BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Spark Foundation//Spark Festival 2026//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Spark Festival 2026 X-WR-TIMEZONE:Australia/Sydney X-WR-CALDESC:Every public session of Spark Festival 2026\, 21-25 Septembe r. Free and open. spark.org.au/festival BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Australia/Sydney X-LIC-LOCATION:Australia/Sydney BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:19700405T030000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=4;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:19701004T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=10;BYDAY=1SU END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:43f1e52e438edf6e@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T170000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T203000 SUMMARY:Spark Festival 2026 Opening Celebration — Launch of the Spark F oundation LOCATION:UTS Great Hall\, Building 1\, 15 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Spark is the home of startups in NSW\, and over the past deca de every major part of the ecosystem has been part of it. We are launchi ng the Spark Foundation to make our community's voices heard\, to provid e a platform for those who can't pay for access\, and to spark engagemen t across Australia's diverse startup ecosystem. The night takes a deep d ive into the dialogue between startups and government: a look back at th is year's interactions between government and founders\, what we've done well\, and what we need to do better.\n\nSpeakers: The Hon Arthur Sinod inos AO (Former Australian Ambassador to the United States and Federal M inister for Industry\, Innovation and Science\, Chief of Staff to Prime Minister John Howard)\; Ranya Alkadamani (Founder\, Impact Group Interna tional\, and former Press Secretary to the Hon Kevin Rudd AC)\; The Hon Jacqui Munro MLC (Shadow Minister for Science and Technology\, Parliamen t of NSW)\; David Brudenell (Executive Chair\, Decidr)\; Dr Alana Piper (Deputy Vice-Chancellor\, External Engagement and Partnerships\, Univers ity of Technology Sydney)\; Harry Godber (CEO\, Spark Foundation — tec h investor\, adviser and policymaker)\n\nHosted by Spark Festival\n\nCap acity: 300–400\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/spark-2026-op ening\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/spark-2026-opening CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ec08aff82c01722a@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T090000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T170000 SUMMARY:AI for Social Enterprise Hackathon LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Two days of building AI for social enterprises\, with no prio r experience or existing team required. Day one is for validating the pr oblem and forming teams\; day two is for building a prototype and pitchi ng it to judges.\n\nHosted by The Moreneta Initiative with City Quokka\n \nCapacity: 80–100 expected\; the room seats about 60 downstairs plus 30–35 on the mezzanine\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/ai-fo r-social-enterprise-hackathon\n\nRuns Monday AND Tuesday\, 9:00am–5:00 pm both days — this entry covers the Monday\; add Tuesday too if you a re doing both.\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/ai-for-social-enterprise-hacka thon CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:e939e65d2f593ab5@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T150000 SUMMARY:Longevity Unleashed: NSW's Next Big Opportunity LOCATION:UNSW CBD\, Level 4\, 210 George Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:By 2030 Australia will have more people aged over 65 than und er 18. This session looks at what that shift opens up: financial securit y\, the policy settings around it\, and solutions that improve quality o f life while bringing costs down.\n\nSpeakers: The Hon Jacqui Munro MLC (Shadow Minister for Science and Technology)\; Harry Godber (CEO\, Spark Foundation)\; Annabel Zhou (Toastie Health)\; Colin Jowell (BillWill)\; Andrew Payne (CarePlan)\; Dr Abby Bloom (moderator)\; Anne-Marie Elias (PrimeLife Partners)\n\nHosted by PrimeLife Partners\n\nCapacity: 80\n\n Register: https://events.humanitix.com/longevity-unleashed-nsw-s-next-bi g-opportunity-spark-festival\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/fes tival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/longevity-unleashed-nsw-s-next -big-opportunity-spark-festival CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:a275b53d382b19a2@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T153000 SUMMARY:From Bench to Bedside: Funding Health Technology from Idea to Imp act LOCATION:UNSW Health Translation Hub\, 55 Botany Street\, Randwick DESCRIPTION:A working session on the path from a health idea to a funded venture. It maps the health innovation landscape\, covers turning a rese arch project into a company\, and explains how grants and investment act ually work for early-stage healthcare businesses.\n\nHosted by UNSW Foun ders\n\nRegister: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/from-bench-to-bedside- funding-health-technology-from-idea-to-impact-tickets-1998699019571\n\nS park Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/from-bench-to-bedside-fundi ng-health-technology-from-idea-to-impact-tickets-1998699019571 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:714a1168d0b10c65@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T173000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260921T193000 SUMMARY:Investment: The myth vs the reality LOCATION:210 George Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:What venture capital and private equity are like from the ins ide\, rather than as they appear on social media. The panel covers the d ay-to-day work\, how due diligence really runs\, and how different firms operate in the Australian ecosystem.\n\nHosted by UNSW Founders\n\nRegi ster: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/investment-the-myth-vs-the-reality -tickets-1998400572909\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/investment-the-myth-vs-the- reality-tickets-1998400572909 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6cc40cde0cd81f8b@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T090000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T110000 SUMMARY:The AI Reality Check: From Hype to Institutional Confidence LOCATION:J.P. Morgan\, 85 Castlereagh Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:The AI market has moved from enthusiasm to scrutiny\, and inv estors and boards now want a strategy that stands up financially rather than a story about AI. Speakers from J.P. Morgan\, law\, venture capital and AI companies themselves look at what it takes to build and fund an AI business serious capital will back.\n\nSpeakers: Aengus Tran (Co-foun der and CEO\, Harrison.ai)\; Danielle Haj-Moussa (Investment Manager\, M ain Sequence Ventures)\; Kyra Hannaford (Executive Director\, Equity Cap ital Markets ANZ\, J.P. Morgan)\; Mark Hoh (Head of TMT Investment Banki ng ANZ\, J.P. Morgan)\; Paul Fletcher (Board Director\, Tech Council of Australia)\; Simon Burns (Partner\, Gilbert + Tobin)\n\nHosted by Tech C ouncil of Australia with J.P. Morgan\n\nRegister: https://events.techcou ncil.com.au/092226_AIRealityCheck_IandGseries\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.techcouncil.com.au/092226_AIRealityCheck_Ian dGseries CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:b76b2d3b81dc2610@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T100000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T110000 SUMMARY:Ready to Scale? Running and scaling corporate pilots LOCATION:Stone & Chalk Tech Central\, Boardroom 5+6\, 477 Pitt Street DESCRIPTION:Founders often win the pilot and then watch it stall. The usu al verdict is that the technology underdelivered. It rarely did. Proven pilots stall because the organisation was not ready to scale them\, and real value and ROI only arrive at scale. In this hands-on workshop\, fou nders run Treble's Strategic Pulse on their own companies in twenty minu tes to see exactly where their scaling will break.\n\nSpeakers: Matthew Werner (Principal\, Innovation & Strategy\, Treble Strategic)\; Alejandr o Patterson (Principal\, Product & Strategy\, Treble Strategic)\n\nHoste d by Treble Strategic\n\nCapacity: 20\n\nRegister: https://events.humani tix.com/ready-to-scale-running-and-scaling-corporate-pilots\n\nSpark Fes tival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/ready-to-scale-running-and-sca ling-corporate-pilots CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:77719878d7749106@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T103000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T120000 SUMMARY:Where the Jobs Are: using labour market data to plan\, build or g row LOCATION:Online DESCRIPTION:An interactive online masterclass on the Jobs and Skills Atla s\, Australia's most comprehensive public source of labour market\, indu stry\, workforce and training data. How founders\, investors and innovat ors can use it to spot fast-growing industries and occupations\, read ta lent availability by region\, trace pathways into and out of an occupati on\, and test expansion\, investment and location decisions against real local conditions. Worked examples\, then questions.\n\nSpeakers: Liz Ja kubowski (Director\, Digital\, Jobs and Skills Australia)\n\nHosted by J obs and Skills Australia\n\nRegister: https://events.teams.microsoft.com /event/af644942-a09b-45ef-9ab5-e3261ca50672@dd0cfd15-4558-4b12-8bad-ea26 984fc417?source=copyLinkOneEventsShareDialog\n\nNote: exact times are no t yet published — check the programme page before you travel.\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/af644942-a09b-45ef -9ab5-e3261ca50672@dd0cfd15-4558-4b12-8bad-ea26984fc417?source=copyLinkO neEventsShareDialog CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:7be0916fbc4a62a5@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T110000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T140000 SUMMARY:Programs\, Resources and Funding support for deep tech and innova tion LOCATION:Sydney Knowledge Hub\, Room 277\, Merewether Building\, City Rd & Butlin Ave\, Darlington DESCRIPTION:A run through the funding\, programs and resources open to de ep tech researchers and founders\, with Investment NSW's Office of the C hief Scientist and Engineer\, Therapeutic Innovation Australia\, CSIRO O N\, Cicada Innovations\, Uniseed\, IP Group and the Advanced Manufacturi ng Readiness Facility. A catered lunch follows so people can talk to the speakers directly.