What does the startup ecosystem in Melbourne look like?

Melbourne is Australia's biomedical capital and a fintech and marketplace powerhouse. The Parkville precinct (CSL, WEHI, Doherty, Peter Mac) is one of the world's densest life-science clusters, Afterpay and Airwallex were both founded here, the 'Silicon Yarra' trio SEEK, REA Group and CAR Group anchor the marketplace-and-SaaS lineage, and gaming is a genuine local strength. The vertical pages above map who is building what.

Where do founders network in Melbourne?

At pitch nights, meetups and conferences. Startup Victoria runs long-standing LIVE pitch nights, Startup Grind Melbourne runs monthly fireside chats, and the fintech scene gathers at the Intersekt festival each September. eChai ran free, open founder meetups in Fitzroy through 2022 and 2023; that chapter is dormant now, and this page is an invitation to help re-activate it. TiE Melbourne is the natural partner for the restart.

Is eChai active in Melbourne?

Not right now. eChai ran meetups in Melbourne (at Chai Shai Fitzroy) through 2022 and 2023 as part of its India to Australia bridge, and the chapter has since gone dormant. If you are a founder or operator in Melbourne who wants to help restart it, that is exactly what this page is for. The re-activation would run alongside TiE Melbourne, the only Australian TiE chapter.

Which fintech companies were founded in Melbourne?

Both Afterpay (now part of Block) and Airwallex, Australia's most valuable fintech, were founded in Melbourne, alongside Zeller, Judo and a real crypto cluster (CoinJar, CoinSpot, Zerocap, Banxa). The Fintech and Crypto vertical pages above list them by type.

Where is the startup hub in Melbourne?

Cremorne and Richmond, nicknamed 'Silicon Yarra', is the tech heartland: four Victorian unicorns and 700+ businesses in a compact inner-east pocket by the Yarra, anchored by the Cremorne Digital Hub. Parkville holds the biomedical cluster, and Clayton and Monash form a deeptech corridor in the south-east. The neighbourhoods section above maps them all.

Who are the Indian founders in Melbourne?

Indian-founded companies build here, including Everlab, Akula Tech, Zetaris and Caleb and Brown. The Diaspora tab above maps that cluster company by company, and lists the India-linked bodies, TiE Melbourne, AIBC Victoria, IABCA and the IIT alumni network, that eChai connects into.

Who are the active VCs and accelerators in Melbourne?

Square Peg (co-founded by SEEK's Paul Bassat) and Brandon Capital (Australasia's leading life-science VC) anchor the investor bench, alongside Breakthrough Victoria and cross-border India programs. Accelerators include the Melbourne Accelerator Program, MedTech Actuator, Startmate and YBF Ventures. The investors and incubators sections above list them by type.

What are the best startup events in Melbourne?

Startup Victoria's LIVE pitch nights and its Above All Human conference, Startup Grind Melbourne's monthly fireside chats, and the Intersekt fintech festival each September are the mainstays. eChai's own Melbourne cadence is dormant; helping re-activate it, alongside TiE Melbourne, is the invitation on this page.

How do I join the startup community in Melbourne as an Indian founder?

Start with the diaspora bodies above: TiE Melbourne (the only Australian TiE chapter), AIBC Victoria, IABCA and the IIT alumni network. eChai's Melbourne chapter is dormant and looking to re-activate, so if you want an India to Australia founder network in the city, getting involved in the restart is one of the most direct on-ramps.

Melbourne Startup Ecosystem: Founders, Events, Investors

Melbourne is Australia's biomedical capital and one of its two great startup cities. The Parkville precinct, a short walk from the CBD, packs CSL's global headquarters, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, the Doherty Institute and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre into one of the densest life-science clusters in the world, and it has seeded a run of listed and venture-backed names: Telix Pharmaceuticals, Mesoblast (the first FDA-approved MSC cell therapy), Neuren and the fast-growing Heidi Health.

Alongside biotech runs a deep fintech and marketplace lineage. Both Afterpay (which became part of Block) and Airwallex, Australia's most valuable fintech, were founded in Melbourne, sitting atop a real crypto cluster (CoinJar, CoinSpot, Zerocap, Banxa) and payments names like Zeller and Judo. The city's marketplace-and-SaaS heritage is the 'Silicon Yarra' trio, SEEK, REA Group and CAR Group, plus Culture Amp, MYOB and Envato, and gaming is a genuine local strength led by PlaySide and Crossy Road maker Hipster Whale.

For eChai, Melbourne matters as part of the India to Australia bridge. Indian-founded companies build here (Everlab, Akula Tech, Zetaris, Caleb and Brown), and India-linked bodies like TiE Melbourne, the AIBC Victoria chapter, IABCA and the IIT alumni network are woven through the ecosystem. eChai ran founder meetups in Fitzroy through 2022 and 2023 and the chapter is dormant now, so this page maps the ecosystem and invites founders to help re-activate it.

Join eChai

What is on in Melbourne.

Thu 15 Oct 6 pm eChai Melbourne Startup Mixer

Every gathering in Melbourne

Melbourne's startups, on one map.

The Startup Grid puts Melbourne's startups on the map where they work, with the city's investors, incubators and coworking spaces beside them, and walks you round them part of town by part of town.

Open the map of Melbourne

Where founders in Melbourne build.

