The mission of Eighteen04 Inc. is to support early stage start-ups seeking to transform our energy economy, our environment and who are seeking to build smart and sustainable cities.

 

Eighteen04 is again open for business. Two years since our co working start-up took up residence in temporary premises hosted by the CSIRO Energy Centre at Mayfield, we are now operating from the TAFE Hamilton campus on Parry Street in the bustling Newcastle West End. The timing couldn’t be better with the opening of the Wickham transport interchange and with the booming growth in the Newcastle and Hunter innovation ecosystem.

 

The organisation has taken its name from the year that saw Newcastle founded as a key economic port and a tough northern satellite to Sydney. Back then the city’s roots were in energy and resources and its grip on the coast made it a gateway to the global economy.

 

Now in 2017, Eighteen04 is playing a crucial role in the innovation ecosystem of the Hunter. Our focus is on incubating start-ups and scale-ups in the CleanTech and SmartCity space. CleanTech is an exciting space. The generation of employment opportunities will be abundant as the world transitions to a renewable energy future. The Hunter has always been a source of energy for our nation, and our goal at Eighteen04 is to support those start-ups who will lead the way for Australia to claim its share of new global industries.

 

In the SmartCity space, Newcastle is an ideal “living laboratory.”

Eighteen04 is working closely with Newcastle City Council and other stakeholders towards a vision of a city that incorporates electrical vehicle charge points, smart energy sharing and public WiFi. The city is adapting and charging into the 21st Century.

 

Eighteen04 is strongly supportive of start-ups that are innovating both hardware and software. We are not restricted to “internet-only” development of apps and software because we understand the different timelines and challenges of designing, developing, testing and deploying hardware devices. In our co-working space, we have a high-tech maker space where our start-ups can develop and test their products.

Our new home in Newcastle has an inspirational history as being the site of the second oldest brewery in Newcastle. We are excited to be re-invigorating this space as a hub for the businesses that will provide employment for our city of the future.

 

If you have a business idea in the CleanTech and SmartCity space we would love to welcome you in for a chat.