Investible partners with WOTSO WorkSpace to expand its programs around Australia

WOTSO WorkSpace, a network of coworking spaces in locations not traditionally seen as tech hubs, has announced a partnership with ‘startup generator’ Investible that will see Investible run its workshops and accelerator program from WOTSO locations from 2017.

As well as spaces in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, on the Gold Coast, and on Flinders St in Adelaide, WOTSO also operates two locations in Canberra, and four in Sydney, covering North Strathfield, Neutral Bay, Penrith, and Pyrmont.

A subsidiary of the ASX-listed property group BlackWall, the organisation also recently opened a space in Singapore and is close to opening in Newcastle and on the Sunshine Coast.

Through the partnership, Investible will look to run its range of programs and events, such as workshops on business models and investor readiness, at WOTSO spaces.

Among its programs is the LAB accelerator, an eight week program that kicks off with a five day bootcamp originally developed by Investible for the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship last year.

Trevor Folsom and Creel Price, cofounders of Investible, said the partnership with WOTSO will allow the organisation to actively identify great talent around Australia.

“Talent isn’t confined to the Sydney CBD and WOTSO has shown the value of establishing flexible, supportive, state-of-the-art workspaces in regional hubs, in addition to the major cities,” Folsom said.

Price added, “There’s a nice synergy in the fact that we grow startups with longevity and high growth potential and WOTSO provides workspaces that are flexible enough to grow with those companies. We see the relationship being mutually beneficial and a great base for our programs.”

For Stuart Brown, chief executive officer of BlackWall and WOTSO, the partnership will open up doors to more people.

“There’s value in throwing together people from different fields and walks of life and looking not just for the startup unicorns who promise a big exit and global disruption, but the ‘cockroaches’, those that will weather the potential storms if and when the innovation bubble bursts,” he said.

For WOTSO, the partnership with Investible comes after a deal with Work-Shop, a provider of short courses and classes for creatives. The Work-Shop deal has seen the team run a variety of classes through Work-Shop @ WOTSO in Brisbane, with a view to rolling out the concept in WOTSO spaces across Australia next year.

Investible too has been looking to identify opportunities outside the tech norm for some time, earlier this year launching First Angel, an educational program aimed at honing the investing skills of time-poor angel investors.

The 12 month program aims to fill the knowledge gap of local angel investors in the early stage investing process, and give them the confidence to make well-informed investment decisions.

Image: Trevor Folsom and Creel Price. Source: Supplied.