The Roost Creative

What The Roost Creative does

The Roost Creative is a not-for-profit coworking organisation headquartered on Level 1, 152-160 Hunter Street in Newcastle, NSW. Founded in 2010 under the Renew Newcastle initiative and formally registered as a not-for-profit in 2013, it operates a single shared-workspace site targeting independent creative professionals—graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, writers, artists and architects—primarily in the Hunter Region. The Roost's product surface is a portfolio of membership tiers rather than a software platform: Professional ($260-$270/month for a permanent desk, unlimited boardroom and Zoom booth use, and AGM voting rights), Hatchlings ($160/month for students within one year of graduation or new businesses), a Hot Desk 10-pass package ($220), Virtual Membership ($99/year) and a Day Pass ($35). Amenities include open-plan office space with 100/40 nbn, printing, communal kitchen, bookable boardroom, two Zoom booths, and programmed community events and business mentoring through The Business Centre. Technical stack is deliberately low-tech: a Squarespace-hosted website handles marketing and member profiles, while community communication runs through a private Facebook group; no public API, SDK or developer-facing services exist.

The business model is seat-based recurring subscription augmented by pay-as-you-go passes and day passes, with supplementary revenue from event hire and partner-supported scholarships (Newcastle Museum, The Design Kids, The Business Centre). Member acquisition is community-led, driven by referrals, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X), local PR and free 5-7 day trials. Governance is executed by a 2025-2026 Board of Directors (six volunteer members plus an Executive Director/Community Manager), and the membership is cited at "40+". The pending launch of The Roost Residency 2026 (July–December 2026) extends the offering into a six-month free-membership program for emerging Newcastle creatives, supplied by partners including The Business Centre, The Design Kids and Newcastle Museum. The company has no parent entity, no subsidiaries, no external funding rounds, and no AI/ML capability disclosed across its technology footprint.

Name

The Roost Creative

Legal name

The Roost Creative

Website

https://theroostcreative.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Roost Creative is a not-for-profit coworking space in Newcastle, NSW, offering subscription memberships, day passes and virtual community access to approximately 40 independent creative professionals, supplemented by mentoring, events and partner-supported scholarship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Monthly and annual subscription revenue from Professional memberships ($270/month), Hatchling memberships ($160/month for students/recent graduates), and Virtual memberships ($99/year). Members receive dedicated desk space, business hours access, boardroom use, and community benefits.
2. Day Passes and Hot Desk Passes: One-time day pass sales at $35/day and 10-pass hot desk packages at $220 (valid 6 months, non-refundable). Provides flexible access for creatives who do not require full-time membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Roost Creative operates a not-for-profit coworking space in Newcastle CBD that provides dedicated desks, hot desks, communal kitchen, boardroom, Zoom booths, printing, and high-speed internet to creatives. Members access the space through monthly/annual subscriptions (Professional, Hatchlings, Virtual) or pay-as-you-go day passes and hot desk packs, and receive community programming, networking events, and subsidised business mentoring. The Roost Residency, a six-month program, awards free Professional membership and workspace to selected Newcastle creatives.

