River City Labs Announce Exciting Evolution

Queensland’s Female Founders program by River City Labs

Brisbane’s River City Labs is backing 20 women tech founders with a new mentoring program

Ocean City Labs Launch

River City Labs celebrates 10th anniversary

River City Labs celebrated its 10th anniversary at Brisbane’s Cloudland on Friday with Queensland’s top startups, investors, and tech people joining the event.

River Rival winners showcase best in Qld tech

Privacy-focused payment startup Xiippy was the big winner from the River Rival pitch competition that closed out Brisbane’s Something Tech conference last week, taking out both the judge’s award for Best in Product and tying for the Best of the Best award with diabetes medicine subscription service Stripped Supply.

Queensland is showcasing its best startups and tech at Something Fest

Brisbane turns its attention to tech this week with a series of events celebrating the best of Queensland fast-growing tech and startup sector.

Get a foot in the door with work-integrated learning

Delving into Griffith’s innovation and entrepreneurship’s ecosystem, as well as work-integrated learning experiences such as internships and placements, can help pave the way to your career. These opportunities could even help you land a coveted job before graduating. That’s exactly what happened to Bailey Clayton, who in the final trimester of her Bachelor of Business degree has secured a permanent role as a social media analyst with River City Labs following an internship with the company.

River City Labs and empire group establish RegTech Qld

River City Labs has partnered with empire group to put RegTech into focus for Queensland. Bringing together the talented community of likeminded professionals and innovators, RegTech Qld closes the gap on tech innovation in the Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) domains across industries. “empire group is passionate about leading the way. RegTech is a vital regulatory function that impacts the way organization’s manage governance, risk and compliance. empire group is delighted to partner with River City Labs to shine a bright light on RegTech in Queensland,” said Michelle Sneesby, Founder and Managing Partner of empire group.

Global Startup Weekend Women Brisbane 2019

25 September 2019 - 75 women came together to work on their business ideas. River City Labs hosted one of Australia’s largest startup events for women over the weekend. More than 90 people attended and 75 participants came together ( the youngest participant was 14 years old ) to work on their ideas at Global Startup Weekend Women Brisbane. Twenty-five ideas were pitched resulting in 11 teams formed.

RiverPitch showcases Australia’s top startup talent

15 November 2019 - RiverPitch, Australia’s leading bi-annual pitching event for startups, held its 18th event at Lightspace in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley on Thursday night with eight exciting Queensland based startups presenting to a group of high-powered investors for Series A investment funding.

10 TIPS for Small Businesses Wanting to Work from Home

ACS appoints Todd McGregor to lead Startup Catalyst

2 December 2019 - ACS, the professional association for Australia’s technology sector, has appointed Todd McGregor as General Manager for Startup Catalyst. Startup Catalyst, acquired by ACS in September 2018, takes Australia's best tech talent to startup hotspots all over the world to meet with the most innovative global tech companies, inspiring them to build the next generation of high-growth global technology giants.

ACS appoints Pauline Fetaui as River City Labs' General Manager

ACS, the professional association for Australia’s technology sector, today announced the appointment of Pauline Fetaui as General Manager of River City Labs. Pauline joins ACS after running her own startup. CheeHoo, a fully integrated life and virtual personal assistant app designed to help people hustle smarter and stay connected to people in their lives.

RiverPitch Live Sydney presents ten teams to over 100 Investors

1 July 2019 - RiverPitch Live event series took place for the first time in Sydney on 27th June at the Sydney Startup Hub. After a successful RiverPitch series in Brisbane powered by River City Labs and followed by a television series, RiverPitch Live Sydney welcomed a guest list of investors, startup industry professionals and the tech startup community.

River City Labs is once again hosting Startup Weekend Women Brisbane

22 July 2019 - Brisbane innovation hub River City Labs will host its third Startup Weekend Women Brisbane event as part of the Global Startup Weekend Women movement on September 20-22.

