CICADA INNOVATIONS

Interior view of a modern building seen through glass doors with the words 'CICAD' and 'INNOVATIONS' on the glass. Inside, there is a staircase leading to an upper level, a large sign with the logo and text 'The home for deep tech in Australia,' and a person walking on the upper level. Reflections of trees and parked cars are visible on the glass.

Helping a leading incubator go from ad- hoc to aligned

A team in need of structure and systems

Australia’s leading deep-tech incubator was facing its own startup challenge. Its team of 25 had doubled in size in 18 months, and had opened two new sites. With this growth came complexity. Processes were ad hoc and the team needed structure to support it’s growing team. Performance management, compensation, HR processes, and key hires all required clarity and structure.

APPROACH

FirstFifty partnered with the incubator three days per week over six months. We worked alongside the team to build scalable people solutions, clarify accountability, and support strategic hiring.

  • Selected and implemented Employment Hero (+ payroll integration through Xero)

  • Developed a People Calendar to schedule performance conversations and compensation reviews

  • Supported goal alignment from company to team to individual levels with regular check-ins

  • Revamped core policies and introduced Parental Leave and ‘Life Leave’ programs

  • Conducted search, interviewing, and selection for five key roles

WHAT WE DELIVERED

IMPACT

The incubator gained a structured people framework: Employment Hero streamlined day-to-day operations, leaders had clear frameworks to manage performance and alignment, and employees felt supported in career pathways.

Cicada continues to thrive with dialled-back HR support & FirstFifty continues to recruit for the team.