Main Investment Initiatives

Taxes and Incentives

• Queensland has the lowest payroll tax: no payroll tax is due for wages and salaries below A$1.1 million.
• The Ignite Ideas Fund: by the Queensland government provides funds to Queensland-based small to medium businesses that have high-growth potential. Since 2016, Queensland’s Business Development Fund has supported more than 50 Queensland start-ups through funding.

  Investor Landscape

  • Suncoast Angels is an angel investor network that facilitates seed capital investment and organizes regular pitch events.

  • ProtoAtlantic – an accelerator program focused on promoting and developing the maritime sector in the Canary Islands.

  • Advance Queensland has partnered with the US Department of State and Silicon Valley-based Entrepreneur Futures Network (EFN) to deliver the Empower Program. The program gives female entrepreneurs across Queensland the opportunity to connect and learn from experienced female mentors in the United States.

  • SunRamp Healthtech Accelerator helps healthcare startups scale, focusing on later-stage startups.

  Notable events

  • Startup Weekend Sunshine Coast – a fast-paced weekend-long event with a good mix of technical and non-technical background attendees, pitching their ideas, mapping customer needs and services and developing working prototypes to present at the end of the weekend.

  • Generation Innovation – empowers young entrepreneurs to pursue innovative ideas and offers the tools and guidance needed to succeed. Open to Sunshine Coast residents between the ages of 15-25.

  • Silicon Coast – is an online community that tries to mimic an innovative culture akin to Silicon Valley. The group works to promote business creation, connect entrepreneurs, and facilitate entrepreneurial events on the Sunshine Coast.