Startups

Afterpay Melbourne CBD (406 Collins St)
Banxa Melbourne CBD
Butn Melbourne CBD / South Yarra
Judo Bank Southbank (Riverside Quay)
Latitude Financial Melbourne CBD (130 Lonsdale St)
Novatti Group Melbourne CBD (461 Bourke St)

All of them

Investors

Square Peg Capital Melbourne CBD, VIC (HQ) — also Sydney, Tel Aviv, Singapore
Rampersand Melbourne, VIC
Skalata Ventures Melbourne, VIC
Giant Leap Melbourne, VIC
Blackbird Ventures Fitzroy, Melbourne VIC (office) — HQ Surry Hills, Sydney NSW
AirTree Ventures Sydney, NSW (HQ)

All of them

Incubators and accelerators

Rocket Seeder Carlton, Melbourne
Runway (Runway HQ) Geelong, Victoria
Melbourne Biomedical Precinct (Parkville) Parkville / Carlton / North Melbourne
Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) Austin Health, Heidelberg (eastern Melbourne)
Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP) Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre, University of Melbourne, Carlton/Parkville
Startmate Melbourne (national, ANZ)

All of them

Coworking

Stone & Chalk Melbourne (Startup Hub) 121 King Street, Melbourne CBD
YBF Ventures (York Butter Factory) Melbourne CBD
Inspire9 41-43 Stewart Street, Richmond (near Cremorne)
The Commons Collingwood (Wellington & Gipps Streets), South Melbourne
WeWork Melbourne Melbourne CBD (multiple sites)
Cremorne Tech Precinct (Silicon Yarra) Cremorne / Richmond, inner south-east Melbourne

All of them

Communities

Startup Victoria (The Startup Network) Melbourne (various CBD venues)
LaunchVic / Innovation Victoria Melbourne (statewide)
Startup Grind Melbourne Melbourne (rotating venues)
TiE Melbourne Melbourne
Australia India Business Council (AIBC) Melbourne (Victoria chapter)
India Australia Business & Community Alliance (IABCA) Melbourne / national (rotates AU & India)

All of them

Neighbourhoods

Cremorne & Richmond ('Silicon Yarra')
Parkville Biomedical Precinct
Melbourne CBD
Fitzroy & Collingwood
South Melbourne & Port Melbourne
South Yarra

All of them

Questions about Melbourne.

What does the startup ecosystem in Melbourne look like?: Melbourne is Australia's biomedical capital and a fintech and marketplace powerhouse. The Parkville precinct (CSL, WEHI, Doherty, Peter Mac) is one of the world's densest life-science clusters, Afterpay and Airwallex were both founded here, the 'Silicon Yarra' trio SEEK, REA Group and CAR Group anchor the marketplace-and-SaaS lineage, and gaming is a genuine local strength. The vertical pages above map who is building what.
Where do founders network in Melbourne?: At pitch nights, meetups and conferences. Startup Victoria runs long-standing LIVE pitch nights, Startup Grind Melbourne runs monthly fireside chats, and the fintech scene gathers at the Intersekt festival each September. eChai ran free, open founder meetups in Fitzroy through 2022 and 2023; that chapter is dormant now, and this page is an invitation to help re-activate it. TiE Melbourne is the natural partner for the restart.
Is eChai active in Melbourne?: Not right now. eChai ran meetups in Melbourne (at Chai Shai Fitzroy) through 2022 and 2023 as part of its India to Australia bridge, and the chapter has since gone dormant. If you are a founder or operator in Melbourne who wants to help restart it, that is exactly what this page is for. The re-activation would run alongside TiE Melbourne, the only Australian TiE chapter.
Which are the top biotech and life-science companies in Melbourne?: The Parkville precinct anchors it: CSL (headquartered here), plus listed and venture-backed names like Telix Pharmaceuticals, Mesoblast (the first FDA-approved MSC cell therapy), Neuren and the fast-growing Heidi Health. See the Biotech, Medtech and Healthtech vertical pages above for the full, filterable list.
Which fintech companies were founded in Melbourne?: Both Afterpay (now part of Block) and Airwallex, Australia's most valuable fintech, were founded in Melbourne, alongside Zeller, Judo and a real crypto cluster (CoinJar, CoinSpot, Zerocap, Banxa). The Fintech and Crypto vertical pages above list them by type.
Where is the startup hub in Melbourne?: Cremorne and Richmond, nicknamed 'Silicon Yarra', is the tech heartland: four Victorian unicorns and 700+ businesses in a compact inner-east pocket by the Yarra, anchored by the Cremorne Digital Hub. Parkville holds the biomedical cluster, and Clayton and Monash form a deeptech corridor in the south-east. The neighbourhoods section above maps them all.
Who are the Indian founders in Melbourne?: Indian-founded companies build here, including Everlab, Akula Tech, Zetaris and Caleb and Brown. The Diaspora tab above maps that cluster company by company, and lists the India-linked bodies, TiE Melbourne, AIBC Victoria, IABCA and the IIT alumni network, that eChai connects into.
Who are the active VCs and accelerators in Melbourne?: Square Peg (co-founded by SEEK's Paul Bassat) and Brandon Capital (Australasia's leading life-science VC) anchor the investor bench, alongside Breakthrough Victoria and cross-border India programs. Accelerators include the Melbourne Accelerator Program, MedTech Actuator, Startmate and YBF Ventures. The investors and incubators sections above list them by type.
What are the best startup events in Melbourne?: Startup Victoria's LIVE pitch nights and its Above All Human conference, Startup Grind Melbourne's monthly fireside chats, and the Intersekt fintech festival each September are the mainstays. eChai's own Melbourne cadence is dormant; helping re-activate it, alongside TiE Melbourne, is the invitation on this page.
How do I join the startup community in Melbourne as an Indian founder?: Start with the diaspora bodies above: TiE Melbourne (the only Australian TiE chapter), AIBC Victoria, IABCA and the IIT alumni network. eChai's Melbourne chapter is dormant and looking to re-activate, so if you want an India to Australia founder network in the city, getting involved in the restart is one of the most direct on-ramps.

eChai in other cities.

Find your city

Every city on eChai