Lucy Cooke grew up in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, a farm girl encouraged by practical parents who instilled a strong work ethic and curiosity. She combined a childhood passion for theatre and computers by studying behavioural science and then film production at WAAPA and the University of Melbourne.
“I grew up on a Merino sheep stud, where my Dad would draw diagrams in the dirt to explain the day’s work to seasonal crews, many of whom couldn’t read,” said Lucy.
“That simple, visual way of communicating complex instructions is one of the foundations of what became Spacedraft.”
After university, Lucy found her way onto film sets, working on big set piece productions such as Game of Thrones, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Sicario. While there, she saw firsthand the frustrations of visualising complex scenes and blocking without digital tools.
As a runner, VFX coordinator and production assistant, Lucy could see filmmakers using toy cars and figurines to plan shots, a painfully imprecise process given the scale of these blockbuster productions.
It was on a freezing set in New Mexico that she realised the missing piece: a rapid, shareable tool for visual logistics across space and time.
“A radio failure meant I couldn’t warn the crew before a stunt went wrong,” she said.
“I realised we needed a tool that let people pre-visualise scenarios step by step, like rehearsing a play. The original idea was to create a communication tool that helps people mentally rehearse ‘what comes next’ so everyone can align before things unfold in real life.”
Visualising Space Over Time
It was a pivotal insight. She realised that there was a huge global need for a platform where users could simulate movement, placement, and communication in one intuitive, shareable and visual interface.
She imagined a tool where drag-and-drop icons (“pins”) could be overlaid on real-world backdrops, animated through time, paired with annotations or voiceover, a 4D storyboard for real life.
Bootstrapping a Tech Startup from Perth
So in 2016, Lucy launched SpaceDraft in Perth, Western Australia, bootstrapping as she went. The early challenges included limited funding, navigating non‑technical leadership, and proving credibility in a remote city largely outside Australia’s tech hubs.
As a self‑taught founder without an engineering background, she was told, “You need to have every i dotted and t crossed in your business plan for people to believe you”, advice she embraced wholeheartedly.
In those early days, she would work hard, prepare meals for her small team, sweep the floors after events, and sleep on couches to save money, carrying the same grit she had shown in film production.
Lucy’s team prides itself on being entirely founder-led from Perth, running on sweat equity whereas others may have invested millions.
Strategic Growth & Recognition
By 2020, SpaceDraft won recognition as Startup of the Year at the WA INCITE Awards.
A few years later, SpaceDraft raised a Seed+ round of A$1.5 million, bringing its total funding to approximately A$2.7 million.
The injection of capital enabled expansion of the team and market entry into education, mining, energy, defence, and creative industries.
Lucy’s leadership was further acknowledged in 2025 with a 40‑Under‑40 Best Small Business Award from Business News.
A Universal Tool for Infinite Scenarios
Initially created to solve communication bottlenecks on film sets, SpaceDraft now services a broad range of sectors.
The platform transforms complex data and plans into visual narratives that diverse teams can align around, from mining shutdown coordination to emergency response planning, classroom learning, sports drills, and even wedding seating layouts.
Lucy identifies education and gaming as core growth markets.
“Gen Z and Gen Alpha users are born into sending memes, building worlds, playing spatially,” she said.
“Students use SpaceDraft to plan games or structures; teachers use it to build engaging visual lessons; game designers and VR/AR teams use it for mapping out concepts before entering heavy engines.”
Dubbed "the Canva for spatial planning", Spacecraft has developed its own simple, visual, drag and drop platform for users that may have no coding or design background. 
Championing Inclusion, Neurodiversity & Local Impact
As well as building a business, Lucy is passionate about inclusion.
She champions neurodiverse users who may struggle to verbalise ideas but can communicate richly through spatial thinking. SpaceDraft gives them a voice and a way to share thoughts that might otherwise remain hidden.
She’s also deeply involved in promoting diversity in tech, work with Women in Tech WA, Women in Mining, and mentoring young women looking to break into STEM and innovation fields.
Amidst all this, what makes her stay grounded?
“Books, meditation, running, tennis, and the grounding presence of my cat, Mr Darcy,” she said. “I am also writing a play for fun and on Sundays I swap pages with a close friend who is writing a novel about the Goldrush.”
What Lies Ahead
Today, operating from Perth but serving global clients such as Rio Tinto, BHP, Curtin University, mining services firms, and schools, SpaceDraft is on track for a Series A fundraising round.
Key metrics include user base growth, revenue milestones, and traction within core sectors such as the education and creative industries.
Lucy remains committed to building with purpose: she sees SpaceDraft as essential infrastructure for a future where all communication is spatial and interactive.
“Whether planning subsea rehabilitation, rehearsing emergency drills, choreographing a live event, or visualising a digital twin, SpaceDraft can help bring clarity, shared understanding, and human connection to the centre of planning processes,” she said.
From her farm upbringing to Hollywood sets, to bootstrapping a Perth tech startup, Lucy has driven a relentless vision: to make complex communication intuitive, visual and meaningful.
SpaceDraft stands as a testament to that mission, an award‑winning planning tool now used by students, creatives, engineers, event planners, and corporate teams.
Lucy has built more than just software; she’s crafted a new way to share ideas across space and time, which is shaping worlds everywhere.
Connect with Lucy Cooke on LinkedIn here, and learn more about SpaceDraft here.
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