This year, Spacecubed celebrated its 13th birthday, and it gave us an opportunity to reflect not only on how far we’ve come, but on how much the innovation community around us has grown.
Across Australia, this year has been defined by scale, collaboration and stronger-than-ever community engagement. From accelerators and international showcases to new partnerships, expanding coworking ecosystems and measurable impact, 2025 has been one of our most transformative years yet.
With thriving hubs in both Perth and Sydney, Spacecubed’s coworking ecosystems continue to evolve. Over 85 businesses are now based at the Western Sydney Startup Hub and Perth continues to strengthen its role as a home for entrepreneurs at its leading CBD spaces, Riff, Fern and FLUX. This year we also saw the opening of Kaizen West in the heart of West Perth, creating a dedicated new space for founders to grow, connect and access even more tailored support.
Supporting founders with Plus Eight
Plus Eight’s flagship Accelerator program brought together ambitious founders, world-class mentors and investors. The 2025 cohort demonstrated remarkable traction and growth, contributing to Plus Eight’s reputation as a leading pathway for scaling businesses across the country. Discover key alumni highlights from the year here.
Plus Eight also ran Pre-Accelerator programs across Perth and Western Sydney thanks to the support of City of Perth, City of Joondalup, City of Canning and NSW Government. These programs empowered early-stage founders across Australia to take their ideas to the next level and prepare them to showcase their ideas to investors and supporters.
Over 130 founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, and industry leaders attended the Plus Eight Innovation Festival in March at the Western Sydney Startup Hub which featured presentations, fireside chats, speed networking, workshops and more. And for the first time in 2025, we ran EmpowerHER, a brand-new female-focussed investment program where 17 founders got the opportunity to refine their business ideas and showcase their ventures.
And in a major milestone, we also launched the Plus Eight Syndicate and completed our first investment deal with Paperly, marking the beginning of an exciting new era in founder-focused funding.
Growing stronger communities through events
In 2025, Spacecubed’s community events brought over 1,400 members, innovators and founders together like never before. Across Perth and Sydney, our year was filled with over 50 energising gatherings, including Networking Evenings, Community Lunches, Fireside Chats, Workshops and Showcases.
Throughout the year, we hosted a variety of Lunch & Learn sessions on different topics for startups, as well as our signature Breakfast Club events featuring Spacecubed members and industry leaders.
At the Western Sydney Startup Hub, we hosted a series of 3 Breakfast Club events supported by the City of Parramatta, kicking off with ‘Grants and Capital for Startups’ featuring Milka Wenas, Jason Ming and Ruchi Motial-Suri. We were also joined by Sarah Cassim and Amirah Amin, who highlighted important topics for Western Sydney business women with their powerful talks, and Mariah MacInnes, who ran her interactive Content Queen marketing workshop.
To wrap up the year, we held festive Christmas gatherings at Fern Courtyard in Perth CBD and the Western Sydney Startup Hub, celebrating the community and looking forward to an exciting year ahead.
Global exposure and strategic partnerships
2025 also marked an important year for global connectivity. The Perth Landing Pad Showcase highlighted the incredible work of international startups building and scaling from Western Australia, reinforcing the city’s growing role as a gateway for global innovation.
This year, we also launched an extension of Perth Landing Pad into Korea, designed to strengthen innovation, trade, and entrepreneurial connections. With over 100 international ventures supported to date, Perth Landing Pad continues to thrive thanks to the support of City of Perth and the Australia-Korea Foundation.
Staying abroad, Meshpoints supported local founders and innovation leaders to travel to Singapore for the West Tech Fest x SWITCH Mission, a global initiative designed to connect local talent with international networks, investors, and ideas.
Meshpoints
In June, Meshpoints celebrated 3 years of impact, bringing together over 100 of WA’s most passionate innovation leaders, changemakers, and ecosystem supporters, with Head of Impact Nate Sturcke officially launching the Meshpoints 2025 Impact Report.
Meshpoints has now grown into a statewide Partner Network of 170+ organisations, directly supported over 14,000 Western Australians, enabled 86 new initiatives, and distributed $2.6M in grant funding, unlocking an additional $1.89M in matched contributions from the ecosystem.
As we look forward to 2026, we’re excited to build on this momentum, continue supporting innovators, and create even more opportunities for connection, growth, and impact across Australia and beyond.
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