\n\nHosted by University of Sydney — Sydney Knowled ge Hub\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/spark-festival-reverse- pitch-and-networking-event\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festi val URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/spark-festival-reverse-pitch-a nd-networking-event CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:34f518ca1a109f30@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T123000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T133000 SUMMARY:Employee claims in the age of AI: what founders need to know LOCATION:Stone & Chalk Tech Central\, Level 1\, 477 Pitt Street\, Haymark et DESCRIPTION:Redundancies and terminations are part and parcel of a high-g rowth startup as it evolves. But in 2026 founders across Australia have been hit with a barrage of AI-generated Fair Work claims and other emplo yment disputes\, often with no reasonable grounds. Two of Australia's le ading employment law practitioners on responding to those claims effecti vely and affordably\, and on the employment arrangements that protect a company before one arrives.\n\nSpeakers: Michael Gonski (Employment Part ner\, HSF Kramer)\; Dominic Woolrych (Co-founder and CEO\, LawPath)\n\nH osted by Spark Foundation with HSF Kramer\n\nCapacity: 60\n\nRegister: h ttps://events.humanitix.com/employee-claims-in-the-age-of-ai\n\nSpark Fe stival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/employee-claims-in-the-age-of- ai CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:bd00c3707dd6bed6@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T123000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T140000 SUMMARY:Speaking Under Pressure: How Founders and Leaders Communicate wit h Confidence When It Matters Most LOCATION:The Executive Centre Angel Place\, Level 17\, 123 Pitt Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:The moments that matter most are rarely the rehearsed ones. A practical session for founders and leaders on communicating with confid ence under pressure\, with lunch provided.\n\nSpeakers: Richie Widjaja\n \nHosted by The Executive Centre and Inveniax Group\n\nCapacity: up to 4 0\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/speaking-under-pressure-how- founders-and-leaders-communicate-with-confidence-when-it-matters-most\n\ nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/speaking-under-pressure-how-fo unders-and-leaders-communicate-with-confidence-when-it-matters-most CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ab774f93f95d99f7@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T160000 SUMMARY:Selling the Green Dream LOCATION:Greenhouse\, Level 3\, 180 George Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:Can climate-positive technology also make money? Founders and industry leaders discuss where the economic value actually sits\, openi ng with a keynote from Shane Keating of CounterCurrent and closing with questions and networking.\n\nHosted by UNSW Founders\n\nRegister: https: //www.eventbrite.com.au/e/selling-the-green-dream-tickets-1998699639425\ n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/selling-the-green-dream-tic kets-1998699639425 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:3a9dfcd7575eeb3d@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T160000 SUMMARY:The Startup Engine Workshop LOCATION:The Incubator\, 8 Hadenfeld Ave\, Macquarie Park DESCRIPTION:The Startup Engine Method is a practical framework for design ing\, testing and validating a business model before committing years to the wrong one. Work through revenue model design\, simulate the numbers with the FUEL model and map a path to product-market fit. Aimed at foun ders in their first or second year\, or anyone yet to confirm problem-so lution or product-market fit.\n\nSpeakers: A/Professor Todd Davey (Macqu arie University)\n\nHosted by Macquarie University Incubator\n\nRegister : https://events.humanitix.com/the-startup-engine-workshop\n\nSpark Fest ival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/the-startup-engine-workshop CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:12f231ebfdd36028@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T133000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T143000 SUMMARY:Accounting\, Tax and R&D for Startup Founders in Sydney LOCATION:Stone & Chalk Tech Central\, Level 1\, 477 Pitt Street\, Haymark et DESCRIPTION:Two Gild Group advisers on the unglamorous decisions that dec ide whether a startup survives contact with the tax system: five things on accounting and tax\, five on R&D\, and an open Q&A on whatever you ar e worried about.\n\nSpeakers: Catherine Turner (Client Manager\, Gild Bu siness Management)\; Alex Canning (Gild Group)\n\nHosted by Gild Group\n \nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/accounting-tax-and-r-and-d-for- startup-founders-in-sydney\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festi val URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/accounting-tax-and-r-and-d-for -startup-founders-in-sydney CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:35990430d295908e@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T133000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T153000 SUMMARY:AI and Human Behaviour LOCATION:321 Kent Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:How can an organisation increase AI adoption safely and effec tively? Dr Alex Gyani\, who runs the Behavioural Insights Team across th e Asia-Pacific\, on the behavioural traps that stall adoption - the pilo t that never scales\, shadow AI\, and the cognitive surrender that sets in when people stop questioning the output - and what to do about each. A small curated room\, run on a non-attribution basis: arrival from 1:30 \, session 2:00 to 3:00\, networking to 3:30.\n\nSpeakers: Dr Alex Gyani (Managing Director\, Asia-Pacific\, Behavioural Insights Team)\n\nHoste d by PeerWize with the Behavioural Insights Team\n\nRegister: https://lu ma.com/zb0wfk54\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/zb0wfk54 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:0d13e303523d58a9@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T143000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T150000 SUMMARY:UTS Startups Space Tour — Spark Festival Edition LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo — meet at Building 3\, Bon Marche\, Level 4\, 755 Harris Street DESCRIPTION:A half-hour guided tour of one of Australia's largest univers ity-affiliated startup communities. See the space\, hear how UTS Startup s supports founders at different stages\, and meet people from the commu nity. Open to founders\, aspiring entrepreneurs\, students\, investors a nd ecosystem partners. Meet at UTS Building 3\, Bon Marche\, Level 4.\n\ nHosted by UTS Startups\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/utss-6wgk\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/utss-6wgk CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:b9e98123ba2ee5ba@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T143000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T163000 SUMMARY:The Great Database Clean-Up: a party for people who hate admin LOCATION:Poly Centre\, Level 4\, 210 George Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:A working session on turning a pile of contacts into a relati onship system you can actually use: who to prioritise\, what good networ king practice looks like\, and which platform to keep it in as you grow. Exercises rather than a lecture.\n\nSpeakers: Jonathan Lee\n\nHosted by Utopia Rising\n\nCapacity: 15–20\n\nRegister: https://events.humaniti x.com/the-great-database-clean-up-a-party-for-people-who-hate-admin\n\nS park Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/the-great-database-clean-up-a- party-for-people-who-hate-admin CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:9aa5ac4be6e8dff7@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T163000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T180000 SUMMARY:Pledge 1% Meetup — activating for impact: how founders do the d o LOCATION:Canva Space\, 110 Kippax Street\, Surry Hills DESCRIPTION:For companies that want to build social responsibility in fro m the start rather than bolt it on later. Meet the new Australian Pledge 1% team\, work through the different pledge categories\, and meet other s doing the same thing.\n\nSpeakers: Antonia Ruffell (Managing Director\ , Australia\, Pledge 1%)\, Joni Fleischer (Co-founder\, tekFoundation)\, Nick Shepherd (Founder and Managing Director\, tekFinder)\n\nHosted by Pledge 1%\n\nRegister: https://pledge1sparkfestival.splashthat.com\n\nSp ark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://pledge1sparkfestival.splashthat.com CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:2c310e23221d4a01@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T170000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T190000 SUMMARY:Spark — AI: After Hours LOCATION:Michael Crouch Innovation Centre\, Gate Two Avenue\, Kensington DESCRIPTION:An open build hour followed by a focused AI hour and networki ng\, at the Michael Crouch Innovation Centre. Come to work on something\ , find a mentor\, or argue about what AI is doing to the rest of us.\n\n Hosted by UNSW Founders\n\nRegister: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/spa rk-ai-after-hours-tickets-1998399589969\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark .org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/spark-ai-after-hours-ticket s-1998399589969 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:9f2761c24c89953b@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T190000 SUMMARY:Spark Festival Tackles Housing Affordability LOCATION:UTS Startups\, corner of Harris St and Broadway DESCRIPTION:Housing policy has a tech problem. Is the sector that could f ix it paying for it?\n\nEveryone agrees on housing. Build more\, build f aster — you’d struggle to find a politician or an industry body who ’d say otherwise.\n\nMeanwhile\, the search for answers on affordabili ty has reached into capital gains treatment\, and much of that has lande d on the tech sector — the same sector we keep saying will help solve the problem.\n\nCan startups deliver on the promise – and is the new C GT regime cutting off our nose to spite our face?\n\nThree people join u s who see this from different ends: the policy\, the capital\, and the c onstruction. We’ll put to them the tough questions – from political attitudes to investor appetite – and whether affordable housing in Aus tralia is a realistic goal.\n\nSpeakers: Kristy McSweeney (The PR Counse l\, political commentator on ABC and Sky)\; Chen Rosen (Co-Founder and M anaging Partner\, Reality PropTech Fund)\; Andy Rampton (Field COO\, Int ernational\, Procore)\; Harry Godber (CEO\, Spark Foundation) moderating \n\nHosted by Spark Foundation\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com /spark-festival-tackles-housing-affordability\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/spark-festival-tackles-housing -affordability CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:2df4f3f8170abf4a@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T140000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260922T150000 SUMMARY:Your Brand in the Age of AI LOCATION:Online DESCRIPTION:A free webinar on what AI changes about brand: where it helps \, where it flattens everything into the same voice\, and what a small c ompany should hold on to while the tools keep moving.