Scalare rescues Fishburners from administration

For more than 15 years, Fishburners has been part of the fabric of Australia's startup ecosystem. It's where thousands of founders found their people, took their first leap, tested big ideas, met co-founders, connected with investors, pitched, failed, won, and kept going.

This is why Scalare saw an opportunity and a responsibility to acquire Fishburners – to preserve an institution that has contributed so much to Australian entrepreneurship and to ensure its legacy continues for the next generation of founders.

A powerful legacy. A new chapter.

Scalare's commitment is clear: we're not here to replace what made Fishburners special. We're here to protect it, strengthen it, and back it with the infrastructure, pathways, national network and support systems that help founders go further.

Fishburners now joins Scalare's growing ecosystem alongside Tank Stream Labs, The Founders Union, Planet Startup, Tech Ready Women, Inhouse Ventures and the Australian Technologies Competition - one of the most connected founder communities in the country.

Watch a deeper conversation on what comes next in the video below. Scalare CEO Carolyn Breeze and Tank Stream Labs CEO Brad Delamare sit down to talk through the Fishburners acquisition – the legacy, the strategy, and what it unlocks for Australian founders.

What this unlocks for founders

• Fishburners members will be offered a new home across Tank Stream Labs locations nationally, including a dedicated Fishburners Hub at Tank Stream Labs' flagship Kent Street, Sydney campus. Through the Passport Hub program, founders can hot-desk for one, two, or three days per week across Tank Stream Labs' locations nationwide.

• The return of Fishburners Pitch Nights. We're relaunching the iconic Fishburners Pitch Nights and founder showcases, expanding the program nationally to increase visibility, investor access, and commercial opportunities.

• A new Fishburners Investment Vehicle. Scalare intends to establish a dedicated investment vehicle to invest directly into selected startups emerging from the Pitch Night program.

• Expand access to mentors, investors and strategic partners. This includes founder education, investor introductions and capital readiness support, virtual CFO and growth advisory through Planet Startup, investor access through Inhouse Ventures, and access to The Founders Union founder platform and programs.

• Connect members into the broader Scalare ecosystem, including Tech Ready Women Academy, Australian Technologies Competition, and more.

This acquisition ensures founders continue to have access to the communities, networks, mentors, events, education and support that can make all the difference in the early stages of building a business.

With Fishburners joining the ecosystem, Scalare's combined community now represents:

• 40,000+ founders and startup participants across our brands and programs

• 10,530 startups supported through coworking communities, accelerator programs and ecosystem initiatives

• $5.4 billion+ in funding raised collectively

• 7,000+ startup and innovation events delivered by Tank Stream Labs and Fishburners since inception

We look forward to honouring that legacy while helping write its next chapter.