Melbourne opens new tech incubator • Hacker News Board

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#11

Post by brc » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 12:13 PM UTC

jacques_chester wrote: post #3

I've been to all of Australia's mainland capitals (sorry, Hobart). I've lived for long periods in Darwin, Sydney and Perth. I prefer Melbourne to Sydney based on the time I've spent in each. Melbourne seemed a bit more cosmopolitan, the people a bit less artificial. I'd rather live in Perth than either, but the startup scene here is quite anaemic. You can round up some geologists and raise tens of millions to do some…

Yes but the weather. The weather. I would find it so hard to move there and stay there.

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#12

Post by alastairpat » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 12:13 PM UTC

I'm very glad to see this as a Melburnian. With so much emphasis on San Francisco as the startup-mecca, one almost feels disadvantaged living elsewhere in America, let alone in a country like Australia.

Perhaps with things like the new IBM R&D Centre, Melbourne might become a tech-hub in the South East Asian region (although I somewhat doubt it).

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#13

Post by brc » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 12:15 PM UTC

I'm keen to hear about this type of thing, but co-located space is nothing special. Is there mentoring, access to angel investors and alumni and events like the YC demo day?

I can raise my own $20k seed money and I can find working space. What I can't do is get decent mentoring and access to networks, which, to me is the secret source of YC.

Still, it's early days, I'll keep track of this with interest.

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#14

Post by intranation » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 12:56 PM UTC

As an Australian in London, I never get to hear about things like this. It's exciting that Australia has this type of stuff going on, it's taken long enough!

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#15

Post by tysonlundbech » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 1:39 PM UTC

It is awesome whats happening in Australia around tech startups and the support for the community. Im running Startup Weekend at the YBF Melb Nov 4-6th where Ive managed to secure 5K from Optus for first prize and JFDI want to do a S15k equity deal with a team and take them to a Singapore bootcamp. Two teams (Native Tongue and IndexMedia) from the previous Melbourne Startup Weekend are now based in YBF. I've just pivoted (RentWant-TaskWant) in a new incubator called AngelCube based out of inspire9 in Melbourne. Im one of four teams there. It is pretty exciting times.

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#16

Post by bartonfink » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 1:59 PM UTC

Since the comments seem to be full of Australian nationals, I'm curious if anyone can help me out with something. Any advice on the best way for an American to get onboard with an Aussie startup?

My family and I would like to emigrate to Australia in about 2015, and I'd prefer to get hooked up with a startup instead of trying to get on with a big multinational.

Based on talks I've had while planning this, it sounds like the point-based immigration system isn't as sure of a thing as sponsorship. Are startups in Australia in a position to sponsor a visa? Would an incubator be interested or able to help with something like that? Anything I can do now to help ensure that I'm employed with a startup down under in 2015?

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#17

Post by hugh3 » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 2:24 PM UTC

jacques_chester wrote: post #3

I've been to all of Australia's mainland capitals (sorry, Hobart). I've lived for long periods in Darwin, Sydney and Perth. I prefer Melbourne to Sydney based on the time I've spent in each. Melbourne seemed a bit more cosmopolitan, the people a bit less artificial. I'd rather live in Perth than either, but the startup scene here is quite anaemic. You can round up some geologists and raise tens of millions to do some…

I'm a native Sydneysider, but I have to agree that Melbourne would be the place I'd go to start a startup. Apart from the costs (lower) and the general frictional costs of life (getting around takes less time) and the coffee (oh, the coffee!), Melbourne just has a much better atmosphere for creative work. Sydney seems to have mutated into a town where all the smart people are either in law or finance, and the highest ambition a person can have is to have a slightly better view.

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#18

Post by fuzzylizard » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 2:26 PM UTC

brc wrote: post #11

jacques_chester wrote: post #3

I've been to all of Australia's mainland capitals (sorry, Hobart). I've lived for long periods in Darwin, Sydney and Perth. I prefer Melbourne to Sydney based on the time I've spent in each. Melbourne seemed a bit more cosmopolitan, the people a bit less artificial. I'd rather live in Perth than either, but the startup scene here is quite anaemic. You can round up some geologists and raise tens of millions to do some…

Yes but the weather. The weather . I would find it so hard to move there and stay there.

I have to agree, Melbourne is just too cold to live in year round. The idea sounds great and I hope it works.

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#19

Post by jacques_chester » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 2:26 PM UTC

hugh3 wrote: post #17

jacques_chester wrote: post #3

I've been to all of Australia's mainland capitals (sorry, Hobart). I've lived for long periods in Darwin, Sydney and Perth. I prefer Melbourne to Sydney based on the time I've spent in each. Melbourne seemed a bit more cosmopolitan, the people a bit less artificial. I'd rather live in Perth than either, but the startup scene here is quite anaemic. You can round up some geologists and raise tens of millions to do some…

I'm a native Sydneysider, but I have to agree that Melbourne would be the place I'd go to start a startup. Apart from the costs (lower) and the general frictional costs of life (getting around takes less time) and the coffee (oh, the coffee!), Melbourne just has a much better atmosphere for creative work. Sydney seems to have mutated into a town where all the smart people are either in law or finance, and the highest…

It seemed to me, as an ignorant bumpkin who visited from Plant Normalperson, that social status in Sydney is based entirely on the square metres of the harbour you can see from your home.

Re: Melbourne opens new tech incubator

#20

Post by jacques_chester » Tue, Oct 25, 2011, 2:31 PM UTC

mwill wrote: post #9

mambodog wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up here in Perth and while I'd love to stay here, I feel like I'll need to move to Melbourne (at the very least) sooner or later.

I'm from Perth as well, and this is almost word for word how I respond when people ask me about Perth. I get the feeling that there's much cooler stuff happening elsewhere more and more these days.

Which is a shame. Perth has awesome Californian-style weather, plenty of cashed-up mining millionaires for capital, 4 halfway decent universities and relatively low costs.