# What is a startup hub – and why should you join one?
As a founder, you’re making decisions with limited information, solving problems you have never faced before, and trying to build a business before your time or money runs out.
A startup hub brings you into an environment designed for that journey.
It gives you a place to work, but the real value is the people, knowledge and opportunities surrounding you.
The right hub can help you meet other founders, find customers, attract talent, connect with investors and learn from people who understand what it takes to build a company.
This is what we’ve learned inside Australia’s most recommended startup hub.
What is a startup hub?
A startup hub is a shared environment that brings startups, founders and the organisations that support them together.
Depending on the hub, this may include:
- Flexible desks, private offices and meeting rooms
- Events, workshops and founder programs
- Introductions to investors, customers and industry partners
- Mentors, advisers and specialist service providers
- A community of founders at different stages of growth
- Opportunities to promote your startup and share your progress
- Access to partners, government programs and member benefits
Unlike a standard coworking space, a startup hub is built around the needs of growing companies.
A coworking space may give you somewhere to open your laptop. A startup hub should help you move your business forward.
Why do startup founders join hubs?
Every startup has different needs. An early-stage founder may be looking for advice, accountability and their first customers. A growing team may need talent, office space, investor introductions or access to larger organisations.
A good startup hub can support both.
1. You become part of a founder community
Your friends and family may support you, but they will not always understand what you are going through.
Other founders often will. They understand the uncertainty of fundraising, the pressure of making payroll, the frustration of a product launch that misses the mark and the relief of finally winning an important customer.
Aaron Chipper, co-founder and CTO of FrankieOne, described the value of being around people facing similar challenges:
“It’s really helpful having people who understand and who are going through the same sort of things to talk to, bounce ideas off of and seek inspiration from.”
A conversation in the kitchen or after an event may help you solve a problem that has occupied you for weeks. It also reminds you that the difficult parts of building a startup are not yours alone.
2. You can learn from people who are further ahead
Many startup problems have already been solved by someone else.
Inside a hub, you may meet founders who have hired their first employee, negotiated an enterprise contract, entered an overseas market or raised capital. Their experience can help you understand what to expect and avoid preventable mistakes.
Link4 co-founder Robin Sands found this through a Stone & Chalk founders’ circle. Founders at a similar stage met regularly to speak openly about what was going wrong and learn from each other’s experience.
As Robin put it: “Life’s too short to make all the mistakes yourself.”
These conversations can be especially valuable because founders are often more willing to discuss their real challenges in a trusted peer group than they are in public.
Startup hubs may also offer workshops, mentoring, accelerators, founder groups and access to specialists in areas such as:
- Sales and marketing
- Finance and fundraising
- Legal and intellectual property
- Cybersecurity
- Product development
- Leadership and hiring
- Government grants and procurement
You still have to make your own decisions, but you can make them with better information.
3. You build useful connections
Startups grow through relationships.
Your next customer, supplier, employee, adviser or collaborator may already be working in the same building.
Hubs also bring founders into contact with corporations, governments, universities, investors and industry organisations looking for new ideas and technology.
MyVenue founder Tim Stollznow said the value comes from being part of a community where people understand what others are building:
“The team at Stone & Chalk make the effort to know each person, so when you’re looking for a particular skillset, they know where to direct you.”
That kind of introduction is different from attending a large networking event and hoping to meet the right person. It comes from people understanding your company, your current challenge and who in the wider community may be able to help.
These connections do not always produce an immediate sale or partnership. They may begin with a conversation, an introduction or an invitation to participate in a program.
Over time, being present and active in the community helps more people understand what you do and who you can help.
4. You gain greater visibility
Getting noticed is difficult when you are building a company from home or working alone.
Startup hubs often create opportunities for founders to speak at events, participate in showcases, contribute to community content and share company milestones.
This visibility can help you build credibility with customers, investors, partners and future employees.
The hub may also become part of your startup’s story. The startup Paytron, for example, was built from a desk at Stone & Chalk before reaching $1 million in annual recurring revenue and being acquired by OFX in 2023.
Being based within a recognised innovation community can show that your company is connected to a wider network and serious about growth.
More importantly, it places you in an environment where people regularly encounter new companies, ideas and opportunities.
5. You can access investors and funding opportunities
Joining a startup hub does not guarantee investment. No credible hub should suggest otherwise.
What it can do is bring you closer to the people, knowledge and opportunities involved in raising capital.