\n\nSpeakers: Mac N guyen (Marketing Specialist\, Spark Interact)\n\nHosted by Spark Interac t\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/your-brand-in-the-age-of-ai\ n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/your-brand-in-the-age-of-ai CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:d79a7d692a64875f@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260923 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260924 SUMMARY:Spark Startup Growth Lab — day one LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Two days of practical problem-solving for people building and growing startups. Every session starts with a specific problem\, then b rings in someone who has actually solved it to show how: the systems\, t he decisions\, the numbers\, the mistakes and what they would do differe ntly. Sessions run across finding your first customers\, scaling GTM\, c ommunity-led growth\, making AI products usable\, AI video\, cloud costs \, raising capital\, R&D and grants\, SEO and AI search\, scaling teams\ , and building a personal brand that creates real business value. Regist er here for the whole stream\, or take individual sessions - each one is listed separately below with its own registration.\n\nHosted by Geoff M ain\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/sparkstartupgrowthlab\n\nNote: exact t imes are not yet published — check the programme page before you trave l.\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/sparkstartupgrowthlab CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:54dc03762b3bc737@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T080000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T093000 SUMMARY:AI Sovereignty — Parliamentary Friends LOCATION:Parliament House\, 6 Macquarie Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:At NSW Parliament\, Decidr partners with Spark Festival to br ing together political and industry leaders for a breakfast conversation on sovereign AI capability. Hear from David Brudenell (Decidr) in discu ssion with the Hon. Jacqui Munro MLC\, Shadow Minister for Science and T echnology and Jason Yat-Sen Li MP\, Member for Strathfield\, Co-Chairs o f the Parliamentary Friends of Innovation\, Ventures\, Entrepreneurs and Technology (INVENT). Then Spark’s Kristy McSweeney will host an indus try panel featuring voices from CareerOne and SCX – unpacking what sov ereign AI means in practice.\n\nHosted by Decidr with Spark Festival\n\n Register: https://events.humanitix.com/spark-decidr-parliament\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/spark-decidr-parliament CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:7ff30043ecba47a9@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T090000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T095000 SUMMARY:Conversion.Live: Workshop and Fix Your Funnel LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Bring the funnel that is not working. Before the session you diagnose where you think the problem is and submit the block you are fac ing\; in the room Brendan Lee works through selected real funnels live\, showing where confidence is breaking\, what the evidence suggests\, and what he would change first. Most founders assume a growth problem means they need more leads. Often the real constraint is further down the fun nel.\n\nSpeakers: Brendan Lee (Conversions.today)\n\nHosted by Spark Sta rtup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/ac93gl5w\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/ac93gl5w CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:792d48013f460fec@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T090000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T095000 SUMMARY:Building an AI Content Engine That Actually Works LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Where AI video is really up to. Jerrod Lew works at the cutti ng edge of AI video with Adobe\, Google and some of the world's leading AI creative platforms\, and demonstrates what the tools can and cannot d o now: the workflows\, the current limits\, and the applications that ar e realistic for a startup rather than a studio.\n\nSpeakers: Jerrod Lew (AI video consultant to Adobe and Google)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Gro wth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/f0ltcpjj\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/f0ltcpjj CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:351d9b82e6e9918d@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T101500 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T110500 SUMMARY:Behind the Scenes of Building a Personal Brand People Actually Ca re About LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:We have reached peak founder content\, and most of it is forg ettable. Jemma McKenzie works directly under Jane Lu growing her persona l brand\, The Lazy CEO\, and unpacks what it actually takes to turn a pe rsonal brand into a profitable engine - not content hacks\, but the real decisions behind it.\n\nSpeakers: Jemma McKenzie\n\nHosted by Spark Sta rtup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/zfpc1zmv\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/zfpc1zmv CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:11f1fa4782a8e513@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T101500 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T110500 SUMMARY:Build Your Marketing Brain: One System for Positioning\, Competit ive Intel and Content LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Most marketers use AI like a smart intern - prompt it\, paste in the context\, fix the draft\, then start from zero tomorrow. Will Mu lholland demonstrates the alternative live: a marketing system that hold s your positioning\, customer language and competitive context so the wo rk compounds instead of resetting each time. Live demonstration against real examples from the room\, and a blueprint you could stand up inside a week.\n\nSpeakers: Will Mulholland (Product Marketer\, beehiiv\; Found er\, Intelligent Growth)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegist er: https://luma.com/n0xkvm65\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/fe stival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/n0xkvm65 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:bc2ba61c12926f38@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T103000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T120000 SUMMARY:Dyslexia Networking Coffee LOCATION:Little Duck\, Lobby\, 347 Kent Street\, Sydney CBD DESCRIPTION:An informal coffee for dyslexic people in the innovation econ omy and the people who back them\, to meet each other and build connecti ons across neurotypes. Pay as you go.\n\nHosted by Always Carbon\n\nCapa city: up to 40\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/5uq6hyge\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/5uq6hyge CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:de53a1e0571bdeb0@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T113000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T122000 SUMMARY:How Relevance AI Built Customer Support to Scale LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:What it actually takes to build customer support for scale. A lex Waite goes behind the scenes on the AI-plus-human support system she built at Relevance AI: the workflows\, the agents\, the before-and-afte r changes\, the metrics\, and where AI helps against where human judgeme nt is still needed.\n\nSpeakers: Alex Waite (Relevance AI)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/ah9x59wi\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/ah9x59wi CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:d9fc32ac84de513e@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T113000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T122000 SUMMARY:Be the Answer in AI: What's Actually Working Now? LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Google search\, AI answers and tools like ChatGPT are startin g to overlap\, and the rules for getting found are changing with them. C elia Harding uses fresh evidence\, side-by-side examples and new researc h published during festival week to separate what is genuinely changing from what still matters\, and where a small team should put its effort f irst.\n\nSpeakers: Celia Harding\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n \nRegister: https://luma.com/0ezjptew\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.o rg.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/0ezjptew CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:65b7fa4dad938c92@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T120000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T130000 SUMMARY:MQ Incubator Lunch & Learn: The Psychology of Entrepreneurial Cou rage LOCATION:The Incubator\, 8 Hadenfeld Avenue\, Macquarie Park (and online) DESCRIPTION:Fear and self-doubt are a normal part of building something n ew. Drawing on psychology and neuroscience\, this session looks at how a voidance reinforces fear while small\, deliberate action builds self-eff icacy: confidence usually comes after action\, not before it. Bring your own lunch. Attend in person or online.\n\nSpeakers: James Linton (Incub ator Manager\, Macquarie University Incubator)\n\nHosted by Macquarie Un iversity Incubator\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/the-psychol ogy-of-entrepreneurial-courage\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/f estival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/the-psychology-of-entrepreneur ial-courage CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:786ca47720288a1e@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T120000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T130000 SUMMARY:But why? Having a clear strategy for a clear ask for the right ca pital LOCATION:Tank Stream Labs\, Level 17\, 300 Barangaroo Avenue\, Barangaroo (board room 17.08) DESCRIPTION:Founders ask for capital before they can say what it is for. Anthony Passe-de Silva works through how a business strategy is actually built\, how it feeds into short\, medium and long-term planning\, and w here financial capital sits as one input among several rather than the a nswer itself - so you know which kind of capital you need and when to as k for it. Hybrid: attend in the room or online.\n\nSpeakers: Anthony Pas se-de Silva GAICD (Founder and CEO\, One2Solutions Group)\n\nHosted by T ank Stream Labs\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/but-why\n\nSpa rk Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/but-why CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:08cc9ab5d52d0fe0@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T140000 SUMMARY:Unpacking the Federal Budget: what it practically means for start ups and scaleups LOCATION:William Buck\, Level 29\, 66 Goulburn Street DESCRIPTION:What the federal budget means in practice for startups and sc aleups\, from the people who read it line by line.