As we wrap up 2025, we’ve been taking a moment to reflect on what has been a big, energising year at Melbourne Innovation Centre. From packed rooms and powerful conversations to new spaces, new partnerships and new ways of supporting business owners, this year has been all about connection, capability and community.
.png)
As we wrap up 2025, we’ve been taking a moment to reflect on what has been a big, energising year at Melbourne Innovation Centre. From packed rooms and powerful conversations to new spaces, new partnerships and new ways of supporting business owners, this year has been all about connection, capability and community.
A Digital Growth Event Series for Women in Business
Our Thrive Online event series brought together women in business from across Victoria for a series of sell-out digital growth events. With more than 300 women attending, the series created space for learning, connection and confidence-building.
Featuring inspiring leaders including Stef Kerby (Founder & CEO of Celia Loves) and Natassia Grace (Founder & CEO of Conserving Beauty), these events went beyond theory. They offered honest insights, practical strategies and real conversations about growth, visibility and leadership, while giving attendees the opportunity to build meaningful connections with others on a similar journey.
Women in Business Regional Event Tour
In 2025, we took our women in business programming on the road. Our Women in Business Regional Roadshow delivered four sell-out events across Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong, again reaching more than 300 women.
The roadshow was designed to bring accessible learning and networking opportunities directly to regional business owners. Each event combined practical workshops with time to connect, share experiences and build local networks, ensuring regional founders didn’t miss out on the same quality of support available in metropolitan areas.
The Conclusion of a Four-Year Program
This year marked the completion of Partners in Wellbeing, a four-year Business Advisory Service program that supported business owners across Victoria.
Over the life of the program, we worked with 1,985 business owners, delivering more than 10,807 hours of business advisory support. The program reinforced the importance of supporting both business sustainability and personal wellbeing, recognising that the two are deeply connected. Closing out Partners in Wellbeing was a significant milestone and a proud moment for the MIC team.
Our First Suburban Spark in Geelong
We hosted our very first Suburban Spark event in Geelong, focused on organic social media. The event combined a hands-on workshop with structured networking, giving attendees practical tools they could immediately apply to their businesses.
A standout feature of Suburban Spark was the opportunity for participants to pitch their business and receive tailored feedback from MIC business experts, turning learning into action and helping founders refine their messaging, positioning and next steps.
34 Webinars Delivered in 2025
Throughout the year, MIC delivered 34 webinars, expanding our digital education footprint and making learning accessible to business owners regardless of location.
Standout sessions included Sam Despo’s TikTok webinar, Lizzie Mulherin’s five-part Content Club series, Steven Gringlas’ three-part Email Marketing series, and Emily Osmond’s webinar on social media marketing, alongside many others. These sessions covered everything from content and marketing to digital strategy, helping business owners build capability at their own pace.
TikTok, NBN, MYOB and More
Collaboration played a major role in 2025. We worked with a range of incredible organisations, including TikTok, NBN and MYOB, to deliver events, webinars and professional development opportunities.
Highlights included a sell-out AI event with NBN, a webinar delivered in partnership with TikTok, participation in TikTok training sessions, and collaboration with MYOB to promote SOLO. These partnerships helped us bring timely, relevant insights to business owners navigating a rapidly changing digital landscape.
A New Brand and Website
In 2025, we unveiled a refreshed MIC brand, including a new logo, colour palette and overall look and feel. Alongside the rebrand, we launched a new website designed to better reflect who we are, where we’re heading, and the community we support.
The refresh marked an important step forward, aligning our visual identity with our purpose and positioning MIC for the next chapter of growth and impact.
Our New HQ in Melbourne’s Innovation Hub
This year, MIC moved its headquarters to Cremorne, creating a more central and accessible home for both our team and our events. The new space includes dedicated office areas and an event space, allowing us to host workshops, gatherings and community events in the heart of Melbourne’s innovation precinct.
Being based in Cremorne places us closer to partners, collaborators and the broader innovation ecosystem we work alongside every day.
Welcoming the Neighbourhood
To officially open our Cremorne space, we hosted a MIC Block Party for nearby businesses and partners. We hand-delivered invitations, welcomed our new neighbours, and spent the morning introducing people to the space and our refreshed brand.
It was a simple but meaningful way to build local connections and mark the beginning of MIC’s next chapter in Cremorne.
Supporting Migrant Entrepreneurs
In 2025, we delivered four tailored Thrive & Connect workshops for migrant entrepreneurs, including an in-language Spanish session supported by translated materials.
Each workshop was paired with a wellbeing component, ensuring the sessions were relevant, supportive and responsive to the specific needs of migrant business owners. This program reflected our ongoing commitment to inclusive, accessible support and to working with communities who are often underrepresented in traditional business programs.
As we look ahead to 2026, we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who attended an event, joined a webinar, partnered with us, or shared their time and experience along the way. 2025 was a year shaped by community, collaboration and momentum, and we’re excited to keep building from here.
.png)
.png)
.png)
