Founder Groups Sydney

Connect with fellow founders in Sydney

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AI Tech & Startup Night — Sydney

Tue, Sep 22, 2:00 PM

From NOMAD — FOUNDERS & INVESTORS ASIA PACIFIC

**Nomad Global Hub** brings together builders, founders, and tech professionals for a night of curated networking and high-impact startup pitches. **RSVP: [Reserve your spot](https://luma.com/pntbm9fi)** With a track record of **235+ events** across **23 global cities** worldwide, we have welcomed over **5,000 attendees** and featured **1,200+ startup pitches** on our stages. We intentionally keep our meetups intimate because the best partnerships happen in focused, high-quality conversations, not in loud, overcrowded halls. **What to Expect** * **Live Tech Startup Pitches**: Watch selected early-stage founders present AI & Tech projects followed by sharp audience Q&A. * **High-Quality Networking:** Connect with a hand-picked audience of founders, investors, engineers, and tech leaders who value substance over small talk. * **Global Exposure:** Join a community that bridges **23 tech hubs worldwide**, providing you with a network that extends far beyond a single city. **Who Should Join** * Founders & Co-Founders looking for peers, feedback, investors and collaborators. * Tech Professionals & Builders seeking a high-quality community. * Ambitious Individuals ready to dive into the AI & Startup ecosystem. **For Investors** Active investors and VC partners are welcome to join the event and scout for early-stage talent, meet other investors, and see what teams are building. To access the startup database, please fill out the **[Investor Application Form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUkSdbmDb_tchKrZNf2A4c6HjrPLd87Ub3W-5WPfOgsszI9Q/viewform)** and ensure you have purchased a ticket. **For Pitching Startups** Selected startups gain live stage time and visibility within our global network among our database of investors. Purchase a Speaker Ticket to pitch, submit your **[Pitch Deck](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZ1fGVQ-br2hQQnSsq7zz5XCAEvN5FfaYfJ7VSppMkujV8YQ/viewform)** and ensure it is accessible for viewers. **Nomad Global Hub \| 235\+ Events \| 23 Cities** *Note: To support our venue partner, we kindly encourage every guest to purchase at least one drink at the bar during the event.*

1 attendee

Getting Found in the Age of AI

Wed, Sep 16, 8:00 AM

From Sydney .NET User Group | Live Stream: www.ssw.com.au/live/

4.7

**September Sydney .NET User Group: Getting Found in the Age of AI with Jack Bear** How AI is rewriting the way businesses get discovered online. From traditional SEO to AI-powered search, and what it means for your brand's visibility. **Agenda:** - 6:00 pm – Pizza and networking at SSW Sydney! 🍕 - 6:30 pm – Welcome & News with Eve & Adam Cogan - this will be live-streamed around the world - 6:45 pm – Getting Found in the Age of AI with Jack Bear Can't join us? Jump on the live feed: https://www.ssw.com.au/live **About Jack:** Jack Bear is an Australian technology founder and consultant specialising in AI infrastructure and the "answer economy." He is the founder and CEO of Norg AI, a platform building operating systems for AI agents. Connect with Jack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-bear-726578226/

16 attendees

Sydney Launch Your AI eCommerce Business

Sun, Sep 6, 6:24 PM

From Trail Blazers Beginner Running and Socials

**AI eCommerce for Entrepreneurs – Build a Store That Scales** You do not need a warehouse or a team to run a serious online business. AI handles the heavy lifting. This masterclass shows you exactly how to set it up and scale it. Everyone in this session is building something. Expect real conversations about what is working and what is not. RSVP alone will not hold your spot. Complete registration via the link below. ### [SAVE YOUR SEAT](https://aiventurelab.org/product/AIEcommerce?city=Sydney&groupurlname=trail-blazers-beginner-running-and-socials&startgmtdatetime=2026-09-06T18:24:00Z) --- What you'll build: - AI-powered product research and ad creation workflows - An automated AI-driven store built on a proven blueprint - A repeatable system you can duplicate across multiple niches Build it properly once and it scales without you. That is the AI eCommerce advantage.

