Silicon Valley has truly made an undeniable mark on the world. San Francisco’s hub of technology, invention, and startups has seen the likes of Apple, Google, Uber, and Airbnb all based within its hills. The American centre for innovation has had a huge impact on the global economy, with “disruptors” (i.e. inventors) constantly looking to “disrupt” our everyday way of living and promote technological advancement.

Unfortunately for Silicon Valley, it’s not only overpopulated, it also has some of the most expensive real estate in the world due to its promising location. San Francisco also famously sits on the San Andreas faultline, meaning that they are quite literally waiting for a disaster to strike. Quite a strange place to put such an important hub!

This is continually encouraging other countries to make their own “Silicon Valleys” where people from all over the world flock to share their creative innovations and skills. Preferably ones that aren’t super prone to massive earthquakes anytime soon. As you may have guessed by now, Australia is no exception, with companies like SharePointPro continually supporting the development of new and innovative startups on the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

As the head of Gold Coast-based tech start-up Silicon Lakes, Aaron Birkby is one of the most prominent visionaries of the Gold Coast shift. In his own words:

“It is our vision to grow a robust ecosystem of established large-scale, globally relevant, technology businesses. We’re developing the current industry and the innovative aspects of what we do to be one of the best in Australia – and even the world. The type of technology and IT services being developed on the Gold Coast are world-class, with a number of Gold Coast-based technology startups already validating this by building solid global businesses including Guvera, Opmantek and ICON Software.”

Boundlss co-founders Mike Kruger and Jonah Cacioppe have compiled a rather interesting report that analyses the prominence of startups and Silicon Valley-esque businesses in both South East Queensland and the Gold Coast. The team here at SharePointPro find the report very encouraging, as well continue to support and provide solutions for startups and small businesses in the Gold Coast and Brisbane area.

The report found that the Gold Coast currently has 220 startups. The industries employ around 1,900 people and have already raised a staggering $126 million in funds! The potential economic impact of disruptive technologies on Queensland’s’ Economy in 2025 is estimated by the report to be around $96 Billion per year. Impressed? The digital technology sector is also expected to see an impact of over $6 Billion per year from the Gold Coast hub.

 

SharePointPro (and many others) hope that by 2033 Queensland will be renowned for its entrepreneurial endeavours as we seek to disrupt Silicon Valley itself! By 2033, the startup sector is estimated to be contributing $20 Billion and 100,000 new jobs into the Australian economy. All of this is made possible by the innovation of Australians and foreigners alike.

It currently looks promising for the Gold Coast community, as to date it currently has secured investments topping $69 million in total. Oh, and let us not forget Brisbane! Brisbane currently has over $45 million secured it investments too! The message is clear: Australia’s Gold Coast is turning into a technological powerhouse, and we here at SharePointPro could not be happier to hear it.

In his book “The Rise of the Creative Class” Richard Florida theorises that if young professionals who are skilled in technology can work anywhere, they’d want to work somewhere pleasant and fun! He goes on to describe “innovation places” (i.e. Silicon Valley et al) and states that an “innovation place” requires three factors: talent, technology, and tolerance.

Talent and technology are self-explanatory, but “tolerance” refers to a location’s attractiveness, convenience and comfort. San Francisco’s skyrocketing property prices, rising homeless population and never-ending fear of natural disasters are all steadily draining away its “tolerance”, making sunny Australia an attractive alternative competitor.

Michael Blumenstein, head of the School of ICT at Griffith University, has said that he believes the Gold Coast is an attractive alternative to Silicon Valley and is a very promising innovation place due to its pleasant weather, pleasant surroundings, and blossoming opportunities. He states:

“With the support of the Queensland Government, City of Gold Coast, research and education intuitions and the industry, and the lifestyle that is available here, there is nothing missing. Why people come to the Gold Coast and why they stay are two very different things. They come for the reputation – the natural beauty, the safety, and to raise a family. People stay because of the ability to explore and do exciting things because of the opportunities that are presented here.”

SharePointPro is located in Gold Coast, Queensland  and as a result, we are very excited to see the continued growth of the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Our SharePoint solutions and tailored workflow systems can be of enormous benefit to companies of all shapes and sizes- startups included! We fully support the push to have our own Aussie “Silicon Valley” right here in Queensland.