Product overview

The Roost Creative is a not-for-profit coworking space offering a portfolio of membership tiers designed for creatives at all stages: from students and recent graduates (Hatchlings) to established professionals (Professional), with flexible options including Hot Desk passes, Virtual membership, and Day passes. The space provides shared amenities including printing facilities, boardrooms with Zoom booths, communal kitchen, and business mentoring. The organization also runs The Roost Residency, a six-month program providing free Professional membership and dedicated workspace to emerging Newcastle creatives. All memberships include access to community events, networking opportunities, and the internal online forum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Membership Full-time dedicated workspace membership providing permanent desk space, unlimited boardroom access, unlimited Zoom booth use, website profile, PO Box access, and full voting rights including eligibility to apply for the Board of Directors. Priced at $270/month (also listed at $260/month on the homepage).
• Hatchlings Membership Discounted membership for students within one year of graduating or businesses within one year of starting, offering permanent desk space at a reduced rate of $160/month.
• Hot Desk Passes Flexible workspace access sold as a 10-pass package for $220, valid for 6 months and non-refundable. Provides hot desk space during business hours with limited boardroom use up to 4 times per year.
• Virtual Membership Online-only membership at $99/year providing access to the internal Facebook group, weekly community newsletter, invitations to social events, and limited boardroom use up to 4 times per year.
• Day Pass Single-day hot desk access at $35 per day, providing drop-in workspace for creatives who need occasional access. No boardroom or PO Box access included.
• The Roost Residency Six-month residency program supporting Newcastle-based creatives with free Professional membership, dedicated desk space, networking opportunities, informal mentoring, and community events. Open to designers, writers, illustrators, filmmakers, photographers, digital artists, researchers, creative technologists, and community creatives.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Business CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoost members receive heavily subsidised rates for business mentoring with experts from The Business Centre. Monthly one-to-one mentoring sessions held at The Roost. Members also benefit from workshops held in the space.
• The Design KidscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Design Kids provides industry knowledge, exposure and opportunities to students and graduates in the communication design community, with a focus on illustration, typography and graphic design. Co-host #TDKtuesdays events.
• Pride AwarenessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides LGBTI awareness training for Roost members looking to strengthen their understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people and communities.
• GrowthwiseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal company that helps businesses around Newcastle streamline their admin and finances. Provides financial guidance and support to The Roost.
• Welcome Here ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports businesses and services throughout Australia to create and promote environments that are visibly welcoming and inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTQI) communities.
• Renew NewcastlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Roost originated as a Renew Newcastle space. The organization acknowledges Marcus Westbury and Renew Newcastle for the revitalization of Hunter Street Mall that allowed creative institutions like The Roost to establish themselves.
• Newcastle MuseumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerContributes to The Roost Creative Scholarship program. Scholarship winners receive opportunity to showcase their work at Newcastle Museum.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Inspire9: Melbourne-based community coworking hub explicitly targeting creatives, startups, and freelancers with multi-tier memberships and a focus on collaborative culture. Closest direct analog in terms of mission-driven creative community positioning in Australia.
• The Cluster: Sydney coworking operator serving creative professionals and small teams with flexible membership models. Comparable as an Australian creative-focused coworking operator with tiered membership and community programming.
• Hubud: Bali-based community-led coworking space built around creative professionals, digital nomads, and small businesses. Directly comparable in mission, member demographics, and community-event-driven model.
• Neuehouse: Members' club and creative workspace operator with locations in NYC and LA, serving creative professionals with curated community programming. Comparable in creative-focused positioning and tiered membership model.
• Hub Sydney: Australian community-led coworking operator serving creative professionals and small businesses, with comparable membership tiers and focus on collaborative culture. Highly comparable as a peer community coworking brand in the Australian market.

Broad incumbents

• Spaces (IWG): Global coworking and flexible workspace brand operated by IWG, serving freelancers and enterprises with on-demand office and coworking access. Comparable as a major incumbent in the broader coworking category though not community-led.
• WeWork: Global coworking giant offering flexible office space to freelancers, startups, and enterprises across dozens of countries. Comparable as a coworking operator in the same product category but at vastly larger scale and broader target market.
• Industrious: US-based flexible workspace operator offering coworking and private office solutions to enterprises and small businesses. Comparable as a coworking incumbent though positioned upmarket relative to Roost's creative community focus.

Emerging players

• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-driven coworking spaces serving entrepreneurs, creatives, and mission-focused professionals across 100+ cities. Comparable as a mission-driven community coworking model with similar tiered membership and event programming.

Regional players

• Bizdojo: New Zealand-based community coworking operator with locations in Wellington and Auckland serving startups, freelancers, and small creative businesses. Comparable regional peer with similar community-led model in an adjacent geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theroost
• Facebookfacebook.com/theroostcreative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-roost-creative
• Instagraminstagram.com/theroost_creative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Roost Creative