research, commercialisation, and coworking spaces.
10:25 AM — Stop 2: Stone & Chalk | Tour & Panel On Local Goverment Business Enablement, Supports & Investment
Tour of Stone & Chalk, and panel to share insights, tips and answer questions on government-backed support, business enablement, and innovation.
11:35 AM — Stop 3: Inspire9 | Tour & Panel on VCs, PE, & Angel Investment as well as Migrant Friendly Startup Programs
Enjoy a tour at Inspire 9, and uncover insights, tips and pathways with our panel featuring a migrant friendly startup program, VC, PE, and Angel, covering topics including impact investment.
12:35 PM — Closing Lunch + Networking*
Wrap-up session over lunch with VCs, angels, and ecosystem partners in a central digital hub.
💡 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 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 coworking spaces and innovation precincts
• Real stories from the streets where Melbourne’s startup spirit was born
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
*Note all ecosystem stops, times and partners are subject to change. This is an introductory discovery tour, not a confirmed lineup of meetings or presentations, so pitching is not guaranteed or recommended.
Organised By:
Uncommon Collective:
We are a community-led social enterprise helping founders, creators and leaders grow and thrive in community.
Our mission is to make the uncommon common for founders, creators and leaders through community, content and business enablement services. As a social enterprise we create migrant friendly not migrant exclusive support and opportunities.
IRL By Amber
Bringing together Australia's top minds & startups - Converging industries, connecting dots and creating sparks
Our Amazing Community Partners:
AsiaX Circle unites and empowers emerging leaders from the Asian community and beyond, helping them thrive personally and professionally.
We are a community that enables thought-provoking discussions on Asian identity and representation and our events and workshops offer a dynamic platform for dialogue, reflection, and celebration.
Catalysr is an accelerator for early stage startups. We run intensive entrepreneurship program for high-performing migrant and refugee entrepreneurs who want to find success in Australia. Catalysr is a place for people with fresh ideas who are ready to dream, to work hard and to challenge themselves to bring their big ideas to life.