Stone & Chalk

What Stone & Chalk does

Stone & Chalk is a purpose-driven not-for-profit innovation hub founded in 2015 and operating Australia's largest innovation community, with physical hubs in Sydney (477 Pitt Street, Tech Central), Melbourne (121 King Street), and Adelaide (Lot Fourteen). The company serves four primary customer segments — startups, scaleups, corporates, and government — across at least ten specialized verticals spanning FinTech, PropTech, ClimateTech, AgTech, Cyber, SpaceTech, Quantum, DefenceTech, AR/VR, and Web3, with over 500 startups and scaleups (and 600+ pre-vetted companies per one source) in its community network.

The core product is a multi-hub residency platform combining physical workspace (flexible hot desks, fixed desks, and private offices with 24/7 access, 10 Gbps internet, 20+ meeting rooms, end-of-trip facilities), structured growth programs (mentorship, capital raising, customer development), investment connection services matching 600+ startups with VCs, family offices, and angels, and bespoke corporate 'Innovation as a Service' engagements (Technology Scouting, Challenge Sprints, Innovation Accelerators, Venture Co-Creation, Innovation Residency). Supporting digital infrastructure includes Stone & Chalk Connect (community platform) and the Cyber Innovation Network virtual membership (integrated following the 2021 AustCyber acquisition). The platform does not develop proprietary software as a core product; community, mentorship matching, and curated programs are the primary value layers.

The revenue model is diversified across subscription workspace membership fees (flexi desk, fixed desk, private office), bespoke corporate innovation partnerships (multi-year contracts), government innovation programs (Federal, State, Territory), event space hire, and investor/founder screening services. The not-for-profit structure means surpluses support mission reinvestment rather than distributing profits; a $9 million financial turnaround completed under former CEO Chris Kirk (3-year CEO tenure, 11 years with the organization, ending in 2023) returned the organization from multi-million dollar losses to financial stability. Distribution is domestic-Australia only, with reciprocal hub access across all three capital-city locations.

Name

Stone & Chalk

Legal name

Stone & Chalk

Website

https://stoneandchalk.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stone & Chalk is a purpose-driven not-for-profit innovation hub operating Australia's largest startup and scaleup community, with physical hubs in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. It serves startups, scaleups, corporates, and government across ten specialized verticals via workspace, mentorship, investment connections, and bespoke corporate innovation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Hub and Startup Ecosystem Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emerging Tech (IoT, Blockchain, AR/VR, Edge) Consulting (BPAHAEAL)

Keywords

• Innovation hub services
• Startup incubator programs
• Corporate innovation partnerships
• Coworking workspace solutions
• Venture capital connections

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Workspace Membership Fees: Stone & Chalk generates revenue primarily through membership fees charged to startups, scaleups, and entrepreneurs for access to physical workspace (flexi desks, fixed desks, private offices) across its Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide hubs. Membership tiers range from flexible hot-desking to dedicated secured offices. The not-for-profit structure means revenues support the mission rather than distributing profits.
2. Corporate Innovation Partnerships: Stone & Chalk earns revenue through structured corporate innovation partnerships with medium-to-large corporates. These include technology scouting, challenge sprints, innovation accelerators, venture co-creation, and innovation residency programs — all delivered as bespoke 'Innovation as a Service' engagements.
3. Government Innovation Programs: Stone & Chalk partners with Federal, State, and Territory governments to develop innovation maturity and capability, delivering policy advocacy, innovation program development, problem statement development, and technology matching services.
4. Event Space Hire: Stone & Chalk hires out event spaces at its hubs (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide), prioritising events that serve the needs of its members including startup and pitch events, fireside chats, and skills workshops. Revenue is generated from venue hire fees.
5. Investor & Founder Screening Services: Stone & Chalk screens and connects investors with pre-vetted, high-growth startups and scaleups. While the service is primarily ecosystem-focused, it facilitates investment activity that may generate indirect economic benefit through membership and program fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Stone & Chalk operates innovation hubs across Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide that provide startups, scaleups, corporates, and government with physical workspace (flexible desks, fixed desks, private offices), structured growth programs, structured mentorship, investment connection services linking founders with VCs and family offices, and bespoke corporate innovation partnerships. The offering is unified by a shared community platform, mentorship network, and investor relationships that connect all hubs and a portfolio of nine sector-focused vertical communities spanning fintech, cyber, proptech, climate tech, agtech, space tech, quantum, defence tech, and AR/VR/Web3.