\n\nSpeakers: Alex Zin zopoulos (Partner)\, Ramsey Aoude (Manager)\n\nHosted by William Buck\n\ nRegister: https://assets1-oce.mkt.dynamics.com/352ee5a9-4afa-ef11-b015- 0022489322c4/digitalassets/standaloneforms/3b747b24-82a6-f111-aaab-7c1e5 22b38eb?readableEventId=William_Buck_Unpacking_the_Federal_Budget2621586 055\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://assets1-oce.mkt.dynamics.com/352ee5a9-4afa-ef11-b01 5-0022489322c4/digitalassets/standaloneforms/3b747b24-82a6-f111-aaab-7c1 e522b38eb?readableEventId=William_Buck_Unpacking_the_Federal_Budget26215 86055 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:8991054e135b8f9f@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T133000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T142000 SUMMARY:Personal Branding: Be the Signal\, Not the Noise LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:AI agents increasingly decide who gets seen before a human ev er does\, but the rooms\, referrals and relationships that move opportun ities still run on people remembering people. Vinisha Rathod on working out what you want to be known for\, saying it clearly\, and showing up c onsistently without adopting a persona the market invented for you.\n\nS peakers: Vinisha Rathod (Managing Director and Founder\, p3 Studio)\n\nH osted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/cafrtejh \n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/cafrtejh CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:81c89905b8a59176@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T140000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T160000 SUMMARY:R&D Tax Incentive: A Founder's Guide LOCATION:Tank Stream Labs\, Level 17 (Room 17.08)\, International Tower 3 \, 300 Barangaroo Avenue\, Barangaroo DESCRIPTION:How the R&D Tax Incentive actually works\, and how to tell ge nuine technical uncertainty from routine product development - the disti nction the whole claim turns on. Hamish Sinclair runs the R&D Tax Incent ive program at Prime Partners and works across the full life of a claim\ , from the first eligibility conversation through to documentation and l odgement. Expect real startup examples\, the financial and technical pit falls that catch people out\, and what you need to be recording as you b uild. For founders\, CFOs\, tax managers and innovation teams.\n\nSpeake rs: Hamish Sinclair (R&D Tax Manager\, Prime Partners)\n\nHosted by Prim e Partners Chartered Accountants\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.c om/r-and-d-tax-incentive-a-founders-guide\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spa rk.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/r-and-d-tax-incentive-a-founde rs-guide CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:83bb9a6cc05101fe@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T144500 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T153500 SUMMARY:Where Is Your B2B Sales Growth Actually Stuck? LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:The answer is not always more leads. Sometimes the constraint is the sales process\, the conversion step\, or the fact that founder-l ed selling has stopped scaling. Tammie Lee opens with a self-assessment across lead generation\, sales process\, conversion and moving beyond fo under-led sales\, then works through what a low score in each area usual ly means and what to do about it. Everyone leaves with a diagnosis and t wo or three priority actions rather than a list of everything that could be improved.\n\nSpeakers: Tammie Lee (Principal and Sales Partner\, Fou nder Sales Solution)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/1grhlt55\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festiv al URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/1grhlt55 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:3c6d3c359bc953e1@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T144500 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T153500 SUMMARY:Clean Exit: How to Leave\, Sell or Step Back From Your Startup Wi thout the Baggage LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Could your startup survive the scrutiny of a buyer\, an inves tor\, an incoming partner or a co-founder separation? A commercial lawye r and an accountant work through a fictional startup going into due dili gence and the problems that surface there: gaps in the shareholder agree ment\, IP sitting in the wrong entity\, undocumented loans\, unsigned ag reements and unresolved founder conflict. Attendees leave with a one-pag e exit-readiness check they can run over their own company.\n\nSpeakers: Mark Lazarus (Founder and Director\, Lazarus Legal)\; Zander De Klerk ( Xeta Accounting)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: http s://luma.com/npnx0n5j\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/npnx0n5j CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:729b623e6b7742b1@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T150000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T160000 SUMMARY:Raising Capital in 2026: What HNW Investors and Family Offices Ar e Looking For LOCATION:Stone & Chalk Tech Central\, Level 1\, 477 Pitt Street DESCRIPTION:Why do some raises gain momentum within weeks\, while others go quiet for months? This session unpacks what's shifted in how capital is being allocated this year\, the factors that build investor confidenc e\, and a framework you can apply directly to your own raise.\n\nSpeaker s: Steve Torso (Managing Director\, Wholesale Investor)\n\nHosted by Who lesale Investor\n\nCapacity: 60\n\nRegister: https://www.eventbrite.com. au/e/raising-capital-in-2026-what-hnw-investors-family-offices-are-looki ng-fo-tickets-1999003593560?aff=Spark\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.o rg.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/raising-capital-in-2026-wha t-hnw-investors-family-offices-are-looking-fo-tickets-1999003593560?aff= Spark CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ccb00997eb45cb67@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T153000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T170000 SUMMARY:Beyond the Raise LOCATION:Tank Stream Suites\, 52 Martin Place\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:Three lenders and three different kinds of capital\, on what each one is actually for. Beyond venture capital: which options suit whi ch businesses\, where they sit in a company's growth\, how you get acces s and what you need to qualify — so the capital stack is built deliber ately rather than by default.\n\nSpeakers: Mat Hansen (Kashcade)\; Kylie Little (Lighter Capital)\; Westpac Startup Loans team\n\nHosted by The Founders Union and Tech Ready Women\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/b6grtp 7h\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/b6grtp7h CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:9bf72f82557c010e@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T153000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T174500 SUMMARY:Just Raised. Now What? — What I Wish I Knew LIVE LOCATION:Song Kitchen\, Song Hotel\, 5 Wentworth Avenue\, Surry Hills DESCRIPTION:What actually happens in the six months after the money lands — the part nobody puts in the announcement post. Daniel Lord-Doyle ta lks through Mary Technology’s A$7m raise and everything that came afte r it\; Oliver Darwin of OIF Ventures takes the same questions from the i nvestor’s chair. Forty-five minutes each\, then both of them on for au dience questions. Recorded live\, light refreshments from 3:30pm.\n\nSpe akers: Luke Rix (Founder\, KC Ventures) hosting\, with Daniel Lord-Doyle (Co-founder\, Mary Technology) and Oliver Darwin (OIF Ventures)\n\nHost ed by KC Ventures\n\nCapacity: 40 (capped)\n\nRegister: https://events.h umanitix.com/just-raised-now-what\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.a u/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/just-raised-now-what CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:f56e618d7ed0abf0@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T160000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T180000 SUMMARY:Build Sprint One LOCATION:Online DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Gavin Heaton\n\nHosted by ACU Co-Lab\n\nRegister: h ttps://www.acu.edu.au/locations/co-lab/our-programs/building-your-startu p-with-ai-tools\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.acu.edu.au/locations/co-lab/our-programs/buildi ng-your-startup-with-ai-tools CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:4a40009439d4423b@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T160000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T165000 SUMMARY:Can I Afford to Grow? Bring Your Biggest Financial Question LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:What is the financial question you are hoping nobody asks you ? Bring a real decision to experienced CFOs Wayne Wanders\, Michelle Kve llo and Amit Shah\, and work through the numbers and assumptions that ma tter to leave with practical next steps.\n\nSpeakers: Wayne Wanders\; Mi chelle Kvello\; Amit Shah\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegis ter: https://luma.com/dik90gmm\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/f estival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/dik90gmm CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:d4c7e36009fbba3b@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T160000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T165000 SUMMARY:How to Create Realistic AI Video — Practical Session LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:The practical companion to the morning session. Jerrod Lew ta kes one finished piece - his GenAI short film Clueless in Love - and unp acks how it was actually made\, from idea and storyboard through image g eneration and video generation to the decisions that keep a finished wor k coherent.\n\nSpeakers: Jerrod Lew (AI video consultant to Adobe and Go ogle)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.co m/b3hz6y2p\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/b3hz6y2p CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:52017f9fe2c65f3f@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T170000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T193000 SUMMARY:Deep Tech Mixer LOCATION:Cicada Innovations DESCRIPTION:An evening for deep tech researchers\, founders and the peopl e who fund them\, hosted by CSIRO and Cicada Innovations.