Landing Pads provide market-ready Australian startups with access to some of the world’s most renowned innovation and startup ecosystems.

 

I was in San Francisco in April and met with Gabe Sulkes who oversees the Australian Landing there. Based at WeWork, successful applicants claim a desk, effectively giving them a 90-day operational base. There are five Landing pads globally - Berlin, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore and Tel Aviv.

 

It’s an immersive environment and experience, designed to help startups grow their business by facilitating in-market business development, introductions to investors and mentor networks and strategic business opportunities. Participants benefit from Austrade’s business services and in-market learnings from local and international experts.

 

The program is designed to help startups go global. If you want to apply, you need to demonstrate traction, scalability and the unique selling proposition of your venture.

 

I asked the current cohort how they were funding their accommodation and expenses and most said they had budgeted around $12K for the 90 days. With rents rising due the continuous influx of people into Silicon Valley, most had found reasonable accommodation through Airbnb.

 

And as most people with diverse skills find when they are thrown into a room together, the collective brains trust was invaluable when it came to obstacles and problems that needed solving.

 

The Australian Landing Pads enable startups to rapidly finetune their pitch, commercialise their offering, identify partners, customers and investors, and access global markets. For more information visit https://www.australiaunlimited.com/LandingPads