44 attendees

Lara Meacock/Edgar Anzaldua

Tue, Sep 22, 8:00 AM

From Sydney Creative Customer Experience (CCX)

4.7

Our CCX Sydney September event features two awesome designers and speakers: Lara Meacock from CBA on a AI themed Systems designing back and Edgar Anzaldua Moreno from Compare Club on the complimentary talk You loved your Craft, Now you prompt. Will be applying a $10.00 cover charge to cover Food and drinks and on this occasion will be kindly hosted again by our new friends at Lorikeet. Details below on the venue location (Surry Hills) **IMPORTANT NOTE FOR THIS SESSION!** **An Important detail is that due to gaining entry to Lorikeet we will need any CCX Member planning to attend this session to supply us with their First and Last name in advance of attending.** On this occasion we will not be able to accept Members who do not supply these details. Many thanks CCX Sydney. **About Lara's talk** **Systems designing back - when systems start thinking with us.** AI is rapidly changing how digital products are designed and built - but the most interesting shift isn’t simply that we can work faster. It’s what happens when the systems, rules and decisions designers create can increasingly be interpreted and executed by AI. In this talk, Lara explores the evolving relationship between design systems, AI and the role of the designer. Drawing on real-world experiments in AI-enabled design and delivery, she’ll look at what happens when design systems become more than libraries of components and start acting as the infrastructure AI uses to create. As execution becomes increasingly automated, the designer’s role begins to shift too - away from being the person producing every outcome, and towards defining the systems, constraints, judgement and quality standards that shape what gets produced. **About Lara** Lara Meacock is a Principal Product Designer at Commonwealth Bank, working across product design, systems and emerging AI-enabled ways of working. Across her career, she has worked at the intersection of product, design and technology, helping teams turn complex problems into digital experiences that are useful, intuitive and built to scale. Her practice combines a strong product lens with systems thinking, exploring how the decisions, patterns and foundations behind an experience can enable better outcomes for both customers and the teams building them. More recently, Lara has been exploring what generative AI means for the future of product design: how we design with it, how it changes the way products are created, and how the role of the designer evolves as the systems around us become increasingly capable. **About Edgar's talk** **You Loved Your Craft. Now You Prompt.** You picked design because you loved designing. Now you prompt. More comes back, faster, and it looks fine, so you ship it. Something about that mechanism feels off, and you can't name it. So you sit with that feeling. It isn't nostalgia. Let's talk about what it is. The uncomfortable part is that the better the output gets, the less often you scrutinise it. And something gets lost. Designers weren't the first ones to experience that loss, and we can learn from others. This talk is about how you keep using AI without losing what makes you good at design. It's about getting your mojo back. Ending with something you have that the machine doesn't, besides a heart. **About Edgar** Edgar Anzaldúa-Moreno is a design leader, researcher, and engineer with more than two decades of experience working across technology, product design, strategy, and organisational change. His career has spanned startups, consultancies, and large organisations, including leadership roles at KPMG, Canon, CarsGuide, Compare Club and Sweat. He describes his practice as that of a designgineer — combining research, strategy, design, and engineering to solve complex product and organisational problems. His work includes published research, a US patent, award-winning digital products, and the development of research-led design teams and practices. Edgar is currently exploring how artificial intelligence is changing the nature of design work and leadership. He is writing Leading Design after AI: From Operator to Orchestrator, a book about what happens when AI makes production increasingly cheap, while judgment, critical thinking, and the ability to frame the right problems become more valuable. Therefore don't miss out on this awesome pairing of two creativity and AI themed talks that will certainly asks as many questions of our audience as well as our presenters!

