Image: Square Melbourne
2 MINUTE READ
Square is increasing its presence in Melbourne with a new engineering capability
The Investment
(USA 2018)
The Investment
Square is increasing its presence in Melbourne with a new engineering capability
For me, Melbourne was the obvious choice.
Ben Pfisterer - Head of Asia Pacific and Australia, Square
The Story
Following the opening of its Australian headquarters in Melbourne in 2016, global fintech company, Square, is building out its presence with a new engineering hub that will be at the forefront of new payment technologies development. This is Square’s first engineering hub outside North America. The investment will bring their local workforce to more than 100 employees over the next two years.
The company has more than exceeded its expectations since entering the local market, with the number of Australian businesses using Square increasing 150 per cent since March 2017.
Ben Pfisterer - Head of Asia Pacific and Australia, Square
We’re investing in our workforce here in Melbourne, and adding new engineering capabilities so that we can introduce more of the products and services that will help Australian businesses grow.
Australia has one of the most advanced payment markets in the world which, coupled with its thriving small business community, makes it the perfect place to introduce new payment technologies.”
Melbourne made perfect sense for Square’s engineering hub as:
- Melbourne has a lively entrepreneurial tech scene and a growing talent pool.
- Overlapping time zones makes it easy to work closely with their San Francisco office in the morning via video conferencing.
When we set up in a city we look for key things; we look for a strong education system, a thriving entrepreneurial community, a strong appetite for innovation and real talent pool coming through in the tech community.
Ben Pfisterer - Head of Asia Pacific and Australia, Square
How we helped
Support from Invest Victoria included:
- Provision of information on Victoria’s engineering talent pool and technology ecosystem to support the company’s business case.
- Business case development support.
