From fashion labels to independent publishers, female-led business continues to thrive with support from Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) Strategic Partner, Renew Adelaide.
According to Renew Adelaide, female‑led businesses accounted for 89 per cent of new ventures launched through its rent‑free program in 2025, the highest proportion recorded to date.
Over the same period, 12 businesses supported by Renew Adelaide transitioned into ongoing commercial leases, 10 of which were female‑led.
These include marketing agency The Good Trouble Group, small publisher Pink Shorts Press, and clothing emporium Ast Atelier.
Supported through AEDA’s Strategic Partnerships Program, Renew Adelaide works to bring vacant city spaces back into use by pairing emerging enterprises with available shopfronts.
The approach gives business owners the flexibility to test and grow their ideas without the pressure of long‑term lease commitments.
“Commercial leasing can be an intimidating world, so we’ve found that people are attracted to the lower risk structure of our rent‑free program, where we can provide a safety net and demystify the process,” Renew Adelaide Chief Executive Gianna Murphy says.
“Participants might be new parents getting back into the workforce through a new business idea, they might be a freelancer, or perhaps they’ve got another career they’re juggling at the same time.”
Murphy says Renew Adelaide remains focused on supporting projects with long‑term commercial potential, while also creating pathways for local talent to establish a presence in the city.
“The female‑led businesses we’ve supported this financial year have also substantially added to the local jobs economy, creating 91 jobs and supporting an additional 174,” she says.
“These ventures are all genuine, commercially viable business ideas, not just pop‑ups and passion projects. They are launching their businesses with long‑term intention.”
With support from AEDA Renew Adelaide continues to demonstrate the value of backing local initiatives to drive economic growth and support Adelaide’s international profile.
“By partnering with Renew Adelaide, we have backed ventures and new ideas that create jobs and drive economic development,” Adelaide Economic Development Agency Executive Manager, Business and Investment, Tiffany Katchmar says.
“The ripple effect of this is a more vibrant and evolving city where people want to live, work and visit.”
Into 2026, businesses supported by Renew Adelaide continue to thrive, contributing to reduced shopfront vacancies and reinforcing the CBD as a dynamic business hub across a range of industries.
Renew Adelaide is one of six organisations sharing $3.6 million over three years through AEDA’s Strategic Partnerships Program.
Image credit: Pink Shorts Press by Bri Hammond