Spark Festival

Always a great time and super accessible being online. Highly recommended if you want your 2025 productivity to be “bolt out of the stables” level…

If you're not already among our subscribers, make it your new year resolution to sign up - it's free and lands weekday afternoons with a wrap of the latest tech and startup news.

🌏 We’re excited to wrap up our first year partnering with NetNada to assess Spark Festival’s environmental impact. This collaboration has allowed us to measure sustainability in a way we never have before. With expertise in sustainability and tech, NetNada has helped many events track and reduce their carbon emissions. We’re proud to have worked together to take this important step toward a net-zero future. Thanks to over 1,000 participants surveyed at Spark Festival 2024, we’re on track for continued growth in sustainability. Check out the report and reach out to NetNada to learn how they can support your own sustainability goals. Plus, stay tuned for some exciting online events from the team this December! Check them out here: https://lnkd.in/dYp9p2UM

For those who deeply care about the Australian Startup ecosystem, and want to be the first to see an authoritative "pulse check", this is the event to prioritise ⚡️

Tech Central is wrapping up 2024 with a bang! 🎉✨ Join us for our final Connect @ Tech Central event of the year—an evening of high-powered networking and celebration. Meet key decision-makers, innovators, and industry leaders from across Sydney’s booming Tech Central Innovation District. Get inspired by hearing local wins, like impactful R&D partnerships and national distribution deals, and discover how community growth has sparked new product launches. Plus, a big thank you to Block for hosting this exciting gathering! 📅 Thu, 28 Nov 🕓 5:15pm - 7:30pm 📍 Block - The Brewery | 5 Central Park Avenue It’s free to attend, so register now and join us! 🔗👉 https://lnkd.in/gHrScfjn

Are you an early-stage startup that is experiencing challenges that are proving difficult to overcome? Are you unsure where the gaps lay in the success of your business? Then your company might need ⚡ GAP BLITZ ⚡ Commencing February 2025, GAP BLITZ is an intensive accelerator program designed to 'un-block' your business. Starting with a deep-dive – looking at your product, your customers, your skillset, your goals – and then spending the next 11 weeks in coaching and online learning sessions, by the end you will have a clear roadmap for tackling those challenges and a supportive network of peers as a bonus. This is a FREE program provided by the CSIRO Lindfield Collaboration Hub in conjunction with Investment NSW Boosting Business Innovation Program. For further information check out the link in the comments. Katie Green Selena Boyfield Annie Le Cavalier Josh Pitt Siobhán Rees Joanne Jacobs Gavin Heaton Disruptors Co Mateus Oliveira Silva Rhea Cornely George Feast Tamara Ogilvie Michelle Armistead Monika Szabo Dr Charles Lindall Marcel Bick David Lillo-Trynes Jackie Randles Sarah Kinkel Jane Cockburn Rupal Ismin Vanessa King Carol Friel

Shout out to Spark Festival for spotlighting innovations occurring in the regions and creating an platform for connection! It was great to hear from the panel of innovators including Claire Bull, Kristy Withers, Hamish Keith, Mick Callan and Clayton Kiely who each shared their entrepreneurial journeys and offered their "lessons learned”. Key takeaways included: ✨Networks are invaluable assets - cultivate them with care and intention. 📈 Forget perfection, aim for progress that will keep moving you forward. 🔁 Embrace the learning curve - you don't need to know everything at the start; growth comes with experience. 🙅🏼♀️Mindset matters - remove "can't" from your vocabulary to open up new possibilities. Special mention to Jo Palmer and Charles Sturt University for orchestrating the regional roadshow! #SparkFestival #Entrepreneurship #RegionalInnovation

Life hack: If you're looking for real inspiration, hang out with innovators in regional NSW 🚀 Last week, Spark Festival hosted Spark Wagga, Spark Dubbo, and Spark Bathurst — bringing together over 130 regional innovators, startup founders, and supporters from across the Riverina, Central West and Tablelands, to add to our epic events in the Hunter, Mid North Coast and New England earlier in the year. Rural innovators are THRIVING in NSW, what was showcased is the tip of the iceberg. Led by Rural Woman of the year Jo Palmer and Entrepreneur in Residence at ACS (Australian Computer Society) Claire Bull, audiences heard from: ✨ Zoe Lamont of Verve Super now delivering farm-to-door meals across the AU east coast with Farm Door Riverina, ✨ Paul Moonie building world-first solar tech with Halocell, ✨ David Brow Edward Eom electrifying bikes, farm equipment and more, ✨ Megan Jones bringing innovation to the solar sector with Circular PV Alliance, ✨ Gargi Ganguly who is transforming migrant communities through ORISCON INC, ✨ Sharon Quill of community building Social Gain, ✨ Kristy Withers of worldwide success Incy Interiors, ✨ Hamish Keith of Wilga Station transforming the Bathurst tourism sector, ✨ Mick Callan of Habitat Innovation and Management locally manufacturing climate-suitable animal shelters, ✨ and Clayton Kiely of Tamburlaine Organic Wines who produce the only flat wine bottles in the Southern Hemisphere, transforming the supply chain. Thanks again to these incredible leaders, their stories, expertise, and bold ideas were super refreshing. A huge thank you to our partners Investment NSW, Department of Industry, Science and Resources, ACS (Australian Computer Society) Labs, and Innovate at Charles Sturt; your support is key to empowering regional innovation and fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs. What's double exciting is seeing so many new partnerships and collaborations being formed. Of course.. remember to check out Sparkfestival.co and add yourself to our newsletters and stay across opportunities coming up. 🌟 Vanessa Will Vicky Murray Maria Anne-Marie Maxine Harry Josh Helen Andrew Pauline Aaliyah

When you wrangle 13 speakers, 130+ attendees and 1000+ km in three days, how do you measure ROI in innovation events in the regions? Reflecting on the epic road trip that was the Spark Festival Regional Roadshow that has just wrapped up and I am still buzzing from the energy and ideas that are thriving in our rural towns. Over the last week, David Lillo-Trynes (Spark Festival) and Claire Bull ACS (Australian Computer Society) and Innovate at Charles Sturt hit the Charles Sturt University campus’ in Wagga, Dubbo, and Bathurst, connecting with local innovators, entrepreneurs and businesses who are driving incredible change and making big impact. Thank you to this incredible lineup of movers and shakers who are getting it done in the regions. If these guns aren’t on your radar, they need to be. Zoe Lamont Paul Moonie David Brow Edward Eom Megan Jones Gargi Ganguly Sharon Quill Clayton Kiely Mick Callan Kristy Withers Hamish Keith A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, shared their stories and reminded us why regional innovation is something to shout about. The talent, grit and creativity in these communities are undeniable. Investment NSW, your ROI in this roadshow has been next level. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Last night, I had the pleasure of joining the final stop of the Spark Festival regional tour in Bathurst. It was great reconnecting with familiar faces and meeting some new ones. The evening featured an awesome lineup of local entrepreneurs and change-makers, each sharing their unique journeys and valuable insights. Big shoutout to Claire Bull Kristy Withers, Hamish Keith, and Mick Callan for their stories, it showcased the incredible talent thriving in our regional communities. Thanks also to David Lillo-Trynes for being a great MC and driving the panel conversation. A huge thank you to the Spark Festival team and Jo Palmer for bringing this kind of energy and opportunity to the regions. It’s cool events like that showcase the innovation happening outside the big cities. While it would have been great to see more locals showing support, I’m hopeful we see many more nights like this. If you missed it, keep an eye out for future events – you won’t want to miss out again!