Sydney coworking hub Tank Stream Labs to expand to Perth in partnership with EY

Fresh off opening its second Sydney space in the new Sydney Startup Hub at Wynyard, startup hub Tank Stream Labs has announced it’s branching out west, opening a new space in Perth in partnership with EY.

The space will be located in EY’s Perth office, marking the further deepening of the relationship between the professional services firm and the hub since EY first signed on as a sponsor in 2015.

Michael Anghie, managing partner of Oceania Markets and Western Australia at EY, said Tank Stream Labs will be a valuable addition to the city’s startup ecosystem.

“Attracting one of Australia’s leading startup hubs in their first expansion outside of Sydney demonstrates the depth of talent in Perth and our strategic positioning as the gateway to Asia,” he said.

Bradley Delamare, CEO of Tank Stream Labs, said the “depth of EY’s connection” with the Australian startup landscape made it the “perfect partner” for the hub’s western expansion.

“We’re launching in Perth to help accelerate the growth of the local ecosystem, and connect the west coast and east coast startup ecosystems,” he said.

The firm first signed a multi-year sponsorship of Tank Stream Labs in March 2015, with the firm stating it was interested in “developing new connections…to financiers, to customers, potential partners or acquirers. It’s building bridges between innovation-focused startups and larger corporates hungry for growth opportunities and new technologies.”

EY isn’t the only professional services firm to look to build new connections with startups, with more recognising the need to work closely with the up and comers.

KPMG Australia in March launched a High Growth Ventures practice, aiming to address the core needs of startups gearing up for growth, and “bring the rigour, expertise, and connections” of a global professional services firm to help them with acceleration.

The practice brought on BlueChilli’s Alan Jones as Entrepreneur in Residence in October.

For Tank Stream Labs, meanwhile, the move to Perth is the latest expansion.

As well as opening a second Sydney space in the Sydney Startup Hub, a $35 million initiative bankrolled by the NSW Government’s Jobs for NSW arm, Tank Stream Labs earlier this year announced a partnership with Melbourne’s York Butter Factory to allow their respective members to work in the other space for free.

Delamare said at the time that the partnership was looking to put aside the distracting city vs city rivalries and embrace the notion of a national startup ecosystem.

“The competition shouldn’t be between cities, it should be between Australia and the rest of the world,” he said.

For its part, York Butter Factory too has expanded this week with the acquisition of fellow Melbourne coworking space Teamsquare.

With the acquisition, the York Butter Factory community will move to the 3,100 square metre, three-level Teamsquare space on Bourke St, growing its footprint grow by five times. Its current community of around 50 residents will also grow with the absorption of the Teamsquare community.

Image: Bradley Delamare. Source: Supplied.