Australian Startup Space Penguin Gains Momentum, Joins University of Melbourne’s MAP Accelerator
University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Accelerator Program recognizes the startup’s potential as investor interest builds
SYDNEY & MELBOURNE, Australia — Aug. 21, 2026 — Space Penguin, the Australian startup founded to fix the gamble of finding a reliable place to work outside the office, has surpassed 1,000 paying customers across multiple countries in the 11 months since launch. The milestone comes as the company reports a growing pipeline of investor conversations and fresh recognition from one of Australia’s most established startup accelerators.
Anyone who has travelled for work, freelanced, or simply needed a desk away from home knows the problem: booking a workspace is a gamble on Wi-Fi that doesn’t work, rooms that don’t match the photos, and no way to know what you’re actually walking into until you arrive. Space Penguin was built to close that gap, giving people a predictable, trustworthy place to work wherever life takes them — its tagline, “Your World Office,” reflects that mission.
“For too long, finding a reliable place to work outside the office has meant a gamble — unreliable Wi-Fi, noisy rooms, spaces that don’t match the photos,” said Rohan Mehrotra, co-founder of Space Penguin. “We built Space Penguin because professionals deserve to know exactly what they’re walking into, whether that’s for two hours or two months. That’s the gap we’re closing, and it’s a massive one — the short-term workspace market in Australia alone is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and most of it still runs on guesswork.”
The company’s momentum was further validated this month when Space Penguin was named to the 2026 cohort of the Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP), the University of Melbourne’s flagship startup accelerator.
“Being selected for MAP isn’t just a badge — it’s the University of Melbourne looking at what we’ve built and telling us the scale we’re capable of reaching,” Mehrotra said. “It’s fuel to go after this gap in the market even harder, and to back up our growth with the mentorship and network to match.”
Space Penguin was co-founded by Rohan Mehrotra and Alisha Aneja. Mehrotra brings more than 20 years of ad tech experience across the Asia-Pacific region, while Aneja’s background spans CommBank, CSIRO and EMBL-EBI Cambridge.
About Space Penguin
Space Penguin (spacepenguin.io) is an Australian startup solving the problem of unpredictable, unreliable short-term workspaces, with a presence in Sydney and Melbourne. Founded by Rohan Mehrotra and Alisha Aneja, the company’s mission is to free modern workers from the stress of finding a workspace they can trust, so they can stay focused and creative wherever life takes them.
Media Contact
Rohan Mehrotra
Co-Founder, Space Penguin
hello@spacepenguin.io
+61 401 060 708