29 attendees

Small Team, Big Stack: A Quality Toolkit Built from the Ground Up

Wed, Sep 9, 7:30 AM

From ExpertTalks Sydney

4.5

**Small Team, Big Stack: A Quality Toolkit Built from the Ground Up** Most talks about quality assume you've got a QA team, a test framework someone already built, and headcount to spare. This one's for when you don't. **Sam Connelly**, Principal Quality Consultant within the Equal Experts network in Australia, walks through how a small startup team builds and maintains confidence in what they ship — for a predominantly JavaScript web app — without any of that safety net. **What we'll cover:** * **Unit testing** — what we actually test (and, just as importantly, what we don't) * **BDD, pragmatically** — the test framework we built, and how we've kept it extensible as our underlying model evolves * **Debugging from the outside in** — using analytics frameworks to reconstruct what a user did right before something broke * **Where we're headed** — early experiments including a self-healing UI E2E agent, and using Claude Code as an exploratory testing partner rather than just a coding tool This isn't a best-practices talk. It's what quality actually looks like when you're small, resource-constrained, and building the plane while flying it. You'll leave with practical ideas for your own toolkit — whatever size team you're working with. **Agenda** 5 30 PM - Gates open (Networking drinks & food) 6 15 PM - G-EE-K Talk 7 PM - Q&A 7 15 PM - Networking drinks (and more food) 8 PM - Wrap up

24 attendees

🍜Asian Background Social: Lounge Asia Sydney (Easy English) 6pm

Sat, Sep 12, 8:00 AM

From 🍜Asian Background Social: Lounge Asia Meetup (Easy English)

4.7

⚠️ EVENT UPDATE: THIS WEEK’S EVENT CANCELLED Unfortunately, this Saturday’s Lounge Asia Sydney event on August 29 has been cancelled. Our next event will be held on Saturday, September 5, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the same venue, Harts Pub. We apologise for the inconvenience and hope to see you next week. 😊 Please RSVP again for the September 5 event. 🌏 Make new international friends in Sydney. Come alone, practise your English, and enjoy a relaxed social night. 😊 A friendly meetup for networking, language exchange, and real conversation. **Why People Love Lounge Asia** 🍜 **Asian-focused** event 🤝 Many guests come alone 💬 No need for perfect English 🌏 No games or forced introductions — just enjoy the conversation ━━━━━━━━━━ **How to Join** 1️⃣ Tap "RSVP" on this page (1 ticket per attendee) 2️⃣ Show your Meetup QR code at reception 3️⃣ Collect your name tag and start meeting people ✅ Early RSVP is free ✅ RSVPs made within 24 hours of the event start time are $5 ✅ Limited capacity — please RSVP early Early RSVP is the best way to save your spot and join for free. Many people attend alone, so don't worry if it's your first time. ━━━━━━━━━━ ⚠️ IMPORTANT: TONIGHT’S RULES ⚠️ 🎟️ A VALID TICKET IS REQUIRED, BUT ENTRY IS SUBJECT TO HOST APPROVAL One ticket per guest. Guests on the waitlist cannot enter. A ticket does not guarantee entry. If entry is refused, you will receive a full refund. Please DM Michael, the main Lounge Asia organiser. Local hosts are not responsible for refunds. 🪑 SIT IF EMPTY Please take a seat if you see one to help create more space. 📧 SHOW SCREEN AT DOOR Have your confirmation profile/tickets ready for Chris & Kev. NO WALK-INS. THANK YOU! ━━━━━━━━━━ **How to Find Us** 📍 Venue Harts Pub 176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, NSW 2000 ⏰ Time Saturday from 6:00pm – 9:00pm 🚶 Getting There 5 min walk from Circular Quay Station. 8 min walk from Wynyard Station. Easy to drop by after exploring The Rocks. Our Lounge Asia organisers will be there to welcome you 😊 ━━━━━━━━━━ 🍺 Please Support the Venue This event is free or low-cost because the venue supports our community. Please purchase at least one drink during the event. Your support helps us keep organising events at great venues. ━━━━━━━━━━ 💚 Please Be Respectful Lounge Asia is a friendly social event where everyone should feel comfortable and welcome. 🚫 This is NOT a pickup or dating event. Any anti-social behaviour or those who make others uncomfortable WILL BE removed immediately. 🚫 Any harassment, unwanted attention, MLM / crypto / religious recruitment, or anything that makes others uncomfortable. Organisers reserve the right to refuse entry or ask anyone to leave. 🪪 A valid government-issued photo ID is strictly required for entry. No photo ID, no entry. Driver's licences must be issued by the government of the country where the event is held. 📸 Photos and short videos may be taken for community and promotional purposes. If you prefer not to appear, please let an organiser know when you arrive. ━━━━━━━━━━ Lounge Asia is already growing in Australia and is now expanding across Asia — Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. Our goal is simple: More friendship, more understanding, and more genuine connections across cultures. 📱 Join the Lounge Asia Australia WhatsApp Group Stay connected with the Lounge Asia community after the event. ✅ Hear about upcoming Lounge Asia events ✅ Meet local and international people ✅ Stay connected with people you meet ✅ Receive community news and event updates [👉 Join the WhatsApp group:](https://chat.whatsapp.com/CJV5i6FQMc7DVXezkJUUib) 📱 Instagram: @_lounge_asia 🎥 Watch Event Video: [\[WATCH EVENT VIDEO\]](https://youtu.be/tNak_cu9CXw?si=xiObPWs86vc93N18) 🎁 BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBER (VIP) We are building an official app to connect our community safely! Join the VIP list for early access and priority invites to special parties. 👉 [\[Join the VIP List here\]](https://forms.gle/T2KukvgEiGWEz3VR9) ━━━━━━━━━━ 🌏 Come say hi! Hey, come hang out! 来一起玩吧！一起來聊天吧！気軽に遊びに来てね！ 편하게 놀러 와요! มาเจอกันนะ! Tới chơi nha! Tara, sali ka na! Yuk, gabung! Хамтдаа цуглацгаая! Komm einfach vorbei! Jom join kita! See you at Lounge Asia!

