News

Whether it’s introducing a new, innovative product or service to the market, or scaling a company beyond state or national borders to export across the globe, entrepreneurs benefit from sound advice, ideas and inspiration from those who have gone before them.

The Innovation Leaders Network (ILN), an initiative of the Department of State Development, facilitates networking and peer-to-peer learning opportunities among members of South Australia’s growing startup community, including larger-scale panel discussions and intimate networking opportunities.

The first event in the ILN mentoring series was held in September, providing a platform for emerging and accomplished founders to initiate meaningful mentee-mentor relationships which may be further developed beyond the scope of the program, if participants choose.

These mentors have built teams, raised capital, cracked global markets, navigated ASX listings, or achieved acquisitions worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and they were all generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences in starting and scaling a business, and stories of inspiration with emerging SA startup founders.

The Department of State Development has a dedicated business development team responsible for supporting local startups to help them succeed, to attract investment into the state, to employ more South Australians, and continue the growth of our startup sector and our more than 830 SA startups.

The 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report demonstrated that, from 2023 to 2024, Adelaide’s startup ecosystem jumped more than 25 spots in the overall rankings, and increased by 19 per cent in value, reaching $1.9 billion. This performance led to Adelaide’s debut on the report’s Emerging Ecosystem list, meaning the city was independently selected as one of the world’s most likely to become a major global player.

The ILN Mentorship Program is just one element of the overarching Innovation Leaders Program initiative.