Spark Festival 2025

Spark Festival tackled Australian housing affordability with a panel of entrepreneurs and policy leaders, exploring the opportunity for startups and technology to lead the way.

Level 14, Barangaroo Tower 3, 300 Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney · The Hon. Chris Rath MLC, Shadow Minister for Local Government; James Bowe, CEO and Co-Founder, OwnHome; Rob Asher, Founder, Giraffe; Stephanie Graham, Managing Director, Construction, Lendlease; Angela Peng, Investment Management, Lendlease

An interactive workshop on approaching and managing challenging discussions with more confidence, introducing a repeatable framework applied to a real example in the session.

Stone & Chalk Tech Central, Level 1, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney · Phyllis Peterson, AMDRAS Accredited Mediator and Lawyer

The highlight of the startup calendar. Spark Festival CEO Harry Godber was joined by the 29th Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull AC, who looked back at a decade of Australian innovation and ahead at the opportunities and challenges facing the tech sector. James Windon shared his journey building Australia’s largest pay and benefits company and exiting to private equity, and Elizabeth Henderson gave ten years of startup growth advice in ten minutes.

The Collider, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney · The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull AC, 29th Prime Minister of Australia; James Windon, Co-Founder, Flare; Elizabeth Henderson, Venture Capital Partner, HSF Kramer

Navigating due diligence: thorough business evaluations and uncovering hidden risks, from financials to legalities.

Online

The programs, resources and funding available to bring research or a startup idea to market, followed by a catered networking lunch with speakers at dedicated booths.

Sydney Knowledge Hub, Room 277, Level 2, Merewether Building H04, University of Sydney · CSIRO ON Program, Cicada Innovations, Uniseed, Therapeutic Innovation Australia, IP Group Australia, Australian National Fabrication Facility, Industry Growth Program, Sydney Genesis Program, INCUBATE, Australia’s Economic Accelerator

Expansion into the UK market: the strategic, financial and compliance pathways for businesses looking to scale internationally.

British Consulate-General, Level 16, Gateway Building, 1 Macquarie Place, Sydney · Camille Blackburn, Director – Asia Pacific, Financial Conduct Authority; James Swan, Chief Commercial Officer, Mint Payments

How founders can streamline capital raising, engage investors and leverage AI.

Stone & Chalk Tech Central, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney · Steve Torso, Wholesale Investor and CapitalHQ

What a term sheet is and its role in the investment process; using term sheets effectively; common terms and why they are included; term sheets for different situations.

Online · Richard Dale, Committee Member, Sydney Angels

A workshop on artificial intelligence covering circuit tracing, with networking.

MCIC, Ground Floor, Hilmer Building, UNSW Sydney

A taster of Presence Studio’s leadership workshop, using play — voice, body, breath and improv.

Sydney Knowledge Hub, Level 2, Merewether Building, University of Sydney · Genevieve Craig, Chief Facilitator, Presence Studios

How to embed social impact in a company from day one. Australian Pledge 1% members include Atlassian, Canva, Culture Amp, Salesforce and Airwallex, among 1,800 more.

Canva Space, 110 Kippax Street, Surry Hills · Antonia Ruffell, Managing Director, Pledge 1% Australia

Strategies to build mental resilience: managing stress, reframing negative thinking and restoring balance.

Stone & Chalk Tech Central, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney · Roy Kwan, Founder, CoachAnywhere

The personal growth journey every founder faces: building a startup is not just about scaling the business, it is about scaling yourself.

Stone & Chalk Tech Central, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney · Shelley Laslett, CEO & Co-Founder, Vitae Coach; Timo Kulger, Co-Founder & CPO, Foodini; Lisa Cotton, Leadership Coach; Julian Luca, Founder & CEO, Founders Edge

ConnectOnion is an open-source framework for turning Python functions into AI agents: simple code, twenty minutes to a working agent, no framework lock-in.

UTS Startups, 3 Broadway, Ultimo · Aaron Xie, Founder, ConnectOnion

AI is reshaping industries, but 95% of AI pilots fail. Why so many experiments flop, moving beyond AI as a feature toward agentic apps, and what meaningful AI integration looks like in real startup operations. Spark Festival CEO Harry Godber was joined by Decidr Executive Chair David Brudenell for a wrap-up of the event.