15 attendees

Start with Why ~ Coffee catchup where every sip sparks a new perspective.

Sun, Sep 6, 3:00 AM

From Start with Why ~ Coffee Cups & Purposeful Conversations

4.7

PLEASE BE ADVISED! We will be outside the cafe, near the stairs to the chessboard area. NOT IN THE CAFE. Discover your ‘why’, build with intention, and connect with like-minded people who are ready to create, grow, and 10X their lives. A friendly meetup with like-minded people that love learning and growing🙌Let’s grab a cuppa coffee or matcha and connect over what fuels our growth. Whether you're into books that challenge your mindset, habits that build a better you, or future goals that you are excited about, lets enjoy talking about how we evolve—this is a friendly space to share ideas, swap inspiration, and cheer each other on!🤗

11 attendees

Honest Feedback - Say It, For Real

Sat, Sep 12, 6:00 AM

From Transformational Leaders Collective

4.5

How often do you really say what you think? We all have opinions. About someone's work. Someone's outfit. A friend's behaviour. A business. A restaurant. Even ourselves. But how often do we actually say what we mean? Instead, we soften the truth, say what we think people want to hear, avoid awkward conversations, give five-star reviews we don't really mean - or keep our thoughts entirely to ourselves. And when someone finally gives us honest feedback we become defensive, dismissive or defeated. What if we got better at both sides of the equation? "**Honest Feedback**" is an evening of playful simulations designed to help you become better at giving, receiving and using honest feedback. We'll explore what happens inside us when we're asked to tell the truth - the desire to look good, avoid looking bad, protect someone's feelings, protect ourselves, or simply keep the peace. Because honest feedback isn't about being brutally honest for the sake of it. It's about creating enough awareness, courage and trust to discover what is actually useful, and then deciding what to do with it. Imagine having the confidence to ask, "What do you really think?" and the ability to hear the answer. Imagine being able to tell someone what they genuinely need to hear without tearing them down. Imagine how much improvement in our careers, relationships, businesses and everyday lives if we could do both at will. **WHO THIS IS FOR** * people who want to become better at communicating what they really think and feel. * people who struggle to give feedback because they don't want to offend, upset or disappoint others. * entrepreneurs and professionals who want better feedback from customers, colleagues, clients or the people around them. * and anyone who wants to just be more honest! 🎟️ Register to attend: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1634825 Ticket includes drinks, snacks and a vegetarian meal. **ABOUT** **Utopia Rising** delivers unconventional social experiences for self-improvement seekers looking to broaden their network or simply be inspired by life again. It’s a party reimagined - alcohol-free, featuring healthy plant-based food.