Product overview

Stone & Chalk is Australia's largest innovation community, operating as a multi-location hub provider rather than a single software product. The offering is a platform-plus-services architecture consisting of: (1) Physical workspace infrastructure across three hubs in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide; (2) Residency/Membership as the core access mechanism providing desk options (flexible, fixed, private office); (3) Growth Programs delivering mentorship, capital raising, customer development, and people/culture support; (4) Investment Connection Services linking startups with VCs, family offices, and angel syndicates; (5) Corporate Innovation Partnerships offering structured pathways for corporates to engage with startups; and (6) Specialized vertical hubs for fintech, agtech, climate tech, cyber, space tech, quantum, defence tech, AR/VR, and Web3. The products are unified by the shared community platform, mentorship network, and investor relationships that connect all hubs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residency and Membership
• Hub Workspaces (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide)
• Growth Programs
• Mentorship Program
• Investment Connection Services
• Corporate Innovation Partnerships
• FinTech Hub
• Cyber Innovation Network / Stone & Chalk Cyber
• ClimateTech Hub
• AgTech Hub
• AR/VR Hub
• DefenceTech Hub
• SpaceTech Hub
• Quantum Hub
• PropTech Hub
• Web3 Hub
• Event Spaces (Venue Hire)

Quantifiable outcome

• $9 million financial turnaround achieved under Chris Kirk's leadership as CEO, returning the not-for-profit from losses in the millions to financial stability
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Office of the South Australian Chief EntrepreneurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStone & Chalk's Adelaide Startup Hub is located at Lot Fourteen in partnership with the Office of the South Australian Chief Entrepreneur. This partnership positions the Adelaide hub as a breeding ground for collaboration in Space Tech, Climate Tech, Cyber, and related sectors, leveraging the Chief Entrepreneur's network and government innovation agenda.
• AustCyber (now Stone & Chalk cyber)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustCyber, after 7 years as a government-funded Industry Growth Centre supporting Australia's cyber security sector, transitioned to become fully integrated under the 'Stone & Chalk cyber' umbrella. Stone & Chalk now continues AustCyber's mission to foster and accelerate cyber capability development and innovation across Australia, including managing resources like AU Cyber Explorer and AU CyberScape.
• KPMGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKPMG partnered with Stone & Chalk on innovation programs to help Australia's best startups gain traction and commercial outcomes. The partnership combines KPMG's deep customer relationships and industry expertise with the unconstrained thinking of Stone & Chalk startups. Managed by Sarah Vega, National Managing Partner, KPMG Futures.
• Chartered Accountants ANZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChartered Accountants ANZ partnered with Stone & Chalk to be at the forefront of fintech innovation, gain an advantageous perspective on emerging financial technologies, and enable members to give back to the startup community as trusted advisers. Partnership managed by Sunny Sirabas, GM of Innovation.
• BAE Systems AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAE Systems Australia collaborates with Stone & Chalk on defence innovation, combining Stone & Chalk's ecosystem capability and startup knowledge with BAE Systems' defence requirements, customer relationships, and domain expertise. Managed by Tom Tizard, Head of Industry Development.
• National AI Centre (CSIRO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National AI Centre partnered with Stone & Chalk on the National AI Sprint, a program to help transform AI concepts into real-world impact. Managed by Stela Solar, Director of National AI Centre.
• Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIML participated in an AI Roundtable hosted by Stone & Chalk Adelaide for Her Excellency the Governor of South Australia. AIML is a key ecosystem partner in Stone & Chalk's AI community.
• PresagenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresagen participated in the AI Roundtable hosted by Stone & Chalk Adelaide, representing the AI startup ecosystem alongside other community members.
• MaxMineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaxMine participated in the AI Roundtable hosted by Stone & Chalk Adelaide, representing the AI ecosystem in South Australia.
• Proptech Association AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Proptech Association Australia is a prominent resident at Stone & Chalk and Stone & Chalk is a foundation supporter of the association. Stone & Chalk also sponsors the monthly Proptech Panel, sharing knowledge and expertise with the wider proptech community.
• MLAIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStone & Chalk and MLAI partnered to strengthen Melbourne's AI innovation ecosystem. MLAI runs programs including 'AI Builder Co-working x S&C', 'Claude for Everyone', and AI Week events at Stone & Chalk Melbourne.
• Tech Central PrecinctcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStone & Chalk at Tech Central is part of the Tech Central precinct in Sydney, where startups, corporates, universities, government, and accelerators operate in one connected community. The precinct provides a broader innovation ecosystem that Stone & Chalk's hub sits within.
• ASX-listed Companies and National Institutions (unnamed)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStone & Chalk's corporate innovation partnerships include ASX-listed companies and national institutions building for the future in Australia. Multiple case studies (KPMG, Chartered Accountants ANZ, BAE Systems) demonstrate the breadth of this customer base.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Startmate: Australian-headquartered accelerator and early-stage investor running founder cohorts across Australia and New Zealand; competes directly with Stone & Chalk for the same startup founders and increasingly for corporate partner mindshare on innovation programs.
• Fishburners: Australia's longest-running startup coworking space and community, with multiple physical hub locations for early-stage founders; very similar product offering (workspace + community + connections) to Stone & Chalk's core residency product.
• Antler: Global early-stage venture builder with strong Australia/NZ presence providing cohort-based accelerator programs and pre-seed investment; competes for the same founder applicant pool and corporate innovation partnerships as Stone & Chalk.
• Cicada Innovations: Sydney-based deep-tech incubator operating a physical lab/hub for science and engineering startups; directly comparable as an Australian innovation hub model, focused on hard-tech verticals that overlap with Stone & Chalk's quantum, space, and defence hubs.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator operator running mentor-driven cohort programs worldwide with structured corporate partnerships; competes with Stone & Chalk for both startup founders and corporate 'Innovation as a Service' program budgets, but at much larger scale and global reach.
• Y Combinator: The leading global startup accelerator with a standardized batch model and post-program investor syndicate; competes for ambitious Australian founders who can be located anywhere, and sets the bar for what international founders expect from an accelerator.

Regional players

• Lot Fourteen (Adelaide): Adelaide's innovation precinct where Stone & Chalk's Adelaide Startup Hub is co-located; the precinct hosts competing accelerators and research organisations, making Lot Fourteen both a partner and a partial peer in space tech and deep-tech programming.
• Tech Central (Sydney): The Sydney innovation precinct in which Stone & Chalk's flagship hub is located; as the precinct operator, it is a partner but also a source of potential overlap and competition for tenants, programmes, and government innovation funding directed to Tech Central.

Emerging players

• muru-D: Telstra-backed Singapore/Australia startup accelerator that supports founders with mentorship, capital, and corporate customer access; overlaps with Stone & Chalk's corporate-partnership value proposition, particularly with telco and enterprise-grade customer pipelines.
• CSIRO ON Accelerate: Australian national science agency's flagship deep-tech accelerator program for researchers-turned-founders; competes for the same deep-tech and research-spinout founders that Stone & Chalk serves through its Quantum, SpaceTech, and DefenceTech hubs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stoneandchalk
• Facebookfacebook.com/stoneandchalk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stone & Chalk