About us
The Objectives:
The Western Sydney Tech Innovators group aims to provide a local forum for Western Sydney communities to get informed about, participate in, and benefit from the current technological revolution led by advancements in Artificial Intelligence (e.g., ChatGPT, AI Agents and Automation, AI Art), Extended Reality technologies (e.g., Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, Metaverse), and other emerging technologies. We also strive to address and mitigate potential negative impacts caused by these technologies, such as career disruption and deepfake scams.
Who should join:
Our main audience comprises innovators in the broadest sense - anyone creating new or improving existing ideas, products, services, artworks, or stories in their businesses or professional work, while also interested in applying the latest technologies to their processes.
We welcome not only startup founders and creatives who may be traditionally categorized as innovators but also individuals who want to stay informed and apply cutting-edge technologies in their businesses, projects, professional work, and personal lives.
Each month's event will highlight a specific topic, technology, and related use cases (e.g., Virtual Reality for education, AI for business owners, Generative AI for storytellers). Attendees can select topics and events that align with their personal interests.
What we advocate:
- Digital Inclusion: We believe everyone should be able to benefit from the current technological revolution while being equipped to avoid potential negative consequences.
- Responsible AI Practices: We promote the development and use of AI technologies that are safe, fair, and trustworthy, with the goal of empowering the community.
- Hands-on Learning and Interactivity: We encourage active participation and practical, experiential learning to ensure meaningful engagement with new technologies.
This community group is in partnership with the City of Parramatta Council, Western Sydney Startup Hub powered by Spacecubed, LaunchPad Western Sydney University and UNSW Business School.
Upcoming events
19
- A$15.00
WSTI Festi 2026: Build with AI Innovation Challenge, Sat 14 Nov
Western Sydney Startup Hub, powered by Spacecubed, 5 Fleet St, North Parramatta NSW 2151, Australia, North Parramatta, AUOverview
Last Build Day before submission. Two streams, mentor follow-ups, tech support and pitch practice with WSTI. $15.
Build with AI Innovation Challenge Day, Saturday 14 November
The last Build Day before final submission on Tuesday 17 November at 2:00 PM. Start your idea here, or bring the build you began on 7 November or online, and spend the day moving it forward with WSTI mentors. No coding background needed.
WSTI mentors bring design thinking, tech support, business and strategy advice, and a stage to practise your pitch, with feedback on your build and on how customers and investors would see it.
At a glance- 🕙 6.5 hours, 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM, in two streams: build at your own pace with mentors on call, or learn step by step in guided training
- 🎟️ $15, lunch included. Ticket money goes into the cash prize pool
- 🔓 Full challenge details are revealed at the WSTI Festi Opening Night, Thursday 5 November
- 🔁 Started online or on 7 Nov? Come back for a follow-up with mentors and check where your build stands
- 🎤 A stage for pitch practice to close the day
- 👥 Come on your own, bring your team or find one on the day
- 🏆 Cash prizes on Pitch Night, plus community recognition from City of Parramatta
- 📍 Western Sydney Startup Hub, 5 Fleet Street, North Parramatta
Wherever you are up to
- New to the challenge: start in the training stream. Find a team, shape your idea with design thinking, and make your first build, from your first prompt to a working app
- Started on Sat 7 Nov or online: keep going in the build stream. Get a follow-up with mentors, check where your build stands, get tech support where you are stuck, and practise your pitch before Tuesday's submission
What WSTI mentors help with
- Design thinking: shape the problem and your idea, and test who it is for
- Tech support: get unstuck on your build, with the AI tools you use or prefer
- Business and strategy: who your users are, and how your idea could work as a business or a community solution
- Pitch practice: get your pitch ready during the day, then practise it on stage for feedback on the tech and on how customers and investors would see it
Pick your challenge
Parramatta Possibilities Innovation Challenge, set by City of Parramatta. Choose one of five focus areas:- Climate Resilience and Community Wellbeing
- Better Community Events and Public Spaces
- Cleaner and More Sustainable Neighbourhoods
- Smarter Decisions for a Growing City
- AI for Smarter Asset and Environmental Management
Full challenge details are revealed when the challenge launches at the WSTI Festi Opening Night on Thursday 5 November.
Showcase your skills for the opportunity to have your innovation piloted with the local council.
Open Innovation: bring your own challenge, from your business, your industry or your community. Build it into a business, a working solution or something for your community.
One rule for both tracks: build from scratch. Bring a problem or an idea, but not an existing project or product. Everything you submit must be built during the challenge, from 5 to 17 November.
How the day runs- Welcome, and form or join a team on the WSTI Festi Innovation Portal
- Build stream: build at your own pace, with WSTI mentors on call for tech support and follow-ups on where your build stands
- Training stream: learn step by step in guided sessions with WSTI mentors, from design thinking to a beginner build, from your first prompt to a working app, plus business and strategy
- Lunch
- Pitch practice on stage: teams who have their pitch ready practise it in front of mentors and the room, with feedback on the build and the story
- What's next: teams finalise Sun 15 Nov at 8:00 PM, final submission Tue 17 Nov at 2:00 PM
What you get
- 6.5 hours to build, in the stream that suits you
- WSTI mentors for design thinking, tech support, and business and strategy advice
- Help with the AI tools you already use or prefer
- A follow-up with mentors if you started online or on 7 Nov
- A stage to practise your pitch before final submission
- Feedback on your build, and on how customers and investors would see it
- Lunch on the day
- A team and a challenge through the WSTI Festi Innovation Portal
- A shot at cash prizes on Pitch Night, and a podium for every finalist at the Grand Festival Day
- Connections across WSTI's AI community, 4,200+ members on Meetup
From launch to the big stage
- Thu 5 Nov: the challenge launches at the WSTI Festi Opening Night
- Sat 7 or Sat 14 Nov: your Build Day
- Sun 15 Nov, 8:00 PM: finalise your team on the portal
- Tue 17 Nov, 2:00 PM: final submission of your pitch video, demo video and live prototype link
- Thu 19 Nov, 12:00 PM: finalists announced by email
- Fri 20 Nov: finalists pitch live at Pitch Night. The audience votes, and