4 attendees

.predrinks

Thu, Sep 17, 6:00 AM

From 🔥🔥 🔥🔥 🔥🔥 FIRESTARTERS 🔥🔥 🔥🔥 🔥🔥

if you know, you know

2 attendees

SydDT #130: The Hidden Performance Skills of Great Designers

Thu, Sep 10, 8:00 AM

From Sydney Design Thinking

4.7

Designers spend years learning how to shape products, services, and experiences. But some of the most important design work happens live, in the room: * facilitating conversations * navigating uncertainty * building trust * uncovering perspectives * creating energy * driving alignment * helping people feel safe enough to contribute honestly Great facilitators don’t just run workshops, they shape emotion, attention, participation, atmosphere, and human connection in real time. In this Sydney Design Thinking Meetup, we’ll explore what designers can learn from experts who work at the extreme edge of live human experience design. Joining us will be: [Pamela Pilawa](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-pilawa-27096baa/) A Sydney-based performer blending clowning, physical theatre, storytelling, and teaching across cultures and languages. [Pamela’s work ](https://pamelapilawa.com/)explores presence, emotional authenticity, courage, vulnerability, improvisation, and audience connection. Pamela will share perspectives from the world of clowning and performance — including: * how to stay present under uncertainty * responding authentically in the moment * reading audience energy * embracing failure and imperfection * building trust and connection quickly * why vulnerability can be a leadership strength Because sometimes the difference between a good workshop and a transformative one isn’t the methodology. It’s the human presence in the room. [Wai Yin Vicente Kwok](https://www.linkedin.com/in/wai-yin-vicente-kwok/) Creative Director and Founder of [Wai Yin Designs](https://www.waiyindesigns.com/), with more than 20 years of international experience across theatre, film, immersive events, entertainment, and experiential activations — including large-scale themed experiences at Universal Studios Singapore. Wai Yin will explore how environment, atmosphere, spatial design, and intentional setup influence participation, behaviour, emotion, and outcomes. Drawing from theatre, live entertainment, and immersive experience design, she’ll share how: * environments shape interaction * atmosphere influences engagement * physical space changes collaboration dynamics * intentional staging can reinforce purpose * experiences can be orchestrated to support desired outcomes Because workshops, co-design sessions, and facilitation environments are experiences too. And like any experience, they can be intentionally designed. Together, we’ll explore: * facilitation as performance * the role of presence in leadership and design * designing environments for participation * improvisation and adaptability * balancing structure with emergence * how designers can become more effective facilitators of human interaction This session isn’t about becoming performers. It’s about learning from experts whose craft depends on understanding people in real time.... **EVENT SPONSORS** This event is brought to you by [Thoughtworks](https://www.thoughtworks.com/), [Shapeshifters](https://www.shapeshifterscreative.com.au/), The Growth Habit, and [Dynamic4](https://dynamic4.com). We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.