The Startup turning the tide with predictive flooding technology

2 July 2019 - CEO and co-founder, Juliette Murphy, discusses how FloodMapp has developed rapid predictive flood modelling technology to provide businesses with more time and location-specific information to prevent flood damage. The solution reads in real-time weather and river height data and leverages cutting-edge technology (including big data and analytics, and machine learning) to produce predictive mapping.

Why hiring for experience can help your startups change the world

27 June 2019 - The startup sector is a funny thing. As an industry, like most of the startups in our ecosystems, we’re in a scale-up phase of our own. For the past 10 years we have focused on tech, problems, solutions, disruption, platforms and investment. We’ve been pitching and creating so many solutions for problems that exist, and problems that we want to exist, because we created a solution and desperately want to apply it to something.

RiverPitch Live launches in Sydney - Applications are open now

20 May 2019 - After a series of successful RiverPitch events in Queensland with up to 10 - 15 startups and scaleups participating at each event and pitching to an audience of over 100, RiverPitch Live will launch in Sydney on the 27 June 2019 at Sydney Startup Hub. RiverPitch Live - Sydney 2019 will replicate its RiverPitch Brisbane Live event series, where screened startups and screened high-profile investors come together in a social evening where investor ready projects can be pitched. The event will aim to foster both the startup and investment community in Sydney, where investor ready startups and teams are connected with experienced investors. Last year RiverPitch Brisbane 2018 helped over eight teams ( over two RiverPitch Live Brisbane events ) secure funding.

Scaling great heights: River City Labs extends its reach launching Harbour City Labs at Barangaroo

15 April 2019 - As CEO of River City Labs Peta Ellis knows a thing or two about startups. She’s mentored 100s in her time as the former General Manager at River City Labs and as the founder of multiple Startup and Entrepreneurship Programs she is responsible for fostering one of the most thriving entrepreneurial scenes in the nation. Now Ellis will be bringing her extraordinary skills to the Sydney startup scene as River City Labs launches a sister brand Harbour City Labs at swank new premises in Barangaroo.

Global Startup Weekend Women

12 April 2019 - Congratulations to Global Startup Weekend Women 2018 Winner Gathar on their recent launch in Brisbane.

5 Brisbane scaleups doing big things in science and tech

8 April 2019 - Brisbane’s startup ecosystem is becoming big business. Data from the most recent Startup Muster report shows that Brisbane has surpassed Melbourne to become the second-largest city for startup founders to base their business. For the past two years, Brisbane has only been behind Sydney for the size of its startup ecosystem.

Local entrepreneurs grow beyond Brisbane with Lord Mayor grants

25 March 2019 - A start-up creating potentially life-saving wearable devices for domestic violence victims and a local company designing lab-standard testing technology for the world’s elite sporting teams are among the entrepreneurial ideas awarded funding in the latest Lord Mayor’s Global Entrepreneur Program. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk announced 11 successful recipients today following a competitive judging process of 190 submissions.

River City Labs supports Entrepreneurs' Organisation Brisbane accelerator

13 March 2019 - “I look forward to sharing River City Labs’ facilities and network with the Entrepreneur’s Organisation in providing support to its Accelerator participants and EO Brisbane members. EO Members (US$1m+) and EO Accelerators (US$250k-$1m) are later stage entrepreneurs no longer in the startup phase, with thriving businesses. The partnership aligns with our vision to support founders from all stages of their journey.

River City Labs joins Entrepreneurs' Organisation Brisbane, as EO Brisbane sponsor of the Accelerator Program

20 February 2019 - Brisbane’s leading tech startup hub River City Labs will support The Entrepreneurs’ Organization Brisbane Chapter as a sponsor of the Accelerator Program in 2019. The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 13,000 influential business owners with 181 chapters in 57 countries. Founded in 1987, EO is the catalyst that enables leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow, leading to greater success in business and beyond.

