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I'm an Australian but I currently work in New York. From my perspective, a startup in Australia has many hurdles: 1. The cost of living. Seriously, Australia i

by cletus 15y ago

I'm an Australian but I currently work in New York. From my perspective, a startup in Australia has many hurdles: 1. The cost of living. Seriously, Australia is an incredibly expensive place to live now. I'm from Perth and I'd say that overall it's cheaper for me to live in _Manhattan_ than Perth now. MANHATTAN. Actually, same for same rent-wise, Perth is still cheaper but Manhattan has options Perth doesn't (like saving money by living in a walk-up); 2. Virtually no VC and startup community; and 3. Depending on your industry, you will find very consumer-friendly legislation that is actually a problem for small companies to comply with, particularly in the finance space (and within that space, particularly dispensing anything that could be construed as "financial advice"). The US has gotten worse about this in the last decade with SOX and other reactionary legislation but it's still better. Put it this way: I don't think something like Mint could ever be done in Australia. Now Australia's fortunes rise and fall with China's so the boom industries are mining and construction. If you can think of something to sell to these industries, you could make a lot of money. But why do it in Australia? The strong Australian dollar makes it more attractive to do it elsewhere. Sure health insurance is an issue but you can buy that in the US and even if it's hundreds of dollars a month (IMHO) you're better off overall.

lancewiggs 15y ago
Perth is not Australia - it's not the East Coast. Perth and WA is comparatively moribund for start-ups, and years behind when it comes to adoption. They still have thick sections of classified advertisements there in the newspapers, and the dominant marketplace is a weekly classifieds newspaper - Quokka. Meanwhile, as you say, the economy market is overheated with the mining boom. But there is some great stuff happening in Sydney and Melbourne, and some awesome things happening across in New Zealand. Auckland and Wellington are closer to Sydney than Perth - and a lot more advanced.
- rdouble 15y ago
  I was in Melbourne for 3 months this year and enjoyed it, but it was shockingly expensive. Groceries are 2x the cost of NYC, clothing is 3x. If you drive, fuel is 6x. Housing is about the same. From what I know, Sydney is even more expensive. If this list is to be believed, all major cities in Australia are more expensive than NYC, which is about the most expensive place in the USA. http://www.citymayors.com/features/cost_survey.html http://www.citymayors.com/features/cost_survey.html As to your first point, I traveled extensively in Australia. To an outsider, Perth is more culturally similar to the rest of the country than Sydney is. :P

by cletus 15y ago

lancewiggs 15y ago

Perth is not Australia - it's not the East Coast. Perth and WA is comparatively moribund for start-ups, and years behind when it comes to adoption. They still have thick sections of classified advertisements there in the newspapers, and the dominant marketplace is a weekly classifieds newspaper - Quokka. Meanwhile, as you say, the economy market is overheated with the mining boom. But there is some great stuff happening in Sydney and Melbourne, and some awesome things happening across in New Zealand. Auckland and Wellington are closer to Sydney than Perth - and a lot more advanced.

rdouble 15y ago
I was in Melbourne for 3 months this year and enjoyed it, but it was shockingly expensive. Groceries are 2x the cost of NYC, clothing is 3x. If you drive, fuel is 6x. Housing is about the same. From what I know, Sydney is even more expensive. If this list is to be believed, all major cities in Australia are more expensive than NYC, which is about the most expensive place in the USA. http://www.citymayors.com/features/cost_survey.html http://www.citymayors.com/features/cost_survey.html As to your first point, I traveled extensively in Australia. To an outsider, Perth is more culturally similar to the rest of the country than Sydney is. :P