Technology and Innovation
Western Australia is experiencing rapidly increasing levels of technology and innovation entrepreneurial and start-up activity, with the local tech sector now actively supporting thousands of new jobs in early-stage, scalable technology-based businesses.
The City of Perth serves as a logical home for Western Australia’s rapidly evolving technology, innovation and start-up ecosystem. In fact, over a third of existing Western Australian start-ups are located within the City of Perth boundary.
Perth businesses are supported by a comprehensive ecosystem of:
- shared / co-working spaces
- entrepreneurial programs
- accelerators / incubators
- academia / research organisations
- risk capital providers / investor network
- as well as corporate industry, peak bodies and government stakeholders.
"Perth is the home of tomorrow's technology with a rich network of industry-aligned universities and specialised research facilities delivering excellence in automation, analytics, remote operations and frontier technologies set to benefit Australia and the world"
MARK STICKELLS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PAWSEY SUPERCOMPUTING CENTRE
As a long-term supporter of the technology and innovation ecosystem in Western Australia, the City and understands the importance of partnerships and collaboration, and has supported technology, innovation and entrepreneurial capacity in Western Australia over many years, through various programs. A small sample of these initiatives include:
- Spacecubed initiatives such as the Perth Landing Pad (in partnership with the WA Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation).
The City of Perth was the first tier of government and early supporter of Spacecubed. The recent 10-year review report detailed Spacecubed’s creation of $7.9 million in consolidated annual revenue and expansion to four coworking spaces with 1,294 members using these spaces. Furthermore, 32 companies have completed its Plus Eight Accelerator program, with a $91 million valuation of the Plus Eight portfolio. The SheCodes program has led to 5,560 women trained in computer coding, with 75% of this program alumni placed in Tech roles. In total, it is estimated Spacecubed has delivered $4 billion in economic, social and environmental impact over ten years
- West Tech Fest
The City of Perth is a proud early and premier supporter of hallmark Tech and start-up events such as the West Tech Fest (formerly Ozapp Awards) which has gone from strength to strength and delivered its biggest program to date in 2022, as well as being instrumental in attracting and supporting other Tech events such as the REMIX Summit Perth and XR:WA.
- Startup WA and Perth Angels
The City of Perth has also provided seed funding for new events, supported major industry awards, invested in education-focused activities and undertaken collaboration and advocacy in partnership with stakeholders at all levels of the start-up sector. Further support has been delivered by financially assisting detailed studies on the local ecosystem with Startup WA (the sector’s peak body) and Perth Angels.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (REAP)
In June 2023, the prestigious MIT REAP Cohort 9 Workshop 3 week-long series of events took place in Perth. The MIT REAP initiative involves a two-year engagement with an established methodology to build a community for collaboration, educate ecosystem leaders and measure impacts of new programs and policy interventions in the areas of innovation and entrepreneurship.
- And numerous other local technology and innovation partnerships and initiatives.
- Technology Action Plan
The City of Perth recently endorsed a Tech Action Plan, presenting a forward-looking and multi-pronged approach to attracting further investment and growth in local technology-based businesses in Perth. This serves the aim of establishing the City as a nationally and internationally recognised hub for technological innovation.
The Tech Action Plan signifies a purposeful and targeted approach to creating a more vibrant and prosperous City of Perth, whereby collective action will ensure the City embraces technological stewardship and promotes innovation within the ecosystem.
Through a mixture of existing functions as well as the adoption of new actions, the City of Perth will contribute to a range of ecosystem activities, across five core themes:
-
Awareness, Promotion and Celebration
- Networking and Events
- Spaces and Infrastructure
- Tech Sector Development
- Investment
For more detailed information on the City of Perth’s technology and innovation sector, please see the useful links and important documents sections.
Key Insights:
- Startup Genome’s 2023 Global Startup Ecosystem Report establishes Perth as the #1 top emerging ecosystem in Oceania. This strong, positive momentum resulted in Perth rising 7 placings in global rankings from the 2022 to 2023 reporting period.
- Extraordinarily, Perth’s start-up ecosystem value grew by 81 per cent from the 2022 to 2023 reporting period.
Note: Ecosystem value is a measure of economic impact, calculated as the value of exits and start-up valuations - According to the Tech Council of Australia, over the past decade the tech sector has grown to become the seventh-largest employing sector in Australia, with 861,000 now employed.
- In Western Australia, the Tech sector accounts for 57,000 jobs and an estimated $11 billion in economic contribution.