Startup Weekend Brisbane 2019. Fifty-Four hours to launch a startup. Ready, Set and Go!

19 February 2019 - River City Labs hosted one of Australia’s largest Startup event over the weekend. More than 130 attendees gathered at River City Labs to take part in three days over the weekend ( February 15 - 17 ) of business creation. River City Labs welcomed over 90 participants and 48 ideas pitched culminating in 10 teams formed.

River City Labs wants you to launch a startup in 54 hours

12 February 2019 - River City Labs will bring together industry mentors, experts, designers, creators and developers for 54 hours of model creation, pitching and market validation at Startup Weekend Brisbane 2019.

2019 We're Ready

21 February 2018 - As we get ready for 2019, we would like to thank everyone for the year that was. To all the familiar and new faces that have dropped by RCL, whether as members, mentors, investors, friends meeting friends, client meetings, for an event, or just coming by to see what we’re all about.

Startup Invest welcomes over 250 attendees

14 December 2018 - Startup Invest was held on December 5th 2018. the annual event brought together an exclusive crowd of pre-screened investors and industry experts to watch teams from River City Labs' Accelerator Demo Day pitches and finalists from River City Labs exclusive RiverPitch series. All eight teams from RCL Accelerator cohort delivered polished pitches as they looked to secure seed and series A funding from the group of high-powered national and international investors.

AFR Reimagination 2018 special report

29 November 2018

GHD pledge to commit 100 hours to River City Labs

26 November 2018 - Announced at the ACS (Australian Computer Society) Reimagination Conference on the 1st of November, GHD Digital pledged to commit to 100 hours of voluntary service to River City Labs. GHD Digital, the digital arm of one of the world's leading professional services companies GHD, helps clients embrace rapidly emerging digital advancements to future-proof their businesses.

Out-tern Program Round 2 - Q&A with startup FlyFreely

22 October 2018 - Drones? Check. Inspirational co-working space? Check. Startup and mentor eager and ready to go? Check! Mark Rhodes, Head of Group Assurance in Risk at BOQ, and startup FlyFreely recently completed Round 2 of BOQ's and River City Labs' ( RCL ) Out-tern Program. The program pairs a BOQ employee with a startup based out of RCL to work with and mentor them on their startup journey.

Startups help consumers with smarter solutions for managing their money

18 October 2018 - Three Brisbane startups with big ideas to change the financial services landscape for consumers and small businesses are preparing to seek out investors and corporate partners after graduating from an intensive 12-week pre-accelerator program.

Aged care tech startup Conpago eyes $1m investment injection after StartCon win

15 October 2018 - A local startup that has developed new technology to help ensure elderly people’s health and wellbeing is in line to compete for $1 million in fresh investment after winning the Brisbane regional final of the StartCon Pitch for $1 Million competition, held by StartCon, Australia’s largest startup and growth conference.

FloodMapp provide real-time mapping and intelligent flood alerts

23 September 2018 - Floodmapp is an Australian startup that provides real-time flood mapping and intelligent flood alerts in order to improve safety and reduce flood-related damage. The company was founded by Ryan Prosser and Juliette Murphy after they recognised that technology has the potential to mitigate the disastrous impact flooding can have on the lives of millions of people across the globe each year.

AI, VR and fintech in focus as Microsoft takes on its first Aussie startups

17 September 2018 - Artificial intelligence and financial services based start-ups provide the majority of the first cohort of global tech giant Microsoft's first Australian accelerator program.

Applications are now open for investment-ready tech entrepreneurs to pitch at RiverPitch 2018 December

9 September 2018 - Applications are now open for the next RiverPitch to be held in a combined event ( Startup Invest ) with RCL Accelerator #BNE4 Demo Day. Investment ready tech startups and scaleups are asked to apply for the opportunity to pitch to a pre-screened group of Australia’s most well-known investors.

