The Innovation Centre Sunshine Coast Pty Ltd (IC) is a business incubator and accelerator that aims to create new jobs in new industries for the Sunshine Coast region. The IC was established in 2002 by the University of the Sunshine Coast, and is located on the edge of the USC campus. The IC offers world-class business facilities and development support for over 30 entrepreneurs and growing business in the ICT, clean technology, health technology and professional service industries. To date, the Innovation Centre has supported the start-up and growth of over 100 businesses, creating around 400 jobs.
Through a partnership with BigAir Community Broadband, the IC is able to offer its members access to an internet connection that rivals the NBN. This high quality connection better enables the startups to effectively compete on the global stage.
Many past and present IC members are now making significant impacts on the digital economy, here and around the globe:
– Typefi Systems – have developed publishing and typesetting software that significantly increases productivity for publishing houses. High profile clients include Lonely Planet, Random House and McGraw Hill Publishing. The company now has annual turnover of over $5million, with satellite offices in the UK, US and India.
– Traffika – are a digital agency specializing in strategy development, search engine optimization, social media and analytics for a national network of clients. In the last three years, Traffika has generated over $50 million in new revenue for its customers.
– ThinLinx – is one of the world’s premier suppliers of thin client solutions (server based computing systems) for schools, educational providers and large organizations and enterprises, including Microsoft. The company has recently expanded with operations in the US and China.
– Optii Solutions – are global leaders in hotel management software. Their mobile housekeeping solutions are used by seven of top ten hotel chains. Optti Solutions continue to sign on the world’s most significant hotels as clients – recent major contracts include Marina Bay Sands (Singapore), Atlantis – The Palm (Dubai) and Ramada Hotel (Singapore).
– Commission Factory – has developed an online platform to effectively manage and facilitate affiliate marketing programs. High profile clients include including Style Tread, The Iconic, SurfStitch, Vision Direct, Le Domaine, and Globe. The company generated over $17 million worth of sales for their clients in the last year, and expects to double its workforce in 2013.
