To further activate the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, the former hair salon, convenience store and police station of the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village will be converted into a flexible coworking space and startup incubator.
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said the Palaszczuk Government has inked a deal that will see the building – which also housed a weigh-in station, media space and merchandise store – transformed to encourage new business growth on the GC.
"The building will undergo a fitout to support around 200 desks for health and knowledge startups, coworking and entrepreneurial businesses," Mr Dick said.
"Local Gold Coast operator CoSpaces has been appointed as the community manager of this shared workspace, which will be known as Cohort.
"It’s the perfect addition to the $5 billion Health and Knowledge Precinct in Southport and will help reduce overheads for small businesses who would otherwise have to lease their own space.
"Cohort will feature meeting rooms, collaboration and event spaces and private pods, and when open in April 2019 will allow like-minded businesses to grow by promoting networking, mentoring, innovation and collaboration.
Minister for Innovation and the Commonwealth Games Kate Jones said today’s announcement was a major milestone for the Gold Coast.
"This is just more proof of the great legacy the Commonwealth Games has left on the Gold Coast," Ms Jones said.
"Startups are crucial to creating jobs on the Gold Coast. That’s why we’re committed to making this precinct a world-leading hub for new ideas.
"We’re investing in projects like this to diversify the Gold Coast’s economy, and to ensure our investment in the Games continues to pay off for locals."
CoSpaces CEO Ben Howe said he was excited about the opportunity to be part of the unique Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.
"The formation of dedicated areas for technology and innovation is crucial to the Gold Coast’s coming of age," Mr Howe said.
Mr Dick said the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct is a 10-to-15-year project which will ultimately contribute an extra 12,000 jobs and an additional $1.4 billion to the state’s economy.
"We want to ensure there are spaces available for a range of businesses in the precinct, from large global knowledge operations through to small local startups," Mr Dick said.
"This development presents huge opportunities for the Gold Coast, and Queensland as a whole, and I’ve got no doubt we’ll see many homegrown business success stories emerging from Cohort."
For development opportunities or Cohort enquiries, interested parties should email [email protected].
