Technology
Broadmeadows Hub Opens 24/7 for Migrant and Refugee Startup Founders
StartNorth at 12 Dimboola Road operates around the clock while running a dedicated program for migrant and refugee founders.
How we reported this
StartNorth at 12 Dimboola Road in Broadmeadows now supports 50 members after growing from 20 following the 2021-22 Innovation Festival, with tenant businesses adding 22 local jobs. The hub sits directly across from Broadmeadows Railway Station and Broadmeadows Central, giving founders immediate access to transport links that feed into Melbourne’s north.
Round-the-clock operations anchor daily routines
StartNorth runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, supplying training rooms and desks for startups and scale-ups without fixed closing times. This schedule lets founders from varied shifts or family commitments use the space when it suits them rather than fitting around standard business hours.
Hume City Council secured a $46,000 LaunchVic grant to run the StartNorth Migrant & Refugee Program inside the same building. The accelerator takes up to 15 entrepreneurs from migrant and refugee backgrounds each cohort and houses them at the Dimboola Road site.
Planned town-hall space extends the model
A $20.2 million refurbishment of the Broadmeadows Town Hall, backed in part by a $14.3 million government package, will add dedicated professional offices and startup space inside the Metropolitan Activity Centre. The project sits a short walk from the existing StartNorth location.
The Hume Tech School at the Bendigo Kangan Institute Broadmeadows campus is scheduled to open in Term 3 2026 and will teach advanced manufacturing, automation and data analytics to local students. An assistive-technology feasibility study is also under way to strengthen the manufacturing sector around the same precinct.
An Able Meet MELBOURNE NORTH event is listed for Tuesday, August 18 at 10:00 AM at The Meadows Conference and Events Centre, offering one concrete date for founders to meet in person. The combination of continuous access, a targeted migrant accelerator and planned civic infrastructure gives Broadmeadows a practical base that founders can test against other global startup locations.