As the first floors of the $35 million Sydney Startup Hub are revealed, it might be easy to think there’s no better place for a startup to work than a flashy city coworking space – of course, that couldn’t be further from the truth, with regional Australia home to a variety of coworking spaces that can hold their own against their city counterparts.
Among these is Maker + Co, in the coastal Western Australia town of Bunbury. Located in the Old Lyric Theatre, the space is a social enterprise focused on three key pillars: coworking, innovation, and creativity.
As Katie van den Brand, director of innovation at Maker + Co, explained, its development – and the activities undertaken by its team for the community and its businesses – was guided by consultation with the community.
The range of programs run by the space is diverse, with Maker + Co’s directors also consultants, project managers, and mentors. As well as space, the services they can provide include stakeholder and community engagement, strategic and business planning, project management, and more.
Of course, a core focus is innovation, overseen by van den Brand. As the town develops and looks to shift into the new digital economy, Maker + Co is looking to help businesses engage.
Image source: Maker + Co.