River City Labs

River City Labs is a prominent accelerator and innovation hub based in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 2012 by renowned tech entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" investor Steve Baxter, it has been a crucial catalyst for the Queensland startup ecosystem. The organisation's core mission is to empower, support, and connect entrepreneurs, providing them with the resources needed to develop their concepts into commercially successful and scalable technology businesses with global ambitions.

Since its inception, River City Labs has supported over 700 startup founders and hosted more than 1,000 events, welcoming over 29,000 guests into its vibrant community. In 2018, the Australian Computer Society (ACS), the professional association for Australia's technology sector, acquired River City Labs, bringing a renewed vision and institutional backing to further enhance its impact. This acquisition enabled River City Labs to become part of ACS Labs, which also includes Harbour City Labs in Sydney and Ocean City Labs in Maroochydore, expanding its reach across Australia.

What sets River City Labs apart is its strong emphasis on fostering a collaborative and supportive community, alongside its comprehensive range of offerings. These include flexible coworking spaces, structured mentoring, specialised workshops, and various accelerator and pre-accelerator programs. The organisation's human-led approach ensures that founders are always prioritised, with core values centred on learning, growth, action, and challenging the status quo. River City Labs actively connects startups with a broad network of mentors, industry experts, corporate partners, government bodies, and investors, both locally and globally.

Key achievements include fostering successful Australian startups such as Travello, FloodMapp, and Kapiche, which have gone on to raise significant funding and achieve market presence. The accelerator has also been instrumental in events like RiverPitch, which provides platforms for investor-ready startups to pitch for funding. Leadership at River City Labs, under the ACS Labs umbrella, includes Pauline Fetaui as Director of Innovation Labs Australia and Laura Ashmole as Head of Growth, who contribute their expertise and networks to inspire and empower the community. In January 2024, River City Labs relocated from The Precinct to Anzac Square in Brisbane's CBD, partnering with Hub Australia to continue offering coworking and community engagement within a new innovation space.