Founder Survey 2020-2021

The data tells us something significant is growing in the New England North West region of NSW!  The Annual Founder Survey of the UNE SMART Region Incubator community of founders tell us about business growth, jobs created, support required and what helped business most over the last 12 months.  The 2020-21 results are in and what has been a challenging year for our whole community makes this an especially important report to share.

Founders value being part of a community, sharing strategies, supporting each other and leveraging connections.  Peel House in Tamworth has been able to stay open through Covid and grow business around core values of shared benefit and scaling together.

The Report shows that more funding is being invested internally by founders ($1.87m) than external funding ($1.39m) representing a shift towards a more sustainable and self-driven community and the tightening funding landscape during COVID.  Less than a third of the 60 founders reported Covid impacting their business.

Our regional founders are in growth mode, with 74% reporting an increase in sales and revenue, with the added benefit of operating in a global market.  Founders have continued to recruit talent, generating an additional 30 jobs over the last 12 months.

Our community of founders is skilling up to grow agritech, healthtech, cleantech, creative and cultural business in the region.

To read the full report, click HERE