What it’s really like to work from Stone & Chalk

Across Australia, the way we work is changing. Long-term leases are out. So are cold offices with forgotten snacks in the fridge.

More people are choosing spaces that feel human. Places where good work happens with people, not just around them. Places like Stone & Chalk.

With hubs in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, Stone & Chalk is where startups can go further, faster. Where founders, researchers, corporates, and investors cross paths daily.

So what does a day actually look like inside one of our hubs?

The rhythm of a workday

You arrive just before 9am. The morning light hits the building as you wander in, coffee in hand, that you picked up from the café where the barista knows your name.

By the time you sit down at your desk, the day already feels like it’s started with you, not against you. You catch a quick hello from a kind face across the room — someone you don’t work with, but see enough that you feel like you do.

At 9:30am, you slip into a glass meeting pod to dial into a strategy call. No interruptions. Just a clean space and a decent WiFi connection that won’t betray you halfway through the pitch.

Later, while heating up your lunch, you find yourself in a conversation with a founder about a grant they just applied for — and now you’re thinking, should I be applying for that too? He catches your eyes wandering and tells you yes.

By 2:00pm you’re in a boardroom running a demo with a potential client.. Then, at 4:30pm, you’re sitting in on a session with a founder who just passed $5 million in annual revenue, taking notes faster than you can process them.

At 5:00pm, you wind down at Chalk Chills. There’s a drink in your hand, and someone you met last month is introducing you to someone else who just might be a future collaborator.

It sounds lucky. But it’s not. It’s the kind of luck that happens often in a place that’s built for this.

Space that adapts to you

Startups move fast. Priorities shift, headcount changes, some days you need a deep focus cocoon and others you need space to spread out and argue ideas over a whiteboard. Stone & Chalk is built for that kind of movement.

Some founders come in every day. Others treat it as a home base while travelling. There are private offices for growing teams, hot desks for drop-ins, and quiet corners when you need to get your head down.

You don’t have to book weeks in advance or hope there’s a spare chair. The space just flexes with you.

Phone booths let you take confidential calls. Breakout spaces let your team sprawl during brainstorming sessions. Need to impress an investor or demo a product? There’s a boardroom ready to go.

Adam Pond from Abyss said it best: “When our HR guy suggested the co‑working space at Stone & Chalk, we realised it’s perfect for what we need.”

There’s no sense of squeezing into someone else’s mould. The space already fits. You just need to show up.

Helping you find and build your community

A lot of co-working spaces talk about community. But what they really mean is “networking events with bad wine.”

At Stone & Chalk, you feel our community, and you notice it when you’re away.

There’s something about working next to people building things that matter. People who are all-in on a problem they’re trying to solve. They know how valuable it is when someone lends a hand – or an ear.

Akshat Sondhi, founder of Kribb, captured it well:

“The S&C environment is one which promotes energy, hustle, and has a level of infectiousness that rubs off on you. The people are genuinely nice, likeminded and promote a positive working atmosphere.”

But this isn’t all networking events with name tags and elevator pitches.

It’s more casual – conversations over coffee, quick check-ins in the kitchen, and yes, sometimes a serendipitous introduction that changes everything.

Carolina Ferreira, co-founder of Octopusbot, credits this ecosystem with propelling their startup forward:

“Stone & Chalk has been instrumental in supporting us on our journey, providing us with valuable resources and opportunities to secure the investment we need to fuel our growth.”

With Stone & Chalk, it’s just that people are happy to see you win. And in return, you want to help them win too.

Backed, not micromanaged

We know most founders don’t need hand-holding. But they do need a safety net – especially one that knows when to get out of the way and when to step in.

Stone & Chalk doesn’t run your business for you, but we make it easier to run well.

There’s access to experienced mentors. Workshops that cover real-world topics like raising capital, growing sales, or refining your pitch. And partner and investor introductions when you’re ready to take that next step.

Daish Malani, founder of Add‑Life Technologies, knows the value of this kind of backup:

“I was given a mentor through Stone & Chalk. Having a community around — it’s nice to know that someone is around the corner who’s got your back and knows about your company and can easily make suggestions.”

There’s a quiet reassurance in knowing that help isn’t just available, it’s built into the experience.

Why we focus on tech for good

The energy here is about doing work that matters. You’ll find people working in climate tech, fintech, medtech, spacetech, cybersecurity – people trying to fix real problems in real industries.

Vinita Deodhar from Open Orbit puts it this way:

“Our journey with Stone and Chalk is more than just commercial success. It’s solving real, meaningful problems and making a positive impact.”

That kind of shared purpose sets the tone. When you’re surrounded by people who care deeply about the problems they’re solving, it lifts your own ambition. You work a little harder. You aim a little higher.

Ping Services, a climate tech company, has felt the difference too:

“The opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and business development have been key in our ability to obtain funding and secure strategic partnerships.”

We’re all in on doing meaningful work — and having a place that makes that easier to do.

The power of proximity

One of the more underrated benefits of being in a space like this is what happens in the small moments.

You’re stuck on a grant application – the person across from you has done three. You’re unsure how to price your pilot – someone at the lunch table just wrapped theirs.

There’s a generosity in the air, one that doesn’t feel transactional. Shendon Ewans, co-founder of Gobbill, noticed it:

“At Stone & Chalk, we have supported and encouraged each other, which has built the relationship between our fintechs.”

That kind of peer support only happens when people are trusted, seen, and in it together.

And while the vibe is local, the network is national. If you’re based in Adelaide and want to tap into the NSW health system, you can. If you’re scaling in Sydney but need to explore the South Australian market, that’s on the table too.

You don’t need to build a whole new office. You just need to tap into the one you already have.

Final thoughts

There are plenty of places to work. But not all of them work for you.

At Stone & Chalk, the space fits your business, not the other way around. The people around you get what you’re trying to do. And the support, while not in your face, is always there when you need it.

Whether you're a solo founder or a scaling team of 12, the vibe is the same: come as you are, build what matters, and find others on the same kind of journey. And that will drive you to success.

Find out more about how to join Stone & Chalk