\n\nHosted by C SIRO and Cicada Innovations\n\nRegister: https://comms.innovation.csiro. au/pub/pubType/EO/pubID/zzzz6a90ce598b768658/interface.html\n\nSpark Fes tival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://comms.innovation.csiro.au/pub/pubType/EO/pubID/zzzz 6a90ce598b768658/interface.html CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:df471083231623d8@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T170000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T193000 SUMMARY:Built Different: Diversity in the Startup Ecosystem LOCATION:Michael Crouch Innovation Centre\, Gate Two Avenue\, Kensington DESCRIPTION:A panel and networking evening on how identity\, culture\, li ved experience and representation shape what people build. Part of the U NSW Diversity Festival\, bringing together founders\, investors and stud ent entrepreneurs.\n\nHosted by UNSW Founders\n\nRegister: https://www.e ventbrite.com.au/e/built-different-diversity-in-the-startup-ecosystem-ti ckets-1994914461857\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/built-different-diversity-i n-the-startup-ecosystem-tickets-1994914461857 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:bda4f5b5336b7e90@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T173000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T203000 SUMMARY:Bio & RNA Networking Drinks and Nibbles LOCATION:Bar 1880\, 10 Bulletin Place\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:An evening of casual drinks\, nibbles and networking with Syd ney's bio and RNA community — researchers\, founders\, investors and a nyone interested in bio and RNA innovation. Spaces are limited\, so RSVP .\n\nHosted by RNA Australia\, BioNSW and Macquarie University DeepTech Incubator\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/bio-and-rna-networki ng-drinks-and-nibbles-or-spark-festival\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark .org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/bio-and-rna-networking-drinks- and-nibbles-or-spark-festival CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:bf0722c04c790895@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T173000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T190000 SUMMARY:Town Hall — Agentic AI Transformation in Government LOCATION:BCG Sydney DESCRIPTION:Governments everywhere are grappling with how agentic AI will reshape policy\, service delivery and the machinery of the public secto r itself. This Town Hall brings together global leaders from government\ , strategy consulting and critical infrastructure to explore what that t ransformation looks like in practice\, and what it takes to deliver it.\ n\nSpeakers: Hon. Victor Dominello (CEO\, Future Government Institute)\, Miguel Carrasco (Managing Director and Senior Partner\, BCG and BCG-X)\ , Brad Eliot (former CTO\, IMI Media). Opened by Murray Hurps\, closed b y Christina Slade\, fireside chat with Spark Festival's Maria MacNamara and Harry Godber\n\nHosted by Portal Global / BCG / Royal Society NSW / UTS Startups\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/agentic-ai-transf ormation-in-government\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/agentic-ai-transformation-in-g overnment CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:64db07cd92ca8876@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T173000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T204500 SUMMARY:Find Your Co-Founder or New Hire LOCATION:Western Sydney Startup Hub\, 5 Fleet Street\, North Parramatta DESCRIPTION:An evening of networking\, founder connections and talent mat chmaking for founders\, startup teams and anyone looking for a co-founde r or a role in a high-growth venture. Networking and refreshments from 5 :30pm\, a founder panel at 6:00pm\, sixty-second elevator pitches from 6 :45pm\, then more networking and canapes.\n\nSpeakers: Api Yuganathan (C o-Founder\, HealthcareLink)\; Georgina Schepis (Co-Founder and Business & Operations Manager\, Handle Branding)\n\nHosted by Western Sydney Star tup Hub\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-find-your-co-f ounder-or-new-hire-ai-edition\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/fe stival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-find-your-co-founder-o r-new-hire-ai-edition CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:956d7708981b545f@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T173000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T203000 SUMMARY:Brookvale Pitch Club at Dad & Dave's Brewing LOCATION:Dad & Dave's Brewing\, 45 Mitchell Road\, Brookvale DESCRIPTION:A casual platform for entrepreneurs\, startups and business e nthusiasts to share ideas\, collaborate and support each other - this ed ition with an ed-tech theme. Founders\, mentors\, investors and anyone c urious about the startup ecosystem are welcome. Anyone can pitch an idea on the night and compete for audience votes and prizes. Some ticket tie rs include a welcome drink and a burger.\n\nSpeakers: Margaret Mai (Pitc h Judge)\; David Kenney (Pitch Judge)\; Shahe Momdjian (Pitch Judge)\; C hris Clark (Host)\n\nHosted by The Pitch Club\n\nRegister: https://event s.humanitix.com/brookvale-pitch-club-at-dad-and-dave-s-brewing\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/brookvale-pitch-club-at-dad-an d-dave-s-brewing CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:7302be21ca4972e1@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260923T193000 SUMMARY:This Is Not a Tech Talk! LOCATION:Substation no.13\, 63 Little Mount Street\, Pyrmont DESCRIPTION:A hands-on AI workshop for non-tech founders and small busine ss owners. How to use AI\, automation and no-code tools without a tech t eam or any coding\, what AI can genuinely do for a small business\, wher e human judgement still matters\, and what to test before investing in a new automation\, app or system.\n\nSpeakers: Valeria Oliveira (Founder\ , Validate Launch Scale)\, Simone Oro (Founder\, Oro Fashion House)\n\nH osted by Validate Launch Scale\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/c4zz8l28\n\ nNote: exact times are not yet published — check the programme page be fore you travel.\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/c4zz8l28 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:fa28245ad0648a50@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260924 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260925 SUMMARY:Spark Startup Growth Lab — day two LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Two days of practical problem-solving for people building and growing startups. Every session starts with a specific problem\, then b rings in someone who has actually solved it to show how: the systems\, t he decisions\, the numbers\, the mistakes and what they would do differe ntly. Sessions run across finding your first customers\, scaling GTM\, c ommunity-led growth\, making AI products usable\, AI video\, cloud costs \, raising capital\, R&D and grants\, SEO and AI search\, scaling teams\ , and building a personal brand that creates real business value. Regist er here for the whole stream\, or take individual sessions - each one is listed separately below with its own registration.\n\nHosted by Geoff M ain\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/sparkstartupgrowthlab\n\nNote: exact t imes are not yet published — check the programme page before you trave l.\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/sparkstartupgrowthlab CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:16148a4a2e5d82b3@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T090000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T113000 SUMMARY:Brew & Build Sydney: Your Cap Table\, Plugged In LOCATION:Stone & Chalk\, Haymarket DESCRIPTION:A workshop for early-stage founders on managing equity: setti ng up a cap table in Carta Launch\, querying ownership structures with a n AI plugin\, and modelling fundraising scenarios. A Carta expert covers the fundamentals of early-stage fundraising live on stage\, followed by an investor keynote on what founders actually need before a raise\, the n brunch and open Q&A.\n\nHosted by Carta with Stone & Chalk\n\nRegister : https://luma.com/iwywam16\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/fest ival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/iwywam16 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:06352bd3128ddc01@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T090000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T095000 SUMMARY:R&D Tax: How Startups Actually Get More Value From It LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Most startups focus on whether their R&D claim is eligible. T he bigger opportunity is what separates an average claim from a strong o ne\, and that usually comes down to how the company behaves through the year rather than what it reconstructs at lodgement. Alex Knight on the b ehaviours\, records and decisions behind a stronger\, more defensible cl aim.\n\nSpeakers: Alex Knight (Founder and CEO\, Advanced)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/mgm6rh8u\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/mgm6rh8u CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:cbf15322e669764c@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T101500 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T110500 SUMMARY:Stop Chasing Every Grant: Find the Ones Worth Winning LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:There are plenty of grants\, government programmes and tender s out there. The hard part is knowing which are worth your time. Brian L im on how to find the right opportunities\, judge whether they genuinely fit\, and avoid losing weeks to applications you were never likely to w in.\n\nSpeakers: Brian Lim\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegi ster: https://luma.com/ut48qf9q\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/ festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/ut48qf9q CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:0b1d62e97e72ef47@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T101500 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T110500 SUMMARY:Scaling Everlab: The Decisions That Mattered LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Everlab is a rare Australian startup story you can learn from while the scaling is still happening. Govinda Pathak unpacks the decisi ons\, rebuilds and trade-offs behind taking it from Seed towards Series A at home and overseas: what had to change\, what they would do differen tly\, and what founders with traction can take from it.\n\nSpeakers: Gov inda Pathak (Head of Growth\, Everlab)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/rugpvlfk\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — s park.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/rugpvlfk CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:082bfbf1e2e9a62a@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T103000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T150000 SUMMARY:Spark Illawarra day LOCATION:iAccelerate\, University of Wollongong DESCRIPTION:A full day of Illawarra sessions at iAccelerate on the Univer sity of Wollongong campus\, for founders outside the Sydney CBD orbit.