Regional Focus For Global Scale
Our regional innovation programs provide local support to innovative businesses to support regional economic development.
Our Regional Innovation Programs
- We will connect you with mentors, experts, investors, new networks, and a community of like-minded businesses.
- We will help you think strategically about your business so you can develop a clear picture of your next steps.
- You will be able to communicate your business with confidence.
- Learn from experts who will deliver highly engaging and interactive training – virtually or face-to-face. We will equip you with the tools to grow.
Current Programs
Calling all young entrepreneurs!
The 2025 Future Founders Youth Entrepreneurship Program is now open for applications!
This FREE program is designed to empower local youth aged 16+ with the skills, knowledge, and mentorship to turn their ideas into reality. Plus, every participant will receive a $1,000 scholarship upon completion to help bring their business dreams to life!
Key Dates for 2025:
- Applications close: 5:00 PM, Monday, 10 February 2025
- Afterschool Workshops & site visits: February–May 2025
- Graduate Showcase Event: May 2025
This program is supported by the X-TEND WA grant from the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science, and Innovation.
Let’s empower the next generation of innovators!
For more info, contact [email protected]
Experience a Premium Weekend Escape: Discover Unique Investment Opportunities in Innovation, Culture, and Sustainable Industries in the South-West.
28th – 30th March 2025
AgriStart, Life Sciences WA, ForBlue and ACWA are uniting to take technology developers, end-users, and investors on a regional journey to showcase investment opportunities in the South West of WA.
With its agriculture sector worth more than $2.36b, a $1.33b sustainable coastal and marine tourism industry, and health care as the South West region’s largest employer, this weekend escape will support cross-sector opportunities through a mix of roundtable discussions, cultural experiences, and networking, threaded with themes of sustainability and impact. The Down South adVentures Weekend is part of the 2025 BioInnovation Festival, bringing together bright minds, savvy investors and experienced operators to engage with WA’s world class bioinnovation opportunities.
The Down South adVentures Weekend is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as part of its Support Regional Trade Events Program.
More information and to express your interest in joining this incredible weekend escape here – 2025 BioInnovation Festival
Key Dates for HARVEST 2025:
- Applications open: TBC
- Applications close: TBC
- Early HARVEST Pre-Accelerator Bootcamp: March 2025
- Two-day bootcamp: Mid June 2025
- Masterclasses and tech demos delivered in-person and/or online on a fortnightly schedule: July to September 2025
- Showcase event: August 2025
- Business strategy review and program debrief: September 2025
- Opportunity for interstate or international delegation: October 2025 TBC
To express your interest in HARVEST 2025, please email [email protected].
Agristart’s HARVEST Accelerator is proudly sponsored by the Grains Research and Development Corporation and The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Applications for HARVEST 2025 will open soon
HARVEST is WA’s leading agtech business program for businesses looking to innovate in the Agtech industry.
Now in its ninth year, HARVEST has supported over 80 businesses.
The program is valued at over $10,000 and is FREE for successful applicants.
HARVEST Agtech Accelerator 2024:
The SET - theSouth West's newest hotdesking, meeting and training space
The SET is a new production studio, co-working and event space in the South West available for hire.
Featuring kitchen facilities, hotdesking, training room, individual office spaces, event space for up to 50 people, video conferencing, podcasting, green screen with lights and a camera for filming.
Thank you to the South West Development Commission for contributing to equipment purchase.
Read about South West Development Commission’s visit of The SET at swdc.wa.gov.au/site-visit-the-set/
Previous Programs
Applications for CONNECT Sustainable Industries 2024 have now closed.
KEY DATES
- Applications open: Monday 6 May 2024
- Applications close: Tuesday 4 June 2024
- Two-day bootcamp: Monday 24 June & Tuesday 25 June 2024
- Masterclasses: July and August 2024
- Showcase event: Friday 13 September 2024
Are you are regional startup or small business with a sustainability focus and looking for ways to accelerate your growth?
CONNECT Sustainable Industries will connect multi-sector stakeholders, accelerate low-emissions technologies and facilitate technology-driven innovators.
CONNECT Sustainable Industries will focus on future energy AND supporting existing industries with a sustainability focus.
CONNECT Sustainable Industries 2023:
South West Cohort
Perth Cohort
Innovation Summit
ACTIVITIES
- Networking events with future energy key-note speakers and showcasing new technologies for sustainable industries
- Incubator program to take new ideas to commercial reality
- Investor roundtable to connect startups to funding opportunities and mentoring
- Site visits to potential pilot-testing or collaboration facilities
For queries please contact [email protected]
CONNECT Sustainable Industries is proudly sponsored by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation through the New Industries Fund – X-tend WA Program.
GET SET Business Innovation Sessions
The 2023 sessions were delivered by Innovation Cluster and supported by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation through the New Industries Fund – X-Tend Program.
Regional Ventures Showcase
Over the past 4 years we have presented an exciting opportunity for regional based WA startups, agtech startups, or businesses solving problems in regional WA, to have their business featured at West Tech Fest in Perth, Asia Pacific’s Innovation Festival!
See what happened at the 2022 event here!
The 2022 Regional Innovation Showcase was delivered by Innovation Cluster and supported by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation through the New Industries Fund – X-Tend Program.
Australia's South West
Tourism Product Incubator Program
Innovation Cluster was excited to partner with Australia’s South West, the peak regional tourism organisation for the South West of Western
Australia, to deliver a Tourism Product Incubator.
This program was an innovation and entrepreneurship mentoring program to guide business agility, support new product development, and maximise regional recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Twenty six businesses were supported through tailored mentoring and focused workshops in the south west.
Collie CONNECT: Tech and Innovation Series
The Collie CONNECT Tech and Innovation Series was an exciting new program run in 2021 by Innovation Cluster to support innovative ventures in the Collie region.
The series was open to all Collie businesses and included entrepreneurial masterclasses, technology forums and demo days, run by experienced and engaging guest speakers.
Find out about exciting sessions that were part of the program.
CONNECT Regional Innovation Hubs
From 2019 to 2021, CONNECT supported over 60 businesses across 5 regions – Collie, Great Southern, South West, Kimberley, and the Wheatbelt. The CONNECT Regional Innovation Hubs brought together regional entrepreneurs with innovative and scaleable ventures to incubate new ideas and business models, foster new collaborations, and access expertise and resources.
Regional Reboot
Tailored for small and medium regional businesses across regional WA impacted by the management challenges of the Covid-19 market.
Workshops in regional centres and online were delivered to over 80 regional businesses, followed by small group focus sessions, mentoring for selected businesses, and customised “Reboot” business plans.
Topics included business strategy, financial resilience, funding and emotional resilience.
Regional Reboot was supported by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation through the New Industries Fund.
X-Tend WA Investor Mentoring Program
Attracting investment to regional WA is critical and local entrepreneurs need support to be successful without having to move to Perth.
This program is targeted to regional focused start-ups and provides a customised mentoring approach to support high-potential ventures to successfully attract investment.
X-Tend WA Investor Mentoring Program is supported by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation through the New Industries Fund.
Who We've Supported
