2025 Reflections: an exciting year at the FB IDEAs Hub
Building community from scratch
After starting the year with an empty office floor filled with a bright red call-centre style interior fit out, it has been thrilling to see the FB IDEAs Hub grow over the course of 2025, with new members joining and connecting along the way.
First, we upgraded the Hub to a modern open-plan office, thanks to support from Urban Logistics Co. and our first Hub member in residence, Heliotope. Then once we added our beloved office plants, signed off member agreements and agreed on shared kitchen duties, we began to build the foundation of a community.
The Victorian Cleantech Cluster’s Power On Accelerator program, which kicked off in January, brought new innovative businesses to the space, contributing a cleantech focus to an emerging startup ecosystem.
Now, every week brings new connections and active collaborations. Hub members support each other, accelerating progress on the startup ladder. Invisible threads of connections weave through the room, forming a net of collaboration strengthened with every conversation held.
While some members come to the Hub for quiet work, others enjoy the kitchen chats, where a few words (“Have you thought about….”) can solve problems that might otherwise take hours.
First-time visitors to the Hub might find it strange to be introduced to such a vibrant community while often seeing empty desks. But this reflects the reality of the startup world. Where one person covers all functions, or two founders join an accelerator program, events or funding opportunities can draw everyone away at the same time before coming back to the Hub around 4pm on a Friday afternoon.
But the spirit of the community remains a constant, filling the room with its presence.
Regular events and knowledge exchange
The FB IDEAs lunch and learn sessions and evening presentations have become staples of the Hub calendar. Based on member contributions, these sessions are a great platform to Hub members to share their knowledge, skills, and experience - prompting exchange not easily found elsewhere between Hub members and outside guests. These sessions also help startups test ideas, and prepare for current or future challenges.
The themes and topics we have covered over the last 6 months reflect the diversity of the community.
Architecture, retrofitting and planning
We began exploring sustainable architecture with Jane Caught from Heliotope, who kicked off our Hub event series, connecting Hub members with creatives from supported projects.
A placemaking focused session led by Andrew Cribb (REDO) and James Hewison (Atelier), supported through vivid discussion by FB IDEAs’ Marcus Westbury, Kate Spencer and Bec McHenry and our partners from Department of Transport and Planning explored how underutilised spaces can create inclusive, community-driven precincts. Andrew highlighted the value of activating vacant commercial spaces, while James showed how creative, art-led interventions can foster wellbeing and connection.
More recently, Marina Kozul from Studio MK, guided us through planning processes, showing how children’s voices can be included in public consultations.
Then transforming existing buildings into more sustainable spaces was the topic when Hub member Dr. Yakov Elgart from ESI presented the thermodynamic study and clever solution to retrofit triple-glazing to existing windows.
Advanced engineering and manufacturing meets social procurement
Social entrepreneur Victor Nguyen from Upsol shared insights from his experience running a social enterprise like a business. His approach is yeilding success, with the recent deployment of his first three full-scale renewable energy battery systems to farmers in NSW.
Insights into marketing and individual support for the resident startups provided Justin Taylor, a marketing expert who is now building a start up focused on micro-manufacturing using carbon enforced 3D printing solutions at the FB IDEAs Hub. Focussing on 4WD with his startup Stralis, he finds opportunities in sports, defence and emergency recovery.
As a startup developing new physical products, he is certainly in good company with experts in product development sitting at the next desk. A lunch and learn session from Andrew Jack from Hone.pd took us into the world of material choices for prototyping in physical products development.
Hub member Philip Oefner from PCO engineering widened the field with his expert presentation about how digital twins can simulate real-world behaviour in a deep dive into high-tech prototypes, complex systems and algorithms.
Stepping even deeper into the world of algorithms, Chris Ferrie from Eigen Systems shared his insights about the role of quantum computing technology for business – with a presentation of the Quokkas, an educational tool designed to enhance quantum literacy.
Innovations and future opportunities for transport in Fishermans Bend came to life when Savion Aerospace presented their proof of concept for an “infra-aircraft” business model with a regenerative fuel cell (RFC), and microFleet and collaboration partners NTRO concluded their micromobility in Fishermans Bend trial with a public presentation at the Hub.
Sustainability – caring for human needs and the world
Looking beyond just the tech, artists and engineers came together to celebrate new models of collaboration by sharing insights from two projects supported by FB IDEAs. Mira Solar Flower project, is a public art project led by artist Callan Morgan from Pelican Studios which has been developed in partnership with Siemens Mobility based in Fishermans Bend. Forging new cross-sector collaborations, Re:cultivate was a three-month creative residency partnership between the Australian Network for Art & Technology (ANAT), South East Water with artist Yandell Walton.
The Hub also served as a testing ground for Annular Design’s framework for circular product design – an exciting initiative moving towards a more sustainable world.
Nurturing human connections, Hub member Wellbeing Edge completed the picture by hosting the Women of Fishermans Bend Social Circle events to engage with women from neighbouring businesses for everything from light conversations to deep connections.
Also working across sustainabilty, fellow Hub members like Emilio Toro, ELioT Energy and Upsoil Collective meet, connect and grow in this ecosystem.
Finale event to showcase connections at the Hub
To celebrate the achievements of the FB IDEAs pilot, the FB IDEAs Showcase event in late November brought together projects and innovators we have supported throughout the pilot. It also showcased the ethos of FB IDEAs and our role in Fishermans Bend: seeding innovation + activating place + fostering collaboration + building momentum.
To finalise the year, we will meet again in the Hub for Christmas Drinks & Nibbles, to raise our glasses to a year well spent and set a foundation of collaboration for the year to come.
Looking ahead to 2026
Whilst reflecting on the sucesses of 2025, we are also looking ahead to the new year ahead, with events already lining up from February!
We are excited that in partnership with Farmer to Founders we will be hosting an AgTech Bootcamp on Thursday 5 February. Then on Tuesday 10 February, Tom Harrive from Octive Consulting will share his insights on how to bridge the Valley of Death as a Medtech startup.
The sustainability theme will continue with the Sustainability Forum Networking event on Wednesday 25 February, an opportunity for Sustainability Managers in Fishermans Bend to share knowledge and explore collaboration opportunities. And before the month is out, we will hear from Hub member Hypso on Thursday 26 February about how to tap into opportunities on the federal level.
Get Involved
Each week we add new events and opportunities at the FB IDEAs Hub. Subscribe to our monthly eNews to stay informed and find out about other FB IDEAs news and events throughout Fishermans Bend.
You might also like to join the FB IDEAs Hub community. Located within walking distance of the future Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct, the Hub is more than just a co-working space — it’s a community where the future is being actively built.
We offer free* co-working space (* subject to T&Cs) and the chance to be part of a growing start-up ecosystem working across cleantech, aerospace, renewables, regenerative architecture, placemaking, product design, circular economy, business consulting and much more.
Applications now open!