Decidr HQ, Level 20, 347 Kent Street, Sydney · David Brudenell, Executive Chair, Decidr; Ian Harris, CEO, eBev; Matt Stejer, Head of Product Tech & AI, Scentia; moderated by Kristy McSweeney, Spark Festival Lead and Founder, PR Counsel

A full day of co-working discovery with a complimentary day pass, a dedicated desk and a guided welcome.

Level 23, 52 Martin Place, Sydney

How Australian startups and scale-ups can leverage R&D incentives, grants and non-equity funding.

Stone & Chalk Tech Central, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney · Peter Xi, Partner, RSM; Pat Stewart, Head of Growth, Advanced

Tank Stream Labs, Level 17, Barangaroo Tower 3, 300 Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney · Veronica Mason, high-performance coach; Dr Cam Higgins, neuroscientist

A crash-course launchpad into the innovation ecosystem for aspiring founders and early startup employees.

UTS Startups Event Space, corner of Broadway and Harris Street, Sydney · Michelle Gomes, Co-Founder, Evaheld

The weekly community ritual: community wins, announcements and opportunities.

Stone & Chalk Tech Central, Level 1, 477 Pitt Street, Haymarket · Jacqui Duncan, General Manager NSW, Stone & Chalk

Meet regional Australia’s most ambitious founders.

I2N Hub Honeysuckle, 16 Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle

How entrepreneurial PhDs are reshaping funding, credibility and growth, with legal, financial and grants advisers on IP protection, governance, co-funding and tax incentives.

UTS Startups Event Space, corner of Broadway and Harris Street, Sydney · Dr Ian Oppermann, Commonwealth Data Standards Chair; Murray Hurps, Director of Entrepreneurship, UTS; Deputy Dean Sarah Kinkel; Mona Chiha, Founder & CEO, JurisTechne; Anne Moore; Vibhu Arya; Lynn Wood, Founder, IdeaSpies

Western Sydney Startup Hub, 5 Fleet Street, North Parramatta · Cr Hayley French, City of Parramatta; Shuoyan Zhu, Western Sydney Startup Hub and Western Sydney Tech Innovators

A casual platform for entrepreneurs, startups and business enthusiasts to share ideas.

Dad and Dave’s Brewing, 45 Mitchell Road, Brookvale

By invitation.

The factors that influence a startup’s valuation, estimating value at different stages, how investors assess risk, and communicating valuation during funding conversations.

8 Hadenfeld Avenue, Macquarie Park

Stone & Chalk Tech Central, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney · Morgan Sheargold and Royce Saheed, Practice Leaders, LegalVision; James Bergl, Managing Partner, Bluebird

The fundamentals of crowdfunding and the five Cs, from one of the world’s first crowdfunding platforms dedicated to social impact projects.

Online

Online · Stuart Reynolds and Jack Dean, Fullstack Advisory

Spotting the real reasons behind underperformance, acting quickly without legal headaches, and creating an engaged, accountable team.

Online · Tania Yates, Impact HR

Student internships aligned with business needs, flexible placement models, and building a sustainable talent pipeline.

Online

Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility, 215 Badgerys Creek Road, Bradfield · Anna Murray, General & Sales Manager, Cadpro Australia; John Stewart, Senior Director APAC Technical, Autodesk; Azmana Hussain, Manager, AMRF Connect; James Stokes, Senior Engineer, Computational Design, AMRF

A go-to-market strategy using the AI tool Coach Lou.ai — a tailored plan in under an hour.

Online · Trena Blair, Founder & CEO, FD Global Connections

An insider’s guide to Australia’s leading innovation district: architecture, pioneering startups, university partnerships and urban design.

UTS Tower, Sydney

Research teams share their progress through the ON Prime program: attracting resources and creating impact.

The Collider, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney

Stone & Chalk Tech Central, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney

An interactive panel bringing together tech workers, educators, business owners and community advocates on AI’s real-world impact.

WSU Launchpad, Level 1, 6 Hassall Street, Parramatta

A hyper-interactive panel where investors and founders share how to raise smarter and avoid the mistakes that sink deals.

