The inaugural Venture Launchpad: Space and Defence program, supported by the South Australian Space Industry Centre, will be held on 16–17 July 2026, immediately before the Australian Space Forum in Adelaide.
Designed for participants at any stage of development, including those with no previous start-up experience, the two-day intensive program aims to equip innovators with the tools, networks and industry knowledge needed to commercialise ideas in two of Australia’s fastest-growing sectors.
The initiative comes at a time of significant expansion across both the space and defence industries, with South Australia emerging as a national hub for advanced technology development and sovereign capability.
The state is playing a key role in supporting the Australian Space Agency’s ambition to create an additional 20,000 jobs nationally by 2030, while South Australia’s defence sector contributed approximately $2 billion to the state’s economy over the past financial year.
The industry’s workforce is also expected to grow substantially over the coming decades, with more than 10,000 additional defence jobs forecast as construction of Australia’s AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine fleet gathers momentum.
Further strengthening the state’s position, the South Australian government has committed $20 million towards the development of a new space common-user facility at Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen innovation precinct. The facility will provide companies with access to assembly, integration and testing capabilities, supporting an expanding ecosystem of space and defence businesses.
South Australian Minister for Defence and Space Industries Chris Picton said programs such as Venture Launchpad were critical to ensuring the state’s innovation capabilities translated into commercial outcomes.
“As a state, we need to continue capitalising on our strong innovation ecosystem and help local companies gain a foothold in the defence and space industries,” Minister Picton said.
“Programs like Venture Launchpad help businesses develop the skills, networks and confidence needed to navigate these complex sectors and bring new technologies to market.
“By connecting emerging entrepreneurs with the right support and opportunities, we’re helping more South Australians build successful companies, create highly skilled jobs and contribute to the state’s economic growth.”
Associate director of business incubation at Adelaide University, Craig Jones, said the program had been specifically designed to address the challenges faced by innovators seeking to enter highly regulated and often difficult-to-access industries.
“Breaking into the space and defence sectors is not easy,” Jones said.
“They are complex environments with significant regulatory requirements, and many people spend months or even years developing ideas without fully understanding how the broader ecosystem operates.
“This program is designed to bridge that gap by providing structured frameworks, direct access to industry expertise and practical insights that are often difficult for early-stage founders to obtain.”
Throughout the two-day program, participants will work through a series of workshops focused on identifying market problems, understanding commercialisation pathways, developing viable business models and creating a 30-day validation plan.
The program will also provide access to mentors, industry specialists and government stakeholders, offering participants an opportunity to build connections rarely available to founders at such an early stage.
By the conclusion of the program, participants will have developed a clearer understanding of whether to pursue, refine or pivot their ideas while gaining practical tools to support future commercial development.
Applications for the inaugural Venture Launchpad: Space and Defence program are now open.
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