First up, what a fantastic startup community we have here in WA. This past month we've seen some inspiring successes for local ventures, diverse events and been even more impressed by the commitment and competence of the volunteers and professionals keeping the ecosystem growing.

However, while WA startups and the ecosystem continue to grow, it has been a challenging period for having an impact on government advocacy. Our State government’s commitment to supportive policy, programs and talent attraction and retention seems patchy, and definitely lagging behind other States.

One of StartupWA’s roles is to work with partners across the ecosystem to influence government, and we need to try some different approaches to be more effective. Together we can be stronger and smarter in creating the local conditions that can enable the global success, for the ventures of tomorrow. Below are a few ways you can help - a survey about representation, opportunity to input policy recommendations, and help us find a new coordinator!

What we’ve been up to:

Influencing policy through meetings with government ministers and civil servants to increase understanding of the needs, problems and opportunities for improvement. We’ve met with:

• Deputy Director General and senior staff at the new Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation adding detail to our Top Ten policy recommendations

• Minister Alanah McTiernan, Dave Kelly’s senior policy adviser and Diane Evers MLC

• City of Perth and City of Joondalup who have been strong supporters, Chamber of Commerce of WA and others

Facilitating connections between founders, investors and supporters through events:

• Australia Post’s Pitchfest in Bunbury highlighting startup ventures coming from our regions, and representing WA in a nation-wide competition

• WA Youth Innovation Summit helping to create a supporting environment for young entrepreneurs and innovators in WA

• Our ‘whole ecosystem’ event, bringing together key ecosystem members and supporters to discuss and workshop the future of the ecosystem

Advancing the ecosystem through collaboration with partners:

• Collaborating with StartupMuster to improve reporting of WA startup data

• Working more closely with StartupPerth, #PerthStartup, Techboard, StartupAus, MorningStartup and others to align our activities and be more effective

• Finalising new funding partnerships (official announcements soon!) that will give us the time and resources to move forward

How you can help:

• Membership survey: We’re updating how we represent the community. Please complete this short survey to help inform a new approach to implement in September

• Find a coordinator: We’re hiring. Read and share the post and job description if you know someone who will be an exceptional StartupWA coordinator

• Policy definition: We need your input into our priorities for advocacy - especially adding detail and case studies. If you have an issue or challenge we can help with, or just want to see what our current position is, please view the policy overview here, and check out the draft policy collaboration space on Trello to contribute

What’s coming up:

• Advocacy: This coming month is important for advocacy and State Budget will be announced. The State could better spend existing budgets to grow startups, jobs and the economy. Please add your voice, and pitch in with case studies as requested

• Events: We’ll meet on 13th September to consider and finalise any changes to representation via membership. Our next event on Thursday 14th September, AGM mid-November, and final 2017 event on Tuesday 5th December at West Tech Fest

• Engagement: WA startups are really going from strength to strength, with some big announcements this month by ventures, great exposure through awards and some key players in the ecosystem. Follow us on Twitter to see some highlights

We’re looking forward to keeping you updated as we move forward and if you have any questions or feedback on the above, please get in touch.

P.S. Don’t forget to complete this short survey