Well not only are the Kiwi’s beating us on the gold medal tally, they are also more active in the startup space. Canberra and Wellington are similar sizes but according to Startup Genome (A global index of startups) they are 3 times as active.
Canberra has a population of 367,752. Startup Genome lists 9 startups (http://www.startupgenome.com/city/canberra-act-au). Thats one startup for every 40,861 head of population.
Wellington has a population of 393,400. Startup Genome lists 27 startups (http://www.startupgenome.com/city/wellington-wellington-nz). Thats 1 startup per 14,570 head of population.
Having just returned from Wellington, I can say they have a vibrant startup scene including a co-working space, a forthcoming accelerator program and are in the process of raising a USD$500m screen and digital fund. Many ideas that could be adopted in Canberra.
There are startups out there who haven’t listed and I encourage you to add your startup to the Startup Genome. If you’re looking for like minded people to bounce ideas off check one of the Canberra Startup meetups.
Lets turn this around and overtake the Kiwis!