Pictured from left: Paul Duldig, CEO at State Library Victoria, Jeremy Peng, the 2,000th member to join StartSpace, Christine Christian AO, Library Board President and Joel McGuinness, Director, Experience at State Library Victoria.
StartSpace, State Library Victoria’s hub for early-stage founders is thrilled to announce a significant milestone: welcoming its 2,000th member in January 2025.
This achievement underscores StartSpace’s commitment to fostering innovation and supporting emerging entrepreneurs across Victoria.
Jeremy Peng, co-founder of Jobs’ Garage AI was the 2,000th member inducted into the StartSpace community. Jeremy is building a startup business leveraging AI and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for smart waste management including waste detection, classification and analytics to optimise waste collection, reduce cost and promote a more sustainable future.
About StartSpace
Established in 2020, StartSpace offers free programs, scholarships, and access to coworking spaces for Victorian founders over eighteen years of age who are developing new business ideas. Designed to bridge gaps in the startup ecosystem, StartSpace provides essential support to new founders during the critical early stages of their entrepreneurial journeys.
StartSpace prides itself on cultivating a diverse and inclusive community. Notably, 45% of its members come from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and 38% self-identify as female or non-binary. This diversity enriches the collaborative environment, fostering a wide range of innovative ideas.
In addition to its inclusive membership, StartSpace has been offering empowering programs to accelerate the development of aspiring entrepreneurs and their new ventures, including the annual Study Melbourne Future Founders Program and the Lisa Ring and Family Scholarships. The Lisa Ring Scholarships provide recipients with $10,000 AUD in equity-free funding, 12 months of premium coworking space, business mentoring, and bespoke business support. These scholarships are designed to help early-stage founders take their businesses to the next level.
A broad range of free learning and networking opportunities have also been offered to support members build hands-on business skills and lived startup experience – in the form of panels, workshops, 1:1 sessions with investors, and peer to peer sharing.
In the five years since opening, StartSpace has run 387 learning and networking sessions and supported 49 early-stage founders through dedicated mentoring, development and scholarship programs, distributing over $250,000 of seed-funding to grow their businesses.
Reflecting on this milestone, Xue Huang, StartSpace Lead, stated:
“Reaching 2,000 members is a testament to the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit within our community. At StartSpace, we are dedicated to providing accessible support to founders from all walks of life, and it’s inspiring to see such a diverse group come together to innovate and drive change.”
Member Success Stories
StartSpace has been instrumental in the success of numerous startups. Ruwini Cooray, founder of Neurogen who has been awarded one of the 2025 Lisa Ring and Family scholarships is developing an advanced cell-based brain implant solution for treating neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Additionally, Zoe Burrows, Co-director of Crazy Ideas College, alongside her growing team are building the capacity of young people to lead change in their own lives, schools and communities. Since joining StartSpace in 2022, the team have grown from 4 to 10 people strong, are on track to be working with 30,000 young people across Australia and New Zealand in 2025 and have increased revenue by over 100 per cent.
Will Bodewes and Nisal Ranasinghe, co-founders of AI-based virtual receptionist startup Phonely have experienced exciting growth since launch in February 2024, and relocating to the United States, having received $750,000 investment from the highly regarded Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator within eight months of starting the business.
Join the StartSpace Community
StartSpace remains committed to empowering early-stage founders and looks forward to supporting the next generation of innovative businesses in Victoria.
As StartSpace celebrates this milestone, it continues to welcome new members. If you’re a Victorian founder working on a business idea, consider joining StartSpace to access valuable resources, support, and a thriving community of like-minded entrepreneurs.
To learn more and apply to become a member, visit the members page here.
