17-07-2025
The Gold Coast's laid-back lifestyle is enticing entrepreneurs and investors
The technology industry is becoming a pretty big deal on the Gold Coast, especially in the health field.
One of the co-founders of online health platform HotDoc John Servinis said he recognised the attraction of living outside the major metropolitan centres about a decade ago.
"There's been a lot of brain drain from the cities," he said.
According to at least one metric the tech sector is catching up to the city's key economic drawcard of tourism.
It contributed $1.4 billion in gross value added (GVA) to the Gold Coast's economy in the year to June 2023, according to Invest Gold Coast.
The organisation, set up by the city's council, found tourism contributed $1.6b in GVA in the same period.
Mr Servinis said he moved to the area to work remotely but was planning to base his next venture on the Gold Coast.
There are about 9,000 people employed in technology sector in the city and the council wants that number to grow.
The City of Gold Coast is eyeing off a bigger chunk of the industry set to be worth $250b by the end of the decade, according to a Australian Trade and Investment Commission report.
The city's research hubs include Griffith University's Institute of Biomedicine and Glycomics, the Gold Coast University Hospital and Bond University.
The local government is aiming to support growth by investing in a co-working office called the Cohort Innovation Space designed help start-ups get off the ground and grow their roots in the city.
The office hosts an annual program called LuminaX, which aims to support entrepreneurs and teach them how to secure funding.
General practitioner Vu Tran met the co-founders of his start up, Bloody Good Tests, through the program.
It allows anyone to pay for any blood screening they would like without getting a referral from a doctor.
He and his co-founders have kept the start-up's base at the Cohort office.
"It's given us access to great facilities, infrastructure and networking," Dr Tran said.
Each week entrepreneurs and investors meet to grab a coffee, take a walk and bounce ideas off each other.
It is a networking exercise which makes use of the city's natural beauty and comfortable year-long climate.
Mr Servinis said the Gold Coast's livability increased his output and creativity at work.
