Northern Australia is a vast region with big plans for the future. Giant infrastructure projects. And while that's great for the contractors that get to work on those big ticket work items, what's in it for those who already live here?

Jobs? We already have them.
Real Estate values going up? They're already unaffordable.
Perhaps we'll have a few more cafes and shops left behind once the FIFO workers have left, but they don't last long after the last one-way ticket south has been cashed-in.

The north is only as strong as it's attraction as a place to live.
And right now, unless you love fishing, hunting, and working on infrastructure projects, there's not a lot of incentive to move your family up here.

What we need is a diversity of opportunities. Not just in digging things up and building things. But in brain-work. Technology, Advanced manufacturing and the 45 billion dollar digital economy. All the stuff that's currently tied up in Sydney, Melbourne, and South East Queensland.

And while a $10,000 grant here and there might help build a website, that isn't what is going to create new industries and opportunities for workers who want to do something apart from wearing hi-vis.

This is where venture capital and strategic partnerships between government, private capital and startups change the game.

Using three examples of venture-backed startups in Northern Australia, Dante will show what the value of these new enterprises is and can be - and what's coming with partnerships with the NT Government and the early signs of a renewed push for the startup stars of Northern Australia.