50 attendees

Creators Event Warmup

Thu, Sep 17, 8:00 AM

From All Creators Great and Small

The Unofficial Social Summit Warm-Up **Sydney’s Tech Shakeup:** **California Does It First, Sydney Does It Best 🍻** The Unofficial Social Summit Warm-Up & Sydney Creator Meetup Connect, collaborate, and witness the next evolution of video streaming—homegrown right here in Sydney! Heading to Manly for The Social Summit—or ready to test-drive technology that changes the streaming game entirely? We’re kicking off summit weekend a day early with a casual evening of networking, free drinks, and a first look at a world-first platform built right in our own backyard. California might start the trends, but Sydney perfects them. Revealing never-before-used tech designed to completely revolutionize video streaming for creators and their audiences. It’s radical, it’s untested by the mainstream, and frankly—the faint-hearted might not be adventurous enough to try it, but if you're ready to break away from traditional platform limits and give your viewers an experience that has literally never been offered before, this is where it starts. The floor will be open to share ideas and suggestions. You will be challenged to make a shortform video on the fly. The winner receiving a fabulous prize. Whether you're a full-time streamer, video producer, or tech builder, come hang out, grab a drink, and see what's next. **What to Expect** * 🍹 Free drinks & light bites (sponsored) * 🤝 High-value networking with Sydney’s forward-thinking creators & tech pioneers * ⚡ An exclusive reveal of Sydney's homegrown, game-changing streaming technology * 💡 Open floor to bounce creative ideas, share tools, and collaborate **Event Details** * 🗓 **When:** Thursday\, 17 September 2026 \| 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM * 📍 **Where:** Hotel Steyne, Manly * 🎟 **Cost:** Free (RSVP required for venue capacity) *Warning: Spots are strictly limited by venue capacity. Grab your free ticket before they're gone!*

4 attendees

Shifting Governance to Deliver Better Outcomes

Tue, Sep 15, 7:00 AM

From Sooner Safer Happier - Pacific (#BVSSH)

4.6

**A portfolio can be on plan and still not be delivering value.** When governance conversations are dominated by project status, activity and keeping work on track, it can be difficult to keep the focus on the outcomes the work was intended to create. In this session, Narmada Natarajaperumal from Standard Chartered Bank will share their practical journey towards shifting portfolio governance from controlling activity to stewarding value. We’ll explore: * What changes when governance is focused on outcomes rather than outputs * How governance can be designed to support faster, clearer decision-making * What measures and signals will help us move sooner and safer towards value * Practical lessons from making the shift in a large, complex organisation If you’re involved in how organisations prioritise, govern and steer work, particularly across portfolio, PMO, strategy, transformation and product, this session is for you. There’ll be time after the presentation for Q&A – bring your colleagues and your questions. Speakers: **Narmada Natarajaperumal** \- Head\, Portfolio Strategy and Transformation for Cybersecurity and Financial Crime Portfolio\, Standard Chartered Bank\. Hosted by: **Ruma Dak** \- Senior Consultant\, BVSSH APAC

31 attendees

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Frequently asked questions

Meetup is a platform that connects people with shared interests. It allows individuals to join groups and events, nurturing both professional and social networks.

You can easily find founder groups in Sydney by searching Meetup with relevant keywords. This allows you to discover local communities and events tailored to entrepreneurial interests.

Joining a founder group offers networking opportunities, shared learning, and crucial support from fellow entrepreneurs. These groups are pivotal for collaboration and inspiration.

Yes, you can meet tech founders in Sydney through Meetup groups. Many groups focus on technology startups, where you can connect with like-minded professionals.

Meetup hosts events specifically for Sydney startups, ranging from networking sessions to workshops. Attending these gatherings can boost your business insights and connections.

Absolutely! You can create your own Sydney founder group on Meetup to build a community with specific entrepreneurial interests or goals.

Joining groups on Meetup is generally free, though some events may have participation fees to cover costs. Always check the event details for specific financial requirements.

Sydney founder meetups often host networking opportunities, panels, and workshops. These events are designed for idea exchange, collaboration, and learning from industry experts.

No, you don't need to attend every Meetup event. RSVP only for events that fit your interests and schedule, allowing flexibility in your engagements.

Yes, you can join multiple founder groups to diversify your interactions and benefit from a range of perspectives and opportunities in the entrepreneurial space.

While Meetup is vast, not every niche might be represented in Sydney. You can always start a new group if you don't find one that fits your needs.

No, events can be both in-person and online, depending on the group hosts' preference. Always check the specifics of the event listing on Meetup.

While Meetup creates opportunities for networking, successful connections depend largely on your active participation and engagement with other members.

The frequency of events varies by group in Sydney. Some have weekly meetups, while others might gather monthly or by project needs.

Most events are well-organized, but quality can vary. Checking a group's reviews or past event feedback can help gauge the expected organization level.