Meshpoints Launches Challenge-Led Funding Model To Strengthen WA’s Innovation Ecosystem

Meshpoints has unveiled a new Challenge-led funding approach, moving away from its previous open grant model to focus on coordinated, ecosystem-wide initiatives that address Western Australia’s most pressing innovation needs.

The statewide initiative, which continues to be backed by Lotterywest, announced the shift at its first Town Hall of 2026, attended by more than 100 founders, ecosystem builders, and partners from across Western Australia.

The new model centres on time-limited funding rounds shaped by ecosystem research, impact evaluation, and sector insights gathered through ongoing collaboration with StartupWA. Each Challenge targets a specific opportunity for system-wide improvement, with funding designed to catalyse coordinated action across multiple organisations rather than supporting isolated projects.

“We’re focusing our efforts on the problems that matter most for the whole ecosystem, and inviting collaborative, practical solutions that can shift the system at scale,” said Charlie Gunningham, Head of Ecosystem Engagement at Meshpoints.

First Challenge targets promotion and storytelling

The inaugural Challenge asks how Western Australia can better showcase its innovation ecosystem so it’s recognised as a place where ideas and entrepreneurs thrive.

“Telling the stories of our local innovation and innovators is becoming a priority for our ecosystem. Often our wonderful startup stories are submerged by the other, larger sectors in WA,” Gunningham said.

The Challenge has been shaped through Meshpoints’ evidence-led approach to ecosystem development, where insights from StartupWA roundtables inform public reports, which are then translated into Challenge themes. Applications open for ecosystem-led initiatives, successful programmes are funded and delivered, and their impact is evaluated, feeding directly into the next cycle of research and Challenge design.

Meshpoints is now inviting ecosystem-led initiatives to elevate WA’s stories locally, nationally, and internationally, through creative campaigns and storytelling platforms, high-profile showcases, and visiting delegations. Western Australian not-for-profit organisations can submit expressions of interest before March 25th, 2026.

To find out more, or apply for the challenge, visit Meshpoints here.