The World's Biggest Garage Sale has gone from side hustle to business to national phenomenon in 5 years

8 September 2018 - The World’s Biggest Garage Sale started five years ago in Yasmin Grigaliunas’ garage, since then it has gone on to become a national phenomenon, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity in the process.

ACS announced as new owner/operator of River City Labs & Startup Catalyst

Brisbane, 7 September 2018: ACS, the professional association for Australia’s ICT sector, today announced its acquisition of River City Labs Group including the operations of the RCL Accelerator
 and Startup Catalyst with immediate effect, with a commitment to invest $7.5 million over the next three years in ramping up its mission to support tech entrepreneurs.

Brisbane is the new cryptocurrency capital of Australia, could become the world’s top crypto destination

5 September 2018 - A Brisbane-based startup, TravelbyBit, has received two rounds of funding from the state government and, in turn, has transformed its hometown of Brisbane into one of the most crypto-friendly cities in the world.

Tutoring startup Vygo raises $500,000 in seed funding for its app bringing the sharing economy to education

4 September 2018 - Brisbane-based tutoring startup Vygo has raised $500,000 in pre-seed funding, bringing on board 13 backers to help propel it to the next stage of national growth.

Calling all Central Queensland bright sparks

8 August 2018 - The call’s gone out for bright sparks of all ages to bring their ideas, energy and passion to a huge brainstorming weekend in the Central Highlands. HACKCQ will be a fun-filled, action-packed 54 hours of collaboration with skilled and experienced mentors to pitch, brainstorm and develop business plans that launch real, working startups. The region’s first-ever hackathon will run in Emerald from Friday, 21 September, to Sunday, 23 September.

Chief doer of random things and the good humans in the engine room

26 July 2018 - I’ve run a startup space, community, workspace, incubator, an innovation hub for the last 6 years. Not all the spaces are the same and I’m not assuming they are however I have visited enough around the globe to know there are some very consistent things within each community that I want to talk about here to shine the light on the behind the scenes workhorses.

Young Starters Competition 2018 winner

24 July 2018 - “RCL is pleased to have partnered again with Advance Queensland to deliver an initiative that continues to support youth in business, including regional Queensland. I was impressed by the mix of applications in the competition ranging from software, hardware and services based businesses” said Peta Ellis, CEO at RCL.

RCL Accelerator takes a step ahead to redefine the growth of Australian Startups

30 August 2018 - The RCL Accelerator (powered by muru-D) is about to embark on a mission to San Francisco to expose Australian startups to the US market like no other program has done before. The Brisbane-based accelerator (Founded by Steve Baxter of Channel 10’s ‘Shark Tank’ and run out of River City Labs) will next week be taking their current cohort,BNE4, to San Francisco to exhibit their startups at TechCrunch’s Disrupt SF (the world's largest pre-series-A startup conference) in their very own unprecedented ‘Australian Pavilion’.

CUA X RCL Conduit Program 2018 cohort

19 July 2018 - CUA, Australia’s largest credit union, has unveiled the four successful startups set to participate in this year’s CUA Conduit Pre-Accelerator Program (formerly the CUA Sponsored Entrepreneur Program). The 12-week program provides aspiring entrepreneurs with full-time desk memberships at River City Labs’ innovation space powered by CUA, incorporating support such as structured mentoring, specialist masterclasses and support with publicity and promotion.

Founder Stories - How the first month of an accelerator program is just like having your first baby!!

18 July 2018 - You may have read recently about the RCL Accelerator BNE4 program, where our World’s Biggest Garage Sale startup/scale-up was announced as one of the teams in the BNE4 cohort. We’re now 1 month in and I find myself likening the experience to be exactly like the first month of being a new mother. Let me explain…..

River City Labs to deliver CUA Conduit Pre-Accelerator Program

31 May 2018 - Aspiring entrepreneurs looking for support and mentorship to turn their idea into a strong business proposition are invited to apply for a 12-week placement based at River City Labs’ innovation space in Brisbane.

