News Alert |

Do you have a business idea but you’re not sure where to begin?

Starting your own business can be a daunting task, but there is support available.

For new Ballarat entrepreneurs this support will come through a new initiative, StartUp Ballarat – a community that provides necessary support and a physical space to nurture a founder along their entrepreneurial journey.

The City of Ballarat recently received LaunchVic funding to manage the StartUp Ballarat program to position the city as the home of startups by providing the best education, events and community support for startup founders.

Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh said the program will assist locals through the process of nurturing their great ideas right through to establishing a business in Ballarat.

“We want our residents to understand there is support for them to develop their ideas locally through a range of services in our start-up ecosystem in Ballarat – StartUp Ballarat is the first introduction into this support,” she said. 

“It will involve meet-ups, master classes, co-working trials, and access to information about the wider start-up ecosystem in Ballarat, with an ultimate aim to see an increase in the number of startup businesses establishing and succeeding across our municipality.”

Cr Samantha McIntosh said Ballarat has a growing start-up ecosystem which gave the city clear advantages in supporting innovative and entrepreneurial residents to realise their ambitions.  

“We want people to know that Ballarat is a vibrant, creative and growing city, interested in equipping our residents with the right skills for an innovative, entrepreneurial and technology-driven future,” she said.

“As we prepare to release Ballarat’s draft Creative City Strategy for public consultation, StartUp Ballarat provides a terrific example of what programs are now being established in our city to take our intrinsic creative spirit and apply it to our city’s continuous innovation, economic growth and sustainability. 

“The entrepreneurs who engage with this program are likely to be those who understand that collaborative co-designing of solutions to problems will bring together the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics to make Ballarat and the world a better place for all”

StartUp Ballarat will officially launch at 5.30pm on Thursday 8 November at Platypus Coworking Space to introduce Ballarat’s future entrepreneurs and startup business to the city’s new startup ecosystem.

“This is a great opportunity for people to see what StartUp Ballarat is all about and to test it out,” Cr McIntosh said.

“Whether your next step is meeting other like-minded people, looking for a co-founder with complementary skills, understanding what support you could receive from others within Ballarat, or building your first minimum viable product, StartUp Ballarat is for you.

“By engaging with StartUp Ballarat you will have access to opportunities to network, build collaborative relationships and receive training and support from the startup community and existing businesses.”

LaunchVic CEO Kate Cornick said startups are among the largest contributors to job creation in Australia, significantly growing their contribution to the Australian economy over the last five years.

“Ninety-seven per cent of Victorian startups are based in the Melbourne CBD, so our focus is to expand the opportunities for startups to be created anywhere in Victoria with the right support and ecosystem,” she said.

LaunchVic is the agency charged with building the startup ecosystem in Victoria.

As part of this evening’s launch, a free co-working trial will be offered during the day before formalities get underway at 5.30pm.

Ferndale Confectionary General Manager Leigh Edward will join an impressive line-up of guests speaking at the event, and will talk about his So Soft Marshmallows which are now being stocked in supermarkets around Australia.

Leigh recently won the BGT Jobs and Training Young Business Person of the Year at the 2018 Federation Business School Commerce Ballarat Business Excellence Awards.

Other speakers on the night include Dorana Wirne of LaunchVic and Robert Layton of Eurekative.

Anyone interested in attending the launch can register at https://startupballaratlaunch.eventbrite.com.au

The new StartUp Ballarat website will also be available to view by searching startupballarat.com.au