Quantum Culture – Building a Tech-for-Good Culture from Day One: Space CoLAB Joins Pledge 1%

Building a Tech-for-Good Culture from Day One: Space CoLAB Joins Pledge 1%

At Space CoLAB, we’re developing quantum communications technology, a vital component of critical infrastructure security into the future, across the world. However, aspiring to contribute to world-leading deep tech isn’t just about what we build—it’s about how we build, and who we bring on the journey.

That’s why we’re proud to join Pledge 1%, committing 1% of our employee time to strengthening the ecosystem that makes Australian innovation possible.

Why Start Now?

As an early-stage startup, every hour counts. We’re racing toward prototype validation of our room-temperature quantum communications system—technology that operates without cryogenic cooling, works in free space, and targets applications from defense to critical infrastructure. The pressure to focus solely on product development is real.

But a sole product focus would be missing, well, soul. That’s why we’re embedding impact into our culture from the outset, not as an afterthought once we’ve “made it.” With an annual commitment equivalent to 4,000 hours in employee time, we’re deliberately investing in supporting a stronger, safer, and thriving community. After all, that is why we started Space CoLAB and are working here to begin with.

Where We’re Contributing

Our primary focus is on strengthening the learnings and focus of the next generation of deep tech founders and researchers. For the past three years, our Founder and CEO Carley Scott OAM has served as a judge for the Deakin Future Forum—an annual pitch competition where computer science PhD students learn to translate cutting-edge research into commercially viable solutions.

Established by Peter Kinne and Trina Myers and supported strongly by (look up two admin staff) at Deakin University, the Forum does something critical: it forces brilliant researchers to think beyond the lab. Carley works directly with students to refine how they articulate problems, develop solutions, and communicate with investors and industry partners who have a real world application focus. It’s the kind of practical translation work that is often spoken about and aimed for by a range of great Australian research entities that are doing sensational foundation work around the country.

Beyond the Forum, our team aims to continue contributing to university programs, industry events, and deep tech association activities across Australia’s geographically dispersed but dynamic innovation landscape. These aren’t token appearances—they’re substantive engagements where we share hard-won lessons about building sovereign capability in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.

Commercial Realism Meets Genuine Impact

We can’t say yes to everything. We’re a focused team building what we believe will be the world’s leading free-space quantum communications solution, and that mission is front of mind and our time allocation. But we believe that supporting the ecosystem isn’t separate from commercial success—it’s foundational to it.

As we’ve seen over the decades, from incredible people who have come before us, Australia’s deep tech community succeeds when we actively transfer knowledge, create pathways for emerging talent, and demonstrate with our international partners the cutting-edge defense and dual-use technology that continues to be conceptualised and built here.

The 1% Pledge formalises what we already believe: that companies building transformative technology have a responsibility to ensure the next wave of builders don’t have to start from zero. It’s an approach we’ve benefited from and an operational approach we enjoy extending. Every hour we invest in judging, mentoring, and engaging with the community compounds into a stronger innovation ecosystem, and hopefully, a better world.

What’s Next

As we move toward prototype testing and validation in 2026, our commitment will scale with us. More team members means more hours contributed. More experience means deeper insights to share. More success means greater ability to open doors for others.

We joined Pledge 1% not because we’ve “made it,” but because we believe the culture you build in the early days defines what and who you become. For Space CoLAB, that means being forward leaning, technically excellent, commercially focused, and genuinely invested in making the places we call home, the places great innovators feel safe, inspired, able to grow and feel at home also.

That’s the kind of company we think is worth building.