First ever live investment during RiverPitch at Startup Invest

27 May 2018 - At last night’s Startup Invest, combining the RCL Accelerator’s Demo Day and River City Labs’ RiverPitch finals, history was made during question time of the last pitch. Alexander Dreiling of Clipchamp explained his browser-based video sharing ( which eliminates the need for uploading) to an impressed audience of 250, but an even more impressed investor. An offer of $100,000 USD was shouted out at the end of Mr Dreiling’s presentation demonstrating, deals can be made anywhere at any time at RiverPitch.

Startup Invest 2018

24 May 2018 - “Startups are growing, they’re scaling and seeking investment to fast track expansion to become globally relevant companies. It shows a lot of maturity in the ecosystem that companies are raising Series A funds. It highlights the growth in Brisbane in particular.”

Expressions of Interest for RCL

9 May 2018 - The time has come for me to pass the baton for River City Labs. Today, I’ve launched a process to find a new owner. Here’s why… About seven years ago. I had this crazy idea that I just couldn’t let go of. At that time, startups were not exactly a hot topic. And there was pretty much zero effective support for Queensland’s startup community. But I thought that, with a little bit of a kick up the ass, Brisbane had the potential to become a leading hub for tech startups.

Young Starters Competition supporting young entrepreneurs

24 April 2018 - Following its success last year, the Advanced Queensland’s Young Starters’ Competition returns with up to $45,000 worth of prizes for Queenslanders aged 15 - 24 years old who want to launch or take their business idea to the next level.

The Startup Spouse by Gerard Doyle

15 March 2018 - Tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen, pour yourself a cup of ambition… Much of the world is happy to clock on at 9am, enjoy water cooler chat, and head home after clocking off at 5pm. But then there’s a different breed.

RCL Accelerator team Kapiche on How we 3x our customers in 4 months

1 March 2018 - For those not already aware, Kapiche are proud participants in the current (and 3rd) cohort of the RCL Accelerator (powered by muru-D). We joined the program with a team, a product, and paying customers. But we knew we were lacking a lot of knowledge and experience in sales, marketing, and commercialisation. And we thought the RCL Accelerator could help us with that.

Brisbane startup Mathmate

26 February 2018 - Getting kids engaged in learning science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) subjects – and getting them to do well in these subjects – has never been more important as STEM skills become more important, however Australia is falling behind. A Federal Government committee last year determined that Australia is currently heading along a “decay curve” in terms of STEM-capable students, with this in part due to the quality of STEM education in schools.

BOQ and River City Labs team up to tackle innovation

19 February 2018 - BOQ has partnered with the premiere Brisbane-based technology hub and accelerator, River City Labs (RCL), to grow and support the fin-tech and startup communities in Queensland, by cementing a two-year corporate partnership.

Mission Accomplished. Female Founders Mission UK

20 December 2017

Startup Weekend Brisbane 2017

20 November 2017 - River City Labs and Fishburners Brisbane joined forces putting on one of Australia's largest Startup events. Both organisations worked together to bring together industry mentors, experts, judges and attendees bursting with ideas to execute into a potential business within 54 hours. The goal of Startup Weekend is to inspire, connect and encourage attendees to launch a Startup in 54 hours.

The ultimate guide to winning startup weekend

10 November 2017 - As Startup Weekend season is upon us, I thought it was about time that we put together a guide to winning. Having won and mentored at 10+ startup weekends, we have seen the same mistakes over and over. The aim of this guide is to give every single team the best chance at coming away from the weekend with paying customers, and a solid base for a business.

WP Engine starts up in Brisbane River City Labs

Texan tech company WP Engine has opened its Australian headquarters in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley start-up precinct. WP Engine is one of the world’s largest hosting platforms for internet sites built using WordPress software. The company is now operating from Fortitude Valley’s River City Labs co-working space after being introduced to Queensland by TIQ staff in North America and Brisbane.

Champions in sport can be champions in business

26 October 2017 - “Champions in sport can be champions in business” was the take-out message from the Olympians Club of Queensland (OCQ) business breakfast held today at River City Labs in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane today. OCQ President Andrew Trim said the purpose of the breakfast was to highlight the similarities in the journey to becoming a champion athlete and creating a successful business.

CUA Sponsored Entrepreneur Program welcomes four new startups

1 August, 2017: CUA, Australia’s largest credit union, and technology startup hub River City Labs, have welcomed four new startup teams to the CUA Sponsored Entrepreneur Program. Bidhive, Fabric, Realwords and Cappacity will be based at River City Labs new innovation space in Brisbane for 12 weeks, where they will have full-time desk membership. They will receive structured mentoring, specialist masterclasses and support with publicity and promotion, fully sponsored to help accelerate their startup ideas.

Regional Qld women London-bound on startup mission

17 October 2017 - The Palaszczuk Government has announced the five successful regional Queensland women it will be supporting on a startup mission in London from 26 November to 2 December 2017.

Brisbane accelerator cohort for 2017

16 October 2017 - River City Labs Accelerator powered by muru-D saw 136 companies apply to be a part of a selection process to earn a spot in the coveted six month program. 16 finalist teams participated in a rigorous two day intense boot-camp designed to put the companies through their paces, allowing evaluators and mentors to understand how the teams work under pressure and to assess idea viability and founder resilience.

KidsCo revolutionises the workplace with expansion to Queensland with River City Labs partnership

24 August 2017: KidsCo, the fast-expanding school holiday program provider, has teamed up with leading Queensland technology startup hub River City Labs to launch its offerings in Brisbane next month. KidsCo provides fun, safe and educational school holiday programs in workplaces where 4-12 year olds are given an exciting theme that sets the stage for the day’s activities.

Solution to structure lending arrangements between millennials and parents wins CUA’s hackathon

21 August 2017 - An idea that provides structure to otherwise casual lending arrangements between parents and millennials for major life purchases, has taken out first place at CUA’s second hackathon in Brisbane.

Qld startups seek $30m from investors worth over $1 billion at RiverPitch Series A 2017

1 August 2017: Nine startups have been selected to pitch their business to venture capital firms and investors with a $1 billion-plus combined investment power at RiverPitch Series A 2017. The startups hope to raise around $30 million in total funding with individual amounts in the Series A range (exceeding $1 million).

Steve Baxter as Queensland’s Chief Entrepreneur

24 July 2017 - Steve Baxter set to replace Mark Sowerby as Queensland’s chief entrepreneur Angel investor and Shark Tank judge Steve Baxter is set to become Queensland’s next chief entrepreneur, taking over the mantle from Blue Sky Investments founder Mark Sowerby.

Startup technology hub River City Labs celebrates fifth anniversary

12 July 2017: River City Labs reached a milestone this July, celebrating five years as a key driver in Queensland’s entrepreneur-led ecosystem and helping hundreds of entrepreneurs and startups build successful businesses.

Student Entrepreneur Program winners score mentoring session with Shark Tank star

16 June, 2017: Students pitching for Queensland’s inaugural Student Entrepreneur crown walked away with a slew of prizes, with the winning team securing an invaluable mentoring session with entrepreneur, investor and Shark Tank star Steve Baxter.

Australia’s first homelessness hackathon showcases real-life solutions for disadvantaged community members

7 June, 2017: An idea that marries big data with online resources could potentially solve one of the biggest problems facing people experiencing homelessness – being detached from the wider community.

Advance Queensland Young Starters’ Competition winners announced

6 June 2017: An app designed for fishing enthusiasts that helps digitally record people’s catch and easily brag about their success to friends and family has won the top prize at Advance Queensland’s Young Starters’ Competition.

TechfugeesBNE 2017

23 March 2017 - Moved by the plight of refugees in Europe, a number of technology industry people have formed a voluntary team to create the series of non-profit "Techfugees” conferences, hackathons, and work with a global network of collaborators.

Global Startup Weekend 2016 winners announced

29 November 2016: An idea designed to maintain the peace at shared houses using technology has bagged the top prize at Global Startup Weekend 2016 in Brisbane.

Which 7 start-ups have been accepted into the River City Labs, muru-D accelerator?

27 September 2016 - A former Ironman triathlete, amateur astronomer, budding pilot and ex-NRL player are among the founders of seven start-ups accepted into the River City Labs Accelerator Program, powered by Telstra’s muru-D. Start-ups will be provided with seed capital, office space at technology startup hub River City Labs, mentoring, training, the opportunity to attend international trade missions, and high-level networking opportunities as part of the six-month program.

An Aussie tech start-up is quickly going global because international students love its unique education services

13 October 2015 - “A lot of credit needs to go to RCL, the vision of Steve Baxter, who subsequently became an investor, and what has been achieved at RCL,” says Mark. “Without RCL we would not have had the kick start to the business in the same way that we have.”

River City Labs announces plans to double in size in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley

16 November 2015 - Co-working community and startup hub, River City Labs, today announced its imminent plans to double in size within the next, six months. As part of its expansion plans, River City Labs is planning to locate itself in the redeveloped, Heritage Listed TCB Building in the heart of Fortitude Valley, to provide residents with twice the size of the current, co-working space, as well as ample room for partners and potential tenants to collaborate.

River City Labs announces winner of Startup Weekend Brisbane Women event

13 October 2015: Startup hub and co-working community River City Labs has announced that car wash service startup, airSponge, has taken out RCL’s inaugural Startup Weekend Brisbane Women event.

2 Questions with Richard Eastes of Greensocks (River City Labs Accelerator BNE#1)

9 October 2015 - I thought I was pretty good at website experimentation. Turns out, I'm not. I didn't even see the full potential. During 30 minutes with Kuba and Noelle, I realised I was overconfident with my ability. As I munched on my delicious humble pie, I listened to their experiences about Las Vegas, 3R's, AB testing, and how to apply.

River City Labs announces selection of five startups to participate in its first accelerator programme

2 September 2015 - The five startups were selected by an independent panel of technology executives, funding experts and entrepreneurs, based on the strength of their team, product and global scalability.

River City Labs to launch accelerator program in partnership with muru-D Brisbane

31 July 2015 - Startup hub and coworking community River City Labs has today announced a trial partnership with muru-D, the global startup accelerator backed by Telstra, to deliver the inaugural ‘River City Labs Accelerator’ program.

7 lessons learned from outsourcing my app development

21 May 2015 - Tech and the digital economy as a whole is dynamic and full of creative and lateral thinkers, and that’s why I think it is the perfect space for new types of ideas and business models to emerge to address old problems around the world.

Why I’m sending 20 young Queenslanders to Silicon Valley - Steve Baxter

17 November 2014 - Our economy is still hugely reliant on stuff we dig out of the ground, yet we live in an age when next generation technology is creating opportunities to break into every industry sector. Australia needs technologically capable and entrepreneurially inspired young people. If our future business leaders are going to succeed, they need to be willing to take risks, start businesses, to fail and try again.

Startup Weekend Brisbane announces ‘CarValues.co’ as overall winning concept from the 54 hour battle

27 October 2014 - Over 150 people gathered at River City Labs on Friday to watch 44 different ideas pitched on the launch night of Startup Weekend Brisbane 2014. Out of the 44 pitches, concepts were voted on culminating into 13 working startup teams. After 54 hours of planning, collaborating coding, eating and drinking, team CarValues.co emerged winners of Brisbane Startup Weekend 2014.

River City Labs welcomes first five sponsored Startups

20 September 2014 - River City Labs will welcome five new Startups taking up full time residency this coming week as part of the first intake of sponsored entrepreneurs. It is the first week of the Sponsored Entrepreneur Program kicking off on Monday September 22nd with inductions and a welcome lunch followed by a full working week which is all part of the program developed by River City Labs, in partnership with Bank of Queensland.

Corporate giants back new Brisbane business ideas with startup program

18 August 2014 - Coworking community River City Labs and Bank of Queensland (BOQ) today launched a program aimed at helping entrepreneurs get their startup ideas out of their garage and onto the global market.

RiverPitch nominee Grapple heads to The Dublin Summit to showcase their products.

7 August 2014 - After recently presenting at the 5th RiverPitch event hosted by River City Labs, Grapple have been invited to The Summit Dublin later this year. The Summit is a yearly event hosted in Dublin that brings together hundreds of people from around the world to discuss the increasing importance of technology in today’s society. They provide early stage start-up ventures, like Grapple, the opportunity to discuss relevant issues and showcase their products.

RiverPitch finalist scrunch.co heads to SydStart with People’s Choice prize for best pitch.

25 June 2014 - The ‘People’s Choice’ prize is awarded to the best pitch on the night. The guests vote purely on entertainment value, rewarding the entrepreneur who delivered a confident, well-articulated and engaging pitch. The vote has nothing to do with the business opportunity, business model or investability of the Startup .

Outsourcing for startups

13 February 2014 - I see so many start-ups that simply waste money, unintentionally (I've invested in them). They get $100k, or maybe a couple of million, and before they know it, the money is gone! I once told a new investor in my business that I valued every cent he invested “as if it was my own”. He promptly told me "Bugger that! this was the money that I was going to use to send my kids to college!"

Why do girls want to learn Rails?

24 May 2013 - On the eve of Brisbane's first #RailsGirls event we find out why some girls want to learn to code. There is a huge difference between getting into technology and learning to code as part of a career and wanting to learn enough to know what everyone else is talking about.

Top ten things to include in a startup pitch deck

We asked some of our River City Labs Mentors and Investors what their personal preference was for startup pitches. Below is a compilation of their individual lists of 'Top 10 things to include in a Startup Pitch Deck'

Ten tips to startup success

20 May 2013 - Local Brisbane Entrepreneur Phillip Di Bella joined us last week in the Labs to share his startup journey over the past 10 years. Like most entrepreneurs we hear about the most recent successes, yet miss the early stories of how it all began.

Mobile games accelerator Right Pedal Studios announces first intake

18 April 2013 - Brisbane based mobile games accelerator Right Pedal Studios is excited to announce its first intake of game developers. The three teams of Australian developers - Ghostbox, Geekbrain Games and Screwtape Studios will receive support in the form of working capital of up to $50,000, office space and access to industry mentors including Dan Vogt co-founder of Halfbrick, Morgan Jaffit co-founder of Defiant Development (publishers of Ski Safari) and Little Things Forever developer Matt Hall.

From startup to invested company in five months

30 August 2012 - River City Labs resident Village Chief graduated from the Brisbane co-working space and relocated to their permanent offices in West End thanks to newly invested capital from an Angel Investor. VillageChief was one of River City Labs’ first residents when the Co-working space launched in March 2012. After five short months, owner Ben van Klinken has now relocated his business to their new premises as a result of receiving investment from a Brisbane Entrepreneur.

Angels nurture local ecosystem

19 March 2012 - Yet, like so many before him who have made their millions as technology entrepreneurs, Baxter is ploughing some of his fortune back into the industry. This week, he is opening River City Labs, a non-profit organisation in Queensland’s Fortitude Valley providing subsidised desk space and internet access where telecoms and technology start-ups can test their ideas.

New lab for Aussie ideas

3 February 2012 - What does a pioneer of the Australian internet industry do after selling the infrastructure company he co-founded for $373 million and sharing the profit? For Stephen Baxter, former chief technology officer of Pipe Networks, the answer was as simple as following your bliss.