You may meet investors at events, receive feedback on your pitch or learn about grants and accelerator programs. You can also learn from founders who have already raised money and understand what investors expect.
That preparation matters. An introduction is only useful if you are ready for the conversation.
A good hub helps you understand what type of capital suits your company, what evidence investors want to see and whether raising money is the right next step at all.
6. You can attract and retain talent
Candidates are not only choosing a role. They are also choosing the environment in which they will work.
A startup may struggle to create the atmosphere, facilities and professional networks of a much larger organisation on its own. A hub allows a smaller team to become part of something bigger.
Stone & Chalk alumni Littlepay CEO Amin Shayan explained:
“When it’s your own office, you don’t have much of a community. You’ve got to invest a lot of time to create a bit of culture. But with Stone & Chalk, you get to actually borrow some of the culture of the community.”
For Littlepay, that environment also made hiring easier. Employees could work from the company’s own space while still meeting people from other businesses, attending events and participating in the wider technology ecosystem.
That can be particularly valuable for younger employees or people joining a small startup for the first time.
7. You have room to grow
A startup’s space requirements can change quickly.
You may begin with one founder at a flexible desk, add a co-founder and then need an office as the team grows. A startup hub can give you more flexibility than a traditional commercial lease, without requiring you to predict exactly what your company will look like several years from now.
Amin Shayan described that flexibility as critical to startup Littlepay’s growth:
“The flexibility at Stone & Chalk, of scaling our space as we grew and leveraging the community to support our employees, was critical.”
Shared facilities can also reduce the time spent managing an office. Meeting rooms, internet, event spaces, reception services and communal areas are often already available.
FrankieOne’s Aaron Chipper highlighted the benefit of having that infrastructure handled: “Stone & Chalk gives us a terrific base to work from with a great atmosphere.”
That allows founders and their teams to concentrate on building the company rather than running an office.
8. It creates useful energy and structure
Working from home offers freedom, but it can also make the days feel unstructured and disconnected.
Going to a hub puts you in an environment where other people are building, testing and launching things.
MyVenue founder Tim Stollznow said that atmosphere affects more than the founder:
“Communities like Stone & Chalk are amazing. The energy of being around startups helps not just me, but the whole team.”
Events, founder conversations and regular contact with the community also create natural points of accountability. People ask how the launch went, whether you contacted that customer or what happened after your last pitch.
Sometimes that small amount of external pressure is exactly what you need to keep moving.
Is a startup hub right for every business?
Not necessarily.
Some founders work well remotely and already have strong professional networks. Others may only need occasional access to events, programs or meeting rooms.
The value of joining also depends on how you participate. Simply renting a desk and avoiding the community will limit what you gain from it.
Before joining a hub, ask:
- Are the other members building businesses relevant to me?
- Does the hub support startups at my stage?
- What events, programs and introductions are available?
- Can it accommodate my team as we grow?
- Are founders encouraged to connect and collaborate?
- Does the team understand the startup ecosystem?
- Are there examples of members gaining customers, knowledge or opportunities?
- Will I realistically participate in the community?
Visit the space if you can. Speak with current members and pay attention to how people interact. The atmosphere will often tell you more than the list of facilities.
How to get the most from a startup hub
A startup hub works best when you treat it as more than an office.
Introduce yourself to other founders. Attend events that are relevant to your goals. Tell the hub team what you are working on and what kind of help you need. Offer your own knowledge when another member faces a problem you understand.
Be specific when asking for introductions. It is easier for someone to help when you can explain the type of customer, investor, employee or adviser you want to meet.
Share your progress as well. Product launches, new hires, partnerships, funding rounds and customer wins give the community a reason to support and promote your company.
The more people understand what you are building, the more likely they are to recognise an opportunity for you.
More than a place to work
A startup hub cannot build your company for you. It can, however, put you in a stronger position to build it.
The right hub surrounds you with people who understand the journey, exposes you to new ideas and creates opportunities that are harder to find alone.
It gives you a professional place to work while connecting you with the wider startup ecosystem.
For many founders, that combination of space, community and opportunity is what makes joining worthwhile.
Stone & Chalk supports startups and scaleups through innovation hubs in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Our residents join a national community of founders, investors, industry partners and experts working across emerging technology.
Explore Stone & Chalk’s startup hubs and find the right home for your next stage of growth.
