The centre of gravity for Australian innovation

Great ventures aren't funded
into existence. They're built.

Turning an idea into a company takes more than money. It takes the know-how to build it properly: the right structure, the right people, a model that works. And we bring the universities, corporates and government most tech players leave out of the room.

Venture building Board & ecosystem advisory Fractional leadership Co-created solutions
The problem we exist to solve

Australia's innovation gap is a coordination problem, not a talent one.

Capital, capability and good ideas exist here in abundance. They just rarely meet at the right time. That gap shows up in the numbers, and it is exactly the gap we work in.

22nd
Global innovation rank

Australia ranks 22nd of 139 nations in the 2025 Global Innovation Index. We take that personally, and closing it takes collaboration at national scale.

74th
Economic complexity

Australia sits 74th of 145 for economic complexity, second-lowest in the OECD. A narrow, resource-heavy export base caps growth. Connecting ecosystems broadens it.

51% ↓
Seed funding, 2025

Seed funding fell 51% to A$84m in 2025, even as total VC neared record levels. The capital that starts new ventures is drying up. Money is one tool; we bring the rest.

What we do

Five ways we turn ideas into outcomes.

Advice that never reaches market is noise. Every engagement is built to ship something real: a venture, a board decision, a capability, a raise.

Develop ventures

Product development, market research, technology and fundraising support that takes founders and intrapreneurs from idea to backable company.

Board & ecosystem advisory

Governance, investment readiness and ecosystem strategy for boards, VCs and innovation hubs deciding where to place their bets.

Convene innovators

The right people in the right room. We connect opportunities, partners, capability and capital so entrepreneurs get unstuck faster.

Co-create solutions

We build with business, universities and government to develop and deploy answers to real-world social and environmental challenges.

Fractional leadership

Leadership-as-a-service. An interim CEO, CXO or innovation lead for organisations in transition or scaling into a new phase.

Not sure where you fit?

Most work starts with one hard problem and no obvious owner. Tell us the problem and we'll tell you which of these it needs.

Start there →
How we work

A method, not a retainer.

We measure success in ventures built, capital raised and problems actually solved, so the way we work is built to reach an outcome, not to fill a scope.

01

Name the problem

We start by getting brutally clear on the real problem and whether it's worth solving. No polish over substance.

02

Convene the room

We bring the partners, capital and capability the problem actually needs, and leave out everyone it doesn't.

03

Build to ship

We develop the venture, decision or capability with a bias to market, testing against real users and real money.

04

Hand over strength

We set it up to stand on its own: a board, a team, a raise or a running venture that no longer needs us.

Our ventures

Where the model becomes real.

The proof of a venture builder is what it builds. These are live examples of ideas we're taking from problem to market.

Cyber talent

CyberNexus

A platform that matches students to roles and qualifications, then tracks their learning, credentials and job progress across the whole journey. It gives universities, employers and government a shared view of cyber talent from enrolment to placement.

Learn more
Enterprise innovation

IDEA Hub

A model for embedding innovation into large, complex organisations. We turn frontline ideas into tested, measurable solutions and give teams a repeatable way to design, prove and scale them, so innovation becomes part of daily practice rather than a standalone function.

Learn more
Research commercialisation

Spark Plug

An AI-powered platform that turns cutting-edge university research into investable startups. SparkPlug bridges academia, investors and corporates to speed the path from research to market.

Learn more
Impact platform

Peopled

Peopled.app is an impact platform connecting communities, organisations and individuals. It coordinates needs in real time, matches skills with donations, and reports outcomes transparently so volunteers and donors maximise their impact.

Learn more
Why a studio

Small on purpose. You won't get lost in the machine.

Big VCs run portfolios. Accelerators run cohorts. Innovation hubs run buildings. We run your problem. Work with VentureSpark and you get the founders in the room, not a junior three layers down a process.

Inside the machine

Big VC · accelerator · hub
  • One name in a portfolio or cohort of hundreds
  • A fixed playbook you're pushed to fit
  • Handed down to analysts and associates
  • Demo day, then largely radio silence
  • Success measured by fund returns and occupancy

Inside the studio

VentureSpark
  • One of a handful of ventures we take on at a time
  • A plan built around your problem, not a template
  • The founders do the work, start to finish
  • We stay until it can stand on its own
  • Success measured by your outcome, full stop
Senior people, not juniors Selective, not scaled Hands on the build
The team

Operators, not observers.

A small, senior team that has built companies, run innovation hubs and sat on the boards where the hard calls get made.

MB

Michael Bromley

Founder & CEO

Former CEO of Stone & Chalk and AustCyber, with senior roles at Bank of Queensland, IAG, BlackBerry, nbn and Telstra. Non-executive director across Brainmates, Siblings Australia and SEQUAL. Focused on growth, collaboration and accelerating Australian tech.

SW

Scott Williams

Co-Founder & COO

Strategy, operations and transformation specialist with a decade improving efficiency and culture across finance and telco. Author of The Atomic Innovation Handbook and host of the OPS:Innovator podcast.

JC

Juliette Connolly

Venture Partner

20+ years in experience leadership, human-centred design and change. Puts ideal human experiences at the core of business transformation to create measurable value for employees and customers.

Get in touch

Got a venture worth building?

If you're planning or executing a venture aimed at a hard problem, we'd like to hear about it. Renewables, med-tech, transport, agrifood, resources, defence, cyber, AI, quantum or social impact.

info@venturespark.com.au
linkedin.com/company/venturesparkco