The capital of New South Wales (NSW), Sydney is the leading tech innovation ecosystem in the Southern Hemisphere, home to 3,000+ tech startups capitalizing on the state’s formidable research and talent. In 2024, NSW startups attracted 65% of Australia's total startup funding. A Top 25 Most Innovative City in the World in 2024 and one of the most attractive cities for tech talent, Sydney is recognized for its government adoption of AI and strengths in Fintech, Cybersecurity, Creative & Gaming, and Quantum Technologies. Internationally-recognized unicorns with global HQs in Sydney include Atlassian, Canva, Immutable, and Deputy.
The NSW Industry Policy and NSW Innovation Blueprint 2035 (The Blueprint) sets out a long-term, 10-year innovation vision and policy prioritization. The forward-looking agenda provides a resilient, sustainable, and productive NSW economy to drive investment and business growth. A mission-based government approach, together with industry and stakeholders, will solve critical challenges including housing, net zero and energy transition, and building a stronger local manufacturing industry.
With four strategic goals and five action areas, The Blueprint seeks to orchestrate the key actions for Strategy, Funding, Places, People, and Engagement to capitalize on NSW’s innovation potential alongside its many partners in the ecosystem.
The NSW Government announced in December 2024 that it will unleash the full potential of Sydney's Tech Central, Australia’s largest tech and innovation hub. Tech Central will act as a driver of key government priorities and groundbreaking innovation.
International tech giants are investing heavily into Sydney, including Google’s $1 billion Digital Future Initiative, Microsoft’s new Data Centre Academy, and Amazon Web Services’ cloud computing expansion. Sydney hosts numerous industry-leading tech conferences, including the International Astronautical Congress 2025 and the globally-renowned SXSW festival.
