Registration opens

Lunch + Networking

Welcome to Country

Welcome and Opening from Tech Council

Tech Central is more than a location, it’s a national opportunity. Anchored by world-class universities, cutting-edge startups, global tech firms and next-gen digital infrastructure, Tech Central is set to become Australia’s most ambitious innovation precinct.

This session explores the opportunity Tech Central presents to supercharge Sydney’s economy, attract global investment, and generate high-value jobs. It will examine how strategic place-making, policy support and cross-sector collaboration are turning a vision into an innovation engine and how this model can help shape Australia’s future economic competitiveness drawing on international and local case studies.

As Australian tech companies expand internationally, success increasingly depends on more than just exporting a single product or service. Winning in global markets requires the ability to deliver experiences that feel truly local – without compromising operational scalability or product integrity.

This session explores how global tech platforms balance reach with relevance: designing intuitive, regionally responsive user experiences, navigating complex compliance landscapes, and building infrastructure that meets market-specific needs. It will unpack how companies can use customer insights and behavioural data to localise product features and interfaces, while also ensuring onboarding, support, and payment systems are tailored to local expectations and regulatory frameworks.

Unpack the pivotal moments, strategies and lessons from Afterpay’s early growth – especially the company’s leap into the US market. This chat will explore how startup founders navigate capital, regulation, government relations and global expansion – and what Australia can do to better support the next generation of global tech companies.

+ More speakers to be announced

Capital isn’t just about survival — it’s a strategic lever that shapes everything from growth trajectory to governance, global expansion, and long-term competitiveness. Yet in fast-moving markets, too many companies treat capital raising as an endpoint rather than a critical design choice.

This session brings together leading voices in investment banking, venture capital, and high-growth entrepreneurship to explore how capital structure and timing can define the fate of a company — particularly in tech, where market cycles, regulation and investor expectations are shifting rapidly.

A forward-looking discussion on the macro trends shaping startup investment globally. Which markets are hotbeds for innovation? Which sectors are attracting capital? What product categories are emerging fastest – and what can Australian startups learn or do to compete?

This conversation looks behind the scenes at the early decisions, challenges and insights that shaped SafetyCulture’s journey from regional startup to global platform.

It also explores what made Blackbird back the company in the early days – highlighting the qualities in product, founder and vision that investors look for when backing globally ambitious Australian companies.

Closing Wrap Up

National Tech Summit Opening Drinks hosted by Stone & Chalk.

Level 1, 477 Pitt Street, Haymarket 2000