There has been a revolutionary change in the way we do business over the last two decades. Where companies once built and procured their own physical infrastructure, many now outsource that infrastructure, building a network of suppliers, services and contractors instead. This allows companies to be more agile and adaptable; to lower their operating costs; and for more start-ups to enter the market with less risk and commitment. Josh and Peter Willis have been witnesses to this change. The brothers and ex-rowers founded Pontoon Sports in 2002, making custom high-performance teamwear for rowers. They gradually branched into other sports,

Cooped up at home during Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions, many of us turned to online shopping for relief and enjoyment. And e-commerce retailers and product software services companies consequently felt the positive effects of our increased spend. Desk Space member Particular Audience is one such company. While you were online shopping, Particular Audience, which provides personalisation and merchandise optimisation software for online retailers, was tripling its revenue, expanding globally, doubling its headcount and adding more software products to its bow. James Taylor founded Particular Audience in late 2017. The B2B software as a service company uses AI technology to

The process of looking for a job or recruiting a new employee can be a time-consuming, stressful and costly process. “The recruitment process hasn’t evolved with time and it doesn’t reflect where we are at in the digital era,” says Desk Space member Josh Snow. “Recruiters layer on more systems and processes and hoops for people to jump through, versus looking at the fundamentals of how it works.” Frustrated by the process, Josh founded nextmile in 2019 to make recruitment easier and more transparent, reducing the stress, cost and time of finding a job or a candidate. nextmile’s digital platform

“What do you want your business to stand for? What you do you want to see when you look back at what your business achieved? All of our business – both fee-paying and pro bono – is aligned to our values,” says David Kaunitz. David and his wife, Ka Wai Yeung, founded Kaunitz Yeung Architecture (KYA) in 2009, based on their community development work in the Solomon Islands, following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit in 2007. “We were designing and building a community, and it was as grassroots as it gets. Almost all the materials came from within

It’s been a long time since Darlinghurst was not-so-fondly referred to as Razorhurst, named for the crime gangs that roamed the streets with razor blades. These days it’s a lively neighbourhood packed with cafés, bars, restaurants, and a hub of contemporary art and design galleries. If you’re walking around the area, be sure to check out some of the galleries and creative spaces: Australian Design Centre Australian Design Centre (ADC) displays contemporary craft and design, and works closely with Australian craftspeople and designers to promote the community and creativity. ADC is currently exhibiting WORKSHOPPED20: Celebrating 20 Years of Design. The

“There's an infectious energy in Desk Space where everyone is really pushing hard to achieve something,” says Sam Logan, founder of Woolly Mammoth. “Every client we work with in here inspires us in different ways.”Woolly Mammoth is a design-led technology company specialising in UX and UI for web and application development. As Desk Space is a hybrid between a coworking space and start-up incubator, it has proven to be the ideal office for Woolly Mammoth, which enjoys working with other start-ups to advance their technological platforms and development teams.“Start-ups tend to have a greater understanding of technology and are generally

When the government put a halt to large gatherings in March 2020 due to Covid-19, Studio Messa – an experiential events company – needed to find a creative solution for its own business and its clients. Finding a creative solution is what Studio Messa does best, so the team took the opportunity to further develop their digital expertise and offering in order to adapt to the current state of events. “Covid-19 has given our industry a rare chance to reimagine the future. We’re seeing the creative community experiment and adapt in exciting ways and expect this to continue even

As coronavirus case numbers accumulated in March, the government restrictions and economic downtown throw numerous businesses and industries off course, forcing them to navigate through murky economic waters. Arum Advisory has been helping Desk Space members to navigate those waters, providing knowledge and advice about the government’s financial assistance and stimulus packages. As an accounting and consultancy service, it’s been an understandably busy few months for the Arum team as they assist their own clients, and kindly provide advice to Desk Space members. In April they hosted two virtual lunch and learns and have been available to fielded members’

The Covid-19 pandemic forced businesses to adapt quickly if they wanted to survive the economic downturn and new ways of working and living. Desk Space member Ex D adapted so rapidly it not only survived but founded a new personal-care brand, Rescue Brand, with the modus operandi of reacting quickly and social responsibility. “The idea of Rescue Brand is to be able to respond to emergencies,” says Ex D and Rescue Brand co-founder Nick Hudson. Within days of the coronavirus crisis sweeping Australia in mid-March, hundreds of thousands of people had lost their jobs, stores had sold out of

Desk Space provides start-ups with an environment that values creative problem solving, open communication channels and a flat hierarchy. So it’s no wonder there’s been an influx of business leaders finding it so valuable, especially when surrounded by a network they have come to know after years of working in the space. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 80% of the companies in Desk Space were urged to move any non-essential  work to home offices. But not the team at E-XD. Sitting down with co-founders Nick Hudson and Nick Benson of the product studio, they explain what their journey has been