\n \nSpeakers: Tania Jones (Green Gravity)\; Paul Pirie (Elementri)\n\nHost ed by Scycle AI\n\nCapacity: 60\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/uwsymdk6\n \nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/uwsymdk6 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:5578c0e9bff4fb64@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T110000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T120000 SUMMARY:Your Customer is the Strategy LOCATION:Cubes & Co\, Origin Room\, Level 12\, 347 Kent Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:An hour of working on your own business rather than listening to someone else's. Who are you actually building for\, why does the pro blem matter to them\, why you over the alternatives\, and which moments in the experience decide whether they stay. You leave with a clearer vie w of your priority customer and one thing to do about it next week. No c ustomer-experience background needed.\n\nHosted by Exec Edge\n\nRegister : https://events.humanitix.com/execedge-your-customer-is-the-strategy\n\ nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/execedge-your-customer-is-the- strategy CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:2fc88bfdc6f76787@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T113000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T122000 SUMMARY:What Relevance AI Is Actually Doing to Win Enterprise Growth LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:How you win enterprise growth inside a fast-moving AI company . Chelsea Wise goes behind the scenes on three things Relevance AI is do ing right now - Relevance Academy\, analyst relations and market intelli gence - why each was chosen\, how it was executed\, and what changed bec ause of it.\n\nSpeakers: Chelsea Wise (Head of Enterprise Enablement and Education\, Relevance AI)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegi ster: https://luma.com/0whcw20g\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/ festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/0whcw20g CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:838fb5fc205d93dd@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T113000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T122000 SUMMARY:Cut Your Cloud Bill Without Breaking What Works LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Your cloud bill can grow faster than your business. In fifty minutes three operators show three different ways to bring it back under control: optimise the technology\, improve the commercial deal\, or ret hink the infrastructure altogether - with the trade-offs of each and a w ay to decide between them.\n\nSpeakers: Mark Zmarzly (Head of Startups a nd VC Partnerships\, Morfless)\; Sarah Caveley (Founder\, PurePlay Cloud )\; Ben Duncan\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https: //luma.com/hof4dskb\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/hof4dskb CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:70852731886d9f49@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T123000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T133000 SUMMARY:Life Beyond Work: Misnomers\, Paradoxes and the Disconnect LOCATION:Online DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Sam Wright\n\nHosted by ACU Co-Lab\n\nRegister: htt ps://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/lunch-and-learn-life-beyond-work-misnomers- paradoxes-and-the-disconnect-tickets-1999446321772\n\nSpark Festival 202 6 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/lunch-and-learn-life-beyond -work-misnomers-paradoxes-and-the-disconnect-tickets-1999446321772 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:45ea45c6c10c1ea3@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T123000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T130000 SUMMARY:R&D Funding: A Founder's Guide to the 2028 Reforms and Optimising R&D Spend LOCATION:Online DESCRIPTION:What the 2028 R&D reforms change for founders\, and how to ge t more out of R&D spend in the meantime. Online\, and short enough to fi t in a lunch break.\n\nSpeakers: Jack Dean (R&D Tax Manager\, Fullstack) \; Josh Sanders (Head of Customer\, Kashcade)\n\nHosted by Fullstack Adv isory with Kashcade\n\nRegister: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/rd-fund ing-a-founders-guide-to-the-2028-reforms-optimising-rd-spend-tickets-199 9195316007\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/rd-funding-a-founders-guide -to-the-2028-reforms-optimising-rd-spend-tickets-1999195316007 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:5295815ca2c4ae19@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T123000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T130000 SUMMARY:UTS Startups Space Tour — Spark Festival Edition LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo — meet at Building 3\, Bon Marche\, Level 4\, 755 Harris Street DESCRIPTION:A half-hour guided tour of one of Australia's largest univers ity-affiliated startup communities. See the space\, hear how UTS Startup s supports founders at different stages\, and meet people from the commu nity. Open to founders\, aspiring entrepreneurs\, students\, investors a nd ecosystem partners. Meet at UTS Building 3\, Bon Marche\, Level 4.\n\ nHosted by UTS Startups\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/scoc2sjm\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/scoc2sjm CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:5d77c479dce22d39@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T123000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T133000 SUMMARY:Don't Let Your Customers Be Your Test Team LOCATION:Cubes & Co\, Origin Room\, Level 12\, 347 Kent Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:For founders about to put a digital product in front of real people. Which customer journeys cannot fail\, how to find the risks befo re your customers do\, and why functionality alone is not the test — u sability\, performance\, accessibility and trust all decide whether a la unch holds. Practical and business-focused rather than technical\, and y ou leave with a Launch Ready Checklist.\n\nHosted by Exec Edge and TTC G lobal\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/don-t-let-your-customers -be-the-test-team\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/don-t-let-your-customers-be-th e-test-team CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ae371fc2017d1247@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T140000 SUMMARY:Is your startup missing out on impact capital? LOCATION:Yirranma Place\, 262 Liverpool Street\, Darlinghurst DESCRIPTION:Impact capital is a real pool of money that many founders nev er think to ask for. Sefa Partnerships on who it is for and how to appro ach it.\n\nSpeakers: Alice Brennan\n\nHosted by SEFA Partnerships\n\nCap acity: 20 in person\, uncapped online\n\nRegister: https://events.humani tix.com/is-your-startup-missing-out-on-impact-capital\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/is-your-startup-missing-out-on -impact-capital CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:b081c4693ed06928@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T140000 SUMMARY:Focus and Cognitive Flexibility: staying sharp in a distracted wo rld LOCATION:Tank Stream Labs\, Level 3\, 333 Kent Street\, Sydney (board roo m 3.01) DESCRIPTION:An interactive workshop on staying focused and adaptable when attention is constantly pulled in different directions. Neuroscientist Dr Cam Higgins unpacks what happens in the brain when we switch between tasks and demands\, and high-performance coach Veronica Mason turns that into practical exercises you can use straight away.\n\nSpeakers: Dr Cam Higgins and Veronica Mason (Co-Founders\, Onyx Neuro)\n\nHosted by VRM Performance Coaching\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/focus-and -cognitive-flexibility\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/focus-and-cognitive-flexibilit y CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:9826081b0d43accf@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T133000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T142000 SUMMARY:Is Media Relations Startups' Most Underrated Growth and Trust Lev er? LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Simon Thomsen\, editor of Startup Daily\, interviews PR tech founder Marie Dowling on the good\, the bad and the freaking stupid thin gs founders do with their PR - and what actually helps a startup earn at tention and trust.\n\nSpeakers: Simon Thomsen (Editor\, Startup Daily)\; Marie Dowling\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https: //luma.com/yju97iea\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/yju97iea CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:5310cad6eab44638@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T133000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T153000 SUMMARY:Founder Stories: Lessons from Building and Scaling Startups LOCATION:Tech Central Innovation Hub\, Level 1\, 477 Pitt Street DESCRIPTION:A Lunch and Learn on the realities of building and scaling a startup. A moderated panel of founders on the challenges and setbacks\, the decisions that mattered\, winning customers\, and what they would te ll someone at the start. Light lunch on arrival.\n\nHosted by Investment NSW\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/founder-stories-lessons-f rom-building-and-scaling-startups\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.a u/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/founder-stories-lessons-from-b uilding-and-scaling-startups CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:0b8fe30f0e796c3e@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T133000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T142000 SUMMARY:See How AI Sees Your Brand — and Fix It Live LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:What do ChatGPT\, Gemini and the rest actually think your bus iness is known for\, and who do they recommend instead? A hands-on sessi on: founders run BrandViz on their own business to see how they are posi tioned and who they are really competing with\, and leave with their nex t three to five brand actions identified.\n\nSpeakers: Rushana Maksudova (Co-founder and CEO\, BrandViz.AI)\; David Andersen (Co-founder\, Brand Viz.AI)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma. com/fogn4nyr\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/fogn4nyr CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:96e7cfe9d75f93fc@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T140000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T144500 SUMMARY:R&D Tax Incentive: The New Rules of the Game LOCATION:Clarence Workspaces for Lawyers\, Level 21\, 133 Castlereagh Str eet\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:The R&D Tax Incentive can be a critical source of funding for Australian startups and innovative businesses. This session covers how the incentive works\, who is eligible\, and what the recent budget annou ncements change. It goes past filling in a claim to the practices that m ake one defensible: contemporaneous record-keeping\, the documentation t hat substantiates a claim\, and the habits that reduce audit risk.\n\nHo sted by Azure Group\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/r-and-d-ta x-incentive-the-new-rules-of-the-game\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.o rg.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/r-and-d-tax-incentive-the-new- rules-of-the-game CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:eef5bbe62c6327f5@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T144500 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T153500 SUMMARY:Build Something Useful With AI — Live LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Bring a real problem. Michael Batko picks a couple of challen ges from the room and builds the solution live - a website\, an AI agent \, a workflow - showing the thinking\, the tools and the decisions as th e work comes together. The value is as much in watching the approach as in the finished build.\n\nSpeakers: Michael Batko (CEO\, Hourglass AI)\n \nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/6ll2q t4j\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/6ll2qt4j CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:281614b6d49f3d43@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T150000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T170000 SUMMARY:Tech Central Walking Tour LOCATION:Tech Central — meet at UTS Tower concierge DESCRIPTION:A guided walk through Tech Central\, Australia's largest inno vation precinct\, taking in the landmarks and facilities and what is bei ng built there next.\n\nHosted by UTS\n\nRegister: https://events.humani tix.com/tech-central-walking-tours/tickets\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — sp ark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/tech-central-walking-tours/tic kets CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:173b07551aced8cb@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T160000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T165000 SUMMARY:Building With AI: What Changes at Every Stage LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:Martin Medina built Solotude as the only technical person on the team\, using AI-assisted development. He shows how he actually works \, where he lets agents run\, where he reviews every line\, and how much to trust AI changes as a product moves from prototype to something peop le rely on daily.\n\nSpeakers: Martin Medina (Solotude)\n\nHosted by Spa rk Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/iokv3nol\n\nSpark Fe stival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/iokv3nol CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:8b129a8eca8cd109@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T160000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T165000 SUMMARY:Vibe-Coded It. Now Make It Real. LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:You built something with AI and it works. Now comes the harde r part: making it reliable\, secure\, scalable and ready for real custom ers. Mike Gardiner works with a small group on the last ten per cent bet ween a promising prototype and something people can depend on - testing\ , reliability\, security\, usability.\n\nSpeakers: Mike Gardiner (Founde r\, Buzzy)\n\nHosted by Spark Startup Growth Lab\n\nRegister: https://lu ma.com/fssj2bdb\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/fssj2bdb CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:2e513844e0a619f1@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T170000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T210000 SUMMARY:Google Developer community event — AI LOCATION:Google Sydney HQ\, 48 Pirrama Road\, Pyrmont DESCRIPTION:An evening for the Google developer community on AI at Google 's Sydney office: a panel on AI and sovereignty\, a walkthrough of build ing a secure\, compliant agent with Antigravity and the Gemini Enterpris e Agent Platform\, food and drinks\, then a hands-on Vibe Coding Agent S kills workshop.\n\nSpeakers: David Brudenell (Co-CEO and Executive Chair \, Decidr)\, Raymond Sun (Senior Associate\, HSF Kramer)\, Ramesh Heidar y (Google)\, Brett Morgan (Google)\n\nHosted by Google Developer Relatio ns\n\nRegister: https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/google-for-developers -spark-festival\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/google-for-developers-sp ark-festival CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6f96c70121462d02@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T173000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T193000 SUMMARY:Parramatta Pitch Night x A-One LOCATION:Launch Pad Parramatta\, Level 1\, 6 Hassall Street\, Parramatta DESCRIPTION:A low-pressure pitch night in Western Sydney. Five to seven p itchers get three minutes each\, then three minutes of questions and fee dback from a judging panel\, and the winner takes a $200 voucher. You do not need a registered company or a polished deck\, just an idea you wan t to talk about. Come to pitch or come to watch — founders\, students\ , side-hustlers and anyone with a business idea.\n\nHosted by Launch Pad \, Western Sydney University\n\nRegister: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/ e/parramatta-pitch-night-x-a-one-tickets-1996427953752?aff=spark\n\nSpar k Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/parramatta-pitch-night-x-a- one-tickets-1996427953752?aff=spark CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:a8cd8082e5ce37ca@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T173000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T200000 SUMMARY:The Inner Game of Success: Master Your Mindset\, Energy and Perfo rmance LOCATION:TDQS\, Suite 301\, 2-4 Cunningham Street\, Haymarket DESCRIPTION:An interactive workshop exploring the mental and emotional ha bits that drive peak performance in business and life. Practical exercis es for breaking through mental barriers\, building confidence and creati ng momentum in both business and life.\n\nSpeakers: Roy Kwan\, Sonya Fur long\n\nHosted by Coach Anywhere\n\nCapacity: 30\n\nRegister: https://ev ents.humanitix.com/the-inner-game-of-success-master-your-mindset-energy- and-performance\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/the-inner-game-of-success-mast er-your-mindset-energy-and-performance CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ab70cd7661a1df9b@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T193000 SUMMARY:Pitching on Screen with Genevieve LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:How your presence reads on camera\, and what to do about it\, for founders who pitch over video as often as they pitch in a room. Nin ety minutes of voice work\, movement and play\, putting the two together \, and then demonstrations on screen. Bring a two-minute pitch or piece to camera if you can - five people drawn on the day get recorded feedbac k and media training from Genevieve afterwards.\n\nSpeakers: Genevieve C raig (Chief Storyteller\, Presence Studio)\n\nHosted by Presence Studio\ n\nCapacity: 15–20\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/pitching- on-screen-with-genevieve\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festiva l URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/pitching-on-screen-with-genevi eve CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:e1529989947345d4@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T200000 SUMMARY:Improv for Innovators & Leaders: Break Patterns. Spark New Ideas. LOCATION:City of Sydney Creative Studios\, 119 Bathurst Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:Improvisation as a working tool for founders: breaking a fixe d pattern\, thinking on your feet and getting comfortable being wrong in public.\n\nSpeakers: Susan Zheng\n\nHosted by Improv Life Lessons\n\nCa pacity: 15–20\n\nRegister: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/improv-for- innovators-leaders-break-patterns-spark-new-ideas-tickets-1999204422244\ n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/improv-for-innovators-leade rs-break-patterns-spark-new-ideas-tickets-1999204422244 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:53b5d37148f0009c@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T210000 SUMMARY:Late Night Cafe LOCATION:Drummoyne (address on registration) DESCRIPTION:House party meets late-night cafe: founders and students in o ne room over good food and real conversation. Founders meet peers\, pote ntial hires and collaborators\; students exploring tech get an honest lo ok at the paths beyond a graduate program - founding\, engineering\, pro duct and design. A potluck\, so bring something if you can\; brownies\, matcha and coffee are already covered.\n\nSpeakers: Akshat (Founder\, Ar rayah)\; Isaac (Dev lead\, Ripple)\; Georgia (Founder\, Flock)\n\nHosted by Students&Starters\n\nCapacity: 20-30\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/e c74rkrk\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/ec74rkrk CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:0199ca49fd1ce9c7@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T200000 SUMMARY:Navigating the Advisory Minefield LOCATION:Hall Chadwick\, Level 40\, 2 Park Street\, Sydney DESCRIPTION:A panel on choosing and working with advisers\, board members and investors: who actually helps\, what good governance looks like ear ly\, and how to tell the difference before you hand over equity.\n\nSpea kers: Jakomi Mathews (moderator)\; Benjamin Chong (Right Click Capital)\ ; Josh Ayscough (Utiliti Ventures)\; Brinley Meagher\; Trinity Woolnough (Hall Chadwick)\n\nHosted by Founder Institute with goto.health\n\nRegi ster: https://luma.com/ymq28qb5\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/ festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/ymq28qb5 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:c4c499f3227c3e47@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T080000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T100000 SUMMARY:Kindling Cafe LOCATION:26 Queen Street\, Chippendale DESCRIPTION:Every market of fifty to three hundred people has a handful o f names the rest of the room listens to. This is a small session on how to earn a public co-sign from them rather than a polite reply: one topic \, one room\, and coffee.\n\nHosted by Kindling Tech\n\nRegister: https: //luma.com/4z15ftau\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/4z15ftau CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:9a390e2c838d658d@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T140000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260924T150000 SUMMARY:Brand Systems in the Age of AI: one brand\, ten thousand assets LOCATION:Online DESCRIPTION:The companion session: how to keep one coherent brand when AI lets anyone generate ten thousand assets a week\, and what has to be de cided once so it does not have to be decided every time.