Tank Stream Suites, 52 Martin Place, Sydney · Carolyn Breeze, CEO, Scalare Partners; Brendan Yell, angel investor; Anish Sinha, Co-Founder & COO, Upcover; Julian Luca, Founder & CEO, Founders Edge

Career journeys, pathways, evolving roles, new skills and advice for aspiring women in AI and data science.

Michael Crouch Innovation Centre, Building E10, UNSW Sydney, Kensington · Sue Keay, Director, UNSW AI Institute; Eugene Heo, Software Engineering Manager, CBA; Leah Crisell, Founder, Brandloop.ai; Phoebe Davis, Senior Product Manager, Decidr.AI; Sarah Vallee, Fellow, UTS Human Technology Institute

Marketers, founders, technologists and creators using automation and AI to build, innovate and lead.

UTS Startups @ Central, corner of Broadway and Harris Street, Ultimo · Elle Russell, Co-Founder, NightCafe; Alex Waite, Relevance AI; Celia Harding, Founder, LEOPRD; moderated by Kate Ng, Passionberry

Circular Economy Club Sydney’s casual, recurring networking night.

Young Henrys

Two small-group sessions with experienced startup mentors.

Online · Jo Burston, Founder and CEO, Inspiring Rare Birds; Phil Hayes-St Clair, CEO coach and Founder, The Partnership Lab

The four pillars of longevity: care, housing, financial resilience and individual resilience.

UTS Startups Incubator Space, 3 Harris Street, Ultimo · Dr Abby Bloom and Anne-Marie Elias, Co-Founders, PrimeLife Partners; Nadine Esposito, Founder, WealthSpan Advisory

The funding landscape, Australian technology success stories, the early-stage ecosystem, angel investing and the private capital journey.

Online · Philip Argy, Committee Member, Sydney Angels

A candid fireside chat unpacking real startup stories: funding, innovation, challenges, mistakes and hacks.

Stone & Chalk Tech Central, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney · Pat Stewart, Head of Growth, Advanced

Mindfulness and emotional intelligence for resilience, performance and healthier organisations.

Online · Dr Olga-Lucia Gamboa-Arana, Senior Cognitive Neuroscientist and Founder, EQness

A cashflow forecasting masterclass with a live demo using a real SaaS client example.

Online · James Condon, Virtual CFO, Fullstack Advisory

Event management for entrepreneurs: launch parties and product reveal gatherings.

Sydney Knowledge Hub, Level 2, Merewether Building, University of Sydney, Darlington · Jonathan Lee, Chief Party Officer and Founder, Utopia Rising

A high-energy social deduction game training agility, collaboration and emotional intelligence.

Online · Julie Trell, Founder & Chief Play Officer, Playful Purpose; Raymond van Driel, global trainer and group dynamics expert; Ted DesMaisons, author and facilitator

Spark Festival CEO Harry Godber was joined by Kristy McSweeney, Alexandra Hall, Paul Wallbank and Nicholas Chilton to discuss the takeaways from the tenth Spark Festival, and best-practice guidance for founders communicating with corporates, government, investors and media.

UTS Startups @ Central Event Space, corner of Broadway and Harris Street, Sydney · Harry Godber, Kristy McSweeney, Alexandra Hall, Paul Wallbank, Nicholas Chilton

A hands-on introduction to vibecoding and AI automation for small business owners and startup founders, with no technical background required.

Western Sydney Startup Hub, 5 Fleet Street, North Parramatta

UTS Startups Event Space, corner of Broadway and Harris Street, Ultimo · Laura Ramos, Founder, Helpful Engines; Dr Katya Numbers, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, UNSW

WOTSO Manly North Head, 44 North Fort Road, Manly · Matt Ainsworth, Tekkon Technologies

A live stream of the Royal Society of New South Wales and Australia’s Learned Academies Annual Forum, held under the auspices of Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales.

Online

A world-fair style expo celebrating a quarter century as Australia’s home of deep tech.

Cicada Innovations, 4 Cornwallis Street, Eveleigh

Panels, fireside chats and a hands-on pitching workshop for rural founders.

Reckless Brewing, Bathurst · Claire Bull, David Lillo-Trynes, Jo Palmer