The north shore entrepreneurs finding success in the start-up world
New research reveals Sydney’s lower north shore is a hotbed for start-ups. We speak to the entrepreneurs behind the businesses to find out what the secret is to success.
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Leaving behind the nine-to-five grind to set-up innovative businesses of their own, a rising number of north shore entrepreneurs are making waves in the start-up world.
A new research project has put a spotlight on the businesses turning their bright ideas into reality by establishing ventures ranging from innovations in healthcare to technology and the environment.
The research by North Sydney Council, Regional Development Australia and UTS has conducted a survey of local start-ups in a move to identify ways of encouraging more businesses to set-up shop in the local area.
Among the companies located in the region is Eco Materials which sells plant based packaging materials to reduce use of plastics and is currently in the process of setting up a production facility in NSW.
Like many start-ups, the business is based in a co-working office which founder Jairo Campos said enabled the start-up to reduce overhead costs and network with similar-minded entrepreneurs.
“We launched in 2019 and the most popular product we sell is sugar cane plant based packaging which can be used for food trays and packaging and negates the need for aluminium and plastics,” he said.
“The market is definitely turning to these types of materials – single-use plastics are banned in South Australia and all the other states are moving that way as well.
“I think more people are looking at start-ups – it can take a lot of work but I think the landscape of the nine to five is shifting.”
Another local business making waves in the entrepreneurial world is Evoke which provides companies and customers with carbon neutral transport options including zero emissions chauffeur services.
Founder Pia Peterson said the start-up was the first of its kind to offer the services when it launched in St Leonards in 2015.
“We have a fleet of nine electric vehicles and the main reason we started was to help people make a sustainable difference,” she said.
“There’s been a noticeable increase in demand and we saw an uptick particularly after last year’s bushfires – a lot of people and companies stood up after that and were asking where can we make a difference.”
A local success story in the start-up space is Huddle Childcare which since its launch in 2019 has grown into one of Australia’s largest babysitting apps with more than 30,000 users.
“It started as a really simple idea – we saw a few of our friends struggling with flexible support networks, a lot of women were running their own businesses, and there was a need to connect families with babysitters and nannies,” co-founder Alice Prichard Davies said.
“Setting up a start-up can be a slower process than you’d like – in our case we had to build and develop the app and then grow our customer base.”
Ms Prichard Davies said the start-up benefited from early media coverage along with networking and development programs which connected the company with mentors and other start-up founders.
One of the newest start-ups to launch in the region is Little Big Shop, based in North Sydney, which runs an online platform to support businesses create online stores and widen their customer bases.
Chief executive Glenn Murray said the platform was partly aimed at supporting the rising numbers of start-ups and small businesses launched over the last year.
“We started a software development company 15 years ago and over time we saw small businesses often struggle with time, knowledge and funding so thought about coming up with a concept with a really simple e-based platform where they can create a website, set up an online shop and take payments from customers,” he said.
“COVID-19 has made people think ‘do I want to do something more fulfilling?’ and there are more people now wanting to start their own business.
“It can be incredibly difficult but it’s also incredibly rewarding and the support available to start-ups now is really encouraging.”
Another start-up making its mark on the business world is Efficient Systems which supports companies, organisations and commercial building owners to reduce costs in waste and energy.
Director Adam Baudelaire said the start-up is currently working with Mosman Council to develop new waste compaction services, and is also in talks with the developers to provide services for the construction of the new Randwick Children’s Hospital
He said challenges for start-ups included limitations with government legislation and red tape.
“There are so many great ideas coming out of Australia but we’re not so good at bringing innovation into reality and taking risks,” he said.
“We launched six months ago and it’s a challenge to raise your profile – a lot of it’s about networking.”
The research project has made a list of recommendations to make it easier for start-ups to get a foot up including reducing red tape and encouraging roundtable meetings with local start-up firms.
It has also identified future growth in the sector through recently approved development projects including the $800 million North Shore Health Hub that will become home to companies specialising in health research, clinical care, business development and innovation.
“As the economy comes out the other side of COVID-19, many businesses will need to change and some businesses will innovate to take on new opportunities,” the research found.
“Through support to the start-up sector at this transformative time, North Sydney Council has the potential to make a real difference to the local and broader regional economy.”
Here’s a list of some of the start-ups based in the local area:
THE COMPANIES
Literatu – A Crows Nest based start-up which helps teachers engage students to learn interactively and online. The company’s services include adapting education materials from any current format, language and subject for online platforms.
The Little Big Shop – The North Sydney based start-ups runs a website that allows Australian small business owners to create online stores and help widen their customer bases.
Efficient Systems – a start-up encouraging commercial building owners to reduce costs in waste and energy through services including detailed assessment of a company’s energy use and identifying areas of improvement.
Huddle Childcare – founded on the north shore, the start-up has grown to become one of Australia’s largest babysitting apps which connects families with childcare services and providers.
Knead Play – A start-up that sells natural make-at-home playdough kits for kids that are made entirely from natural, food grade ingredients.
Evoke – Evoke – A St Leonards based start-up that provides carbon neutral transport including “zero emissions chauffeur” services. Since 2015, the company has saved 295,000 litres of petrol which equates to about 700,000kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
Hoo-haz – a Cammeray based start-up that has created an innovative share economy app which promotes sustainability by allowing users to share household items neighbour to neighbour.
Navbit – A Crows Nest based start-up that specialises in surgical technology innovation and manufacturing.
Workplace Mental Health Consulting – specialises in facilitating mental health training and consulting with organisations to assist them develop mentally healthy workplace strategies.
Eco Materials – a start-up that sells plant based packaging materials that are compostable and biodegradable to help reduce use of plastics. Along with packaging, the company also sells plant-based cups, plates, non-plastic bags and face masks.
SpectraFlora – a consulting, research and development company specialising in agtech and plant biotechnology. The start-up provides services including technology to improve crop performance.
Make-it-local – an online start-up based in McMahons Point that supports locally owned and operated businesses in and around Sydney. The website provides listings of profiles of local companies and also runs a YouTube channel to showcase the personalities of business owners.
IsSpace – provides cloud based technology designed and developed in North Sydney to support businesses with communications and sales.
Arrochar Consulting – a Crows Nest based start-up that helps cities solve local problems to meet global targets using data and smart technologies.
Free Tangle – a Waverton based start up providing self-care coaching for individuals looking to manage their “life admin” along with providing advice for personal goals and habits.
Kroll Enviro – provides a system called Orca that can turn food waste into water within 24 hours. The company said the environmentally safe water can be discharged into sewage systems via a grease arrestor, reducing the amount of waste from entering landfill.
Love Paper Crafting – A Crows Nest start-up provides online and in-person classes showing how easy it is to create beautiful cards and crafts from home.
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