INSIDE FREMANTLE'S INNOVATION FLOOR

Inside Fremantle's Innovation Floor 

On Tuesday 8 December, West Tech Fest's main event comes to Walyalup Koort, bringing founders, investors and technology leaders from across Australia and the world into the heart of Fremantle.  

They won't have to look far to see what the city is building. Right beside the festival precinct, on Level 3 of the Walyalup Civic Centre, is a whole floor dedicated to helping businesses start, grow and connect.  

It's a fitting neighbour for Western Australia's major technology and innovation festival. West Tech Fest exists to connect founders with the people and support they need to grow. Level 3 does the same thing, every day of the year.  

One floor, Three Organisations  

In June 2025, the City of Fremantle signed 10-year leases with three Fremantle organisations to share around 900 square metres on Level 3 of its civic headquarters at 151 High Street: Harbour Space, The Hub on SX (HOSX) and Business Foundations.  

Each brings something different to the floor. Together, they cover much of what a founder or growing business needs: a place to work, a community to build with, a door to global markets and expert advice to grow.

A Festival on the Doorstep  

For West Tech Fest visitors, Level 3 shows something a conference stage can't: what it looks like when founders, advisers and sustainability-focused businesses share a floor in the middle of a working city. A founder might start at a Harbour Space desk, get business advice from Business Foundations and meet like-minded businesses through HOSX, all within a few metres, and all a short stroll from the festival stages at Walyalup Koort and Fremantle Town Hall. The next day, Freo Startup Fest brings founders and investors together at Freo.Social.  

Harbour Space: A Place to Work

Harbour Space has been running coworking in Fremantle since 2013, first under the Fspace Coworking name. On Level 3 it operates a 300 square metre open-plan studio for professionals, creatives and small businesses. The move from its Market Street loft, which it had outgrown, doubled its capacity.  

Members can choose dedicated desks or hot-desking, with day rates and monthly options on flexible terms. Harbour Space also runs private offices and meeting rooms at its Point Street Offices in the Fremantle CBD.  

When the move was announced, Director Jonathan Melnick summed up the opportunity.

“Sharing the City’s flagship building with like-minded tenants deepens our commitment to Fremantle’s business community and lifts the city’s profile as a place to work and grow.”  

The Hub on SX: A Door to Global Markets

The Hub on SX, or HOSX, is a not-for-profit working to accelerate sustainable business in Western Australia. It grew from a small coworking initiative in the spare office space of its founding business, Metis Design & Engineering, and is guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

For West Tech Fest visitors, its most relevant offering is DOCK. Run from Level 3, DOCK is the international landing and launch pad of the Blue Economy Innovation Platform WA. It helps interstate and international companies in marine technology, ocean energy, aquaculture, maritime logistics and coastal resilience set up in WA. It also helps WA companies grow overseas and connects investors with investment-ready blue economy ventures.  

HOSX has been building Fremantle’s founder community for years. In 2024 it received Meshpoints funding for a project to increase diversity in Indian Ocean engineering. In December 2025 it hosted a Freo Founders Sundowner for start-up and tech founders.  

Founding Director Charlie Guilloteau said the move to Level 3 reinforced HOSX’s alignment with key partners.

“Relocating to the Walyalup Civic Centre represents a strategic move that reinforces our brand alignment with key partners and places us in the heart of Fremantle. The location offers a dynamic setting and professional infrastructure that supports our growth and credibility as a leading sustainability-focused organisation.”  

Business Foundations: A Place to Grow 

Business Foundations was created in Fremantle more than 30 years ago and now has its head office on Level 3, with further offices in Victoria and Queensland. It helps hundreds of businesses each year, from people starting their first business to Aboriginal corporations, social enterprises and businesses in regional and remote WA.  

Its programs include the federally funded Self-Employment Assistance program for people starting or refocusing a micro business. It also offers support for joining supply chains and meeting local content requirements, and a practical guide to getting to net zero. It recently began a new Meshpoints-funded project, Smarter Business Systems: Practical AI for Small Business, as part of the Meshpoints AI and Society challenge.  

That focus on practical technology for everyday businesses is a natural fit with a festival that brings the latest in tech to Fremantle.

CEO Phil Kemp said the new location meant the organisation could stay “in the heart of our town, continue delivering on our mission… and enjoy the views over Fremantle!”  

Why it Matters for Fremantle  

Investment attraction is not only about large sites and headline projects. It's also about whether a new company, an interstate founder or an international business can arrive and quickly find what it needs. Level 3 gives Fremantle that soft-landing capability in the centre of the city, and West Tech Fest puts it in front of exactly the people who need it.  

When the leases were signed, Director of City Business Matt Hammond said the tenancies would raise Fremantle's profile as a destination for creative and innovative businesses and build on programs such as Propel Fremantle.

 "This announcement sends a strong signal to start-ups, founders and entrepreneurs that Fremantle can provide a vibrant and supportive ecosystem for these types of businesses as they seek to grow."  

This December, that signal goes out to the whole festival. As Business Foundations CEO Phil Kemp put it, being on Level 3 means staying "in the heart of our town… and enjoying the views over Fremantle!" Festival visitors will be able to see what he means. This is Fremantle.  

Coming to West Tech Fest? The City of Fremantle's economic development team would love to meet you while you're here. Head to: investfremantle.com.au/contact-us