Leading startup ecosystem builder, Stone & Chalk, was today announced as the anchor tenant and operator of the startup hub at Lot Fourteen, a key part of the Marshall Liberal Government's plan to transform the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site into an innovation hub.
Premier Steven Marshall said that the State Liberal Government's investment in Lot Fourteen represents a real turning point for South Australia's economic future as we stake our claim as a world-class innovation city and state.
"Lot Fourteen is part of the Liberal Government's commitment to accelerating the growth of startup businesses and making South Australia the nation's unrivalled startup capital," said Premier Steven Marshall.
"Securing Stone & Chalk as the strategic innovation partner is a huge coup for our state as we forge ahead with our ambition to build the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem and further develop the culture of entrepreneurship in South Australia.
"The startup hub at Lot Fourteen will help foster and support innovators and entrepreneurs achieve their goals in high growth industries including cybersecurity, defence, space, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, creative industry technologies and robotics.
"We unashamedly want to encourage more locals to build their careers and pursue their ambitions and ideas right here in South Australia - and we confidently believe that our state provides an ideal environment to do exactly that.
Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni said the hub will attract entrepreneurs and startups looking to commercialise products and scale quickly into national and global markets.
"In the very near future, the startup hub will feature up to 650 workspaces as well as conference rooms, event facilities and meeting spaces designed to promote collaboration," said Minister Pisoni.
"The State Government appointed Jim Whalley as Chief Entrepreneur with an Entrepreneurial Advisory Board to help create an environment that will give people with imagination and passion the opportunity to bring ideas to market and build global businesses.
"Through our Future Industries eXchange for Entrepreneurship, (FIXE) strategy, we will help create the right culture, improve the capability and mobilise the capital required to make South Australia a global leader in entrepreneurship.
"This is already happening through initiatives such as the Research, Commercialisation and Startup Fund, the South Australian Government Supporting Innovation in South Australia (SISA) visa pilot and continued investment in digital infrastructure through GigCity."
South Australia's Chief Entrepreneur Jim Whalley said South Australia's largest startup hub located in the heart of the CBD at Lot Fourteen, will provide entrepreneurs, startups and scaling businesses in our state's growing innovation ecosystem access to corporate customers, networks, mentors and investors to take their ideas to commercial success.
"The hub will accommodate business ventures and entrepreneurs by providing an environment that stimulates competitive advantage to grow a strong business rapidly, and importantly will be highly connected to other co-working spaces and innovation hubs across metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia," Mr Whalley said.
Startup and scale-up businesses, investors, accelerators and professional service providers can express their interest in leasing space or providing services at the hub by visiting www.fixe.org.au.