\n\nSpeakers: Ma c Nguyen (Marketing Specialist\, Spark Interact)\n\nHosted by Spark Inte ract\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/webinar-event-brand-syste ms-in-the-age-of-ai\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/webinar-event-brand-systems-in -the-age-of-ai CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:39e4f5732ad4b6ad@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T160000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T180000 SUMMARY:Spark Festival 2026 Closing Celebration LOCATION:UTS Startups @ Central DESCRIPTION:The festival closes with the community that made it. Spark Fo undation CEO Harry Godber and Simon Thomsen\, editor of Startup Daily\, are joined by the Hon. Paul Fletcher\, former Minister and Member for Br adfield of more than fifteen years\, now a Non-Executive Director at the Tech Council of Australia\, on the state of technology policy in Austra lia and what founders need to know about dealing with - and selling to - government.\n\nSpeakers: The Hon. Paul Fletcher (Non-Executive Director \, Tech Council of Australia)\; Simon Thomsen (Editor\, Startup Daily)\; Harry Godber (CEO\, Spark Foundation)\n\nHosted by Spark Festival\n\nCa pacity: 150–200\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/elp2rcr5\n\nSpark Festiv al 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/elp2rcr5 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:3c9a792aad611493@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T100000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T113000 SUMMARY:Interactive Design: Turn Your Value Proposition into an Experienc e LOCATION:Western Sydney Startup Hub\, North Parramatta DESCRIPTION:A workshop on turning a value proposition into something peop le can see\, feel\, test and remember rather than sit through. Attendees prototype a demonstration of their own\, which works as well for a pers onal brand or a room full of strangers as it does for a startup.\n\nSpea kers: Jonathan Lee\n\nHosted by Utopia Rising with Western Sydney Startu p Hub\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/interactive-design-turn- your-value-proposition-into-an-experience\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spa rk.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/interactive-design-turn-your-v alue-proposition-into-an-experience CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:5cade883accc2f6a@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T100000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T110000 SUMMARY:Coffee Hour LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo DESCRIPTION:A casual drop-in for people building\, backing and supporting startups around Tech Central. No panels and no networking theatre - jus t coffee\, conversation and the useful collisions that happen when found ers\, builders\, investors and operators are in the same room. UTS Start ups run it fortnightly\; this one falls in festival week. Come for a qui ck cup or stay the hour.\n\nHosted by UTS Startups\n\nRegister: https:// luma.com/o54m9nad\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/o54m9nad CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:30d740db85df4f98@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T110000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T120000 SUMMARY:What do you do when your AI tells you no? LOCATION:Stone & Chalk Tech Central\, Level 1\, 477 Pitt Street\, Haymark et DESCRIPTION:There is a difference between using AI as a tool and handing it a job it can refuse. The seven levels of AI maturity and which rung y our business is actually on\, agentic AI doing real work when it is brie fed properly\, and what it looks like when the AI says no - watched live \, plus how to build the guardrails that let it. Cassandra took her own agency from fourteen people to four by building the systems instead of h iring. Capped at 40.\n\nSpeakers: Cassandra Cadorin (Founder\, CanTicket and House of Can)\n\nHosted by CanTicket\n\nCapacity: 40\n\nRegister: h ttps://events.humanitix.com/what-do-you-do-when-your-ai-tells-you-no\n\n Spark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/what-do-you-do-when-your-ai-te lls-you-no CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:71116baef12ff062@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T110000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T120000 SUMMARY:Humaning is your Moat: B2B Sales in the Age of AI LOCATION:Online DESCRIPTION:As AI becomes part of everyday business\, the thing it still cannot do is be human\, and that is your moat. A practical session on le aning into that alongside your AI tools so the connection that drives sa les does not get lost.\n\nSpeakers: Nimmity Zappert (Founder\, Authentic Selling)\n\nHosted by Authentic Selling\n\nRegister: https://authentics elling.com.au/webinars/webinar-20260925-registration\n\nSpark Festival 2 026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://authenticselling.com.au/webinars/webinar-20260925-r egistration CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:8c22581859571fe9@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T120000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T130000 SUMMARY:Demystifying Term Sheets LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo (Room CB03.02.045) DESCRIPTION:A practical workshop that takes the mystery out of term sheet s and the part they play in early-stage investment. Richard Dale covers what a term sheet actually is\, why one is used at all when it is not le gally binding\, the terms that turn up again and again and the reasons t hey are there\, and how the document changes shape across different kind s of raise. Built for founders preparing to raise and for people new to investing\, and followed by open Q&A.\n\nSpeakers: Richard Dale (Committ ee member\, Sydney Angels)\n\nHosted by Sydney Angels\n\nCapacity: 30– 40\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/0udji8e7\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spa rk.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/0udji8e7 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:e90636e648f332b0@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T123000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T131500 SUMMARY:Don’t Let Compliance Kill Your Sustainability Story LOCATION:Online DESCRIPTION:Sustainability communications are being squeezed from three s ides at once: what audiences care about has shifted\, regulators have ti ghtened up\, and AI search has changed how claims get found. A practitio ner's session on treating compliance as a creative guardrail rather than a blocker - turning legal requirements into a stronger message\, and ma king specific\, evidence-backed claims that hold up and get found. Real cases\, and questions at the end.\n\nSpeakers: Ayelet Mendel-Girin (Co-F ounder\, Envirotivity)\n\nHosted by Envirotivity\n\nRegister: https://ev ents.humanitix.com/don-t-let-compliance-kill-your-sustainability-story\n \nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/don-t-let-compliance-kill-your -sustainability-story CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:bf6680b29229c3c1@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T160000 SUMMARY:Bushwalk with SquareBySquare LOCATION:Waverton Park to Balls Head Reserve — meet at the bus stop by Waverton Bowling Club\, Woolcott Street DESCRIPTION:A bushwalk from Waverton Park to Balls Head Reserve\, ending with a private heritage tour at the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainabilit y. Being out in nature is a good way to close out a festival week: walki ng and talking beats sitting in rows\, and it makes for a low-key networ king session before people head off for a drink. Along the way\, Henk an d Emely share how SquareBySquare is building an economic model to fund n ature conservation\, using their own startup as a live case study of wha t it takes to make conservation work as a B2C business.\n\nSpeakers: Hen k Kleynhans and Emely Junker (Co-Founders\, SquareBySquare)\n\nHosted by SquareBySquare\n\nRegister: https://events.humanitix.com/bushwalk-with- squarebysquare\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.humanitix.com/bushwalk-with-squarebysquare CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:46e46dde02ac7803@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T140000 SUMMARY:Angel Investing 101 LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo (Room CB03.02.045) DESCRIPTION:For anyone curious about angel investing\, and for founders w ho want to understand what the investor on the other side of the table i s actually looking at. Philip Argy introduces the startup funding landsc ape\, Australia's technology success stories and the early-stage ecosyst em\, then walks through what angel investing involves\, the private capi tal journey\, and how the Sydney Angels investment process works in prac tice.\n\nSpeakers: Philip Argy (Committee member\, Sydney Angels)\n\nHos ted by Sydney Angels\n\nCapacity: 30–40\n\nRegister: https://luma.com/ x4je1rjh\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/x4je1rjh CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:06765255cdd76ff2@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260925T140000 SUMMARY:Hiring your first GTM or commercial lead LOCATION:Stone & Chalk Tech Central\, Level 1\, 477 Pitt Street\, Haymark et DESCRIPTION:The first commercial hire is the one founders most often get wrong. What the role actually needs to cover at this stage\, how to tell a closer from a builder\, and what it costs to find out late.\n\nSpeake rs: James Bergl (Bluebird Recruitment)\n\nHosted by Bluebird Recruitment \n\nRegister: https://luma.com/lfxeih97\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark .org.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/lfxeih97 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:97143ee6251e9aa6@spark.org.au DTSTAMP:20260923T222338Z SEQUENCE:0 STATUS:CONFIRMED TRANSP:OPAQUE DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260918T160000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20260918T170000 SUMMARY:Spark Festival Preview LOCATION:UTS Startups\, 3 Broadway\, Ultimo (and streamed online) DESCRIPTION:A look ahead at festival week with the people running it\, li ve at UTS Startups and streamed online: the state of the startup ecosyst em going into the eleventh year\, and what the launch of the Spark Found ation means for Australian startups. Doors 3:30pm\, stream 4:00-4:45pm\, then networking.\n\nSpeakers: Murray Hurps (Chair\, Spark Foundation) a nd Harry Godber (CEO\, Spark Foundation)\n\nHosted by Spark Foundation\n \nRegister: https://luma.com/o7w6dm81\n\nSpark Festival 2026 — spark.o rg.au/festival URL;VALUE=URI:https://luma.com/o7w6dm81 CATEGORIES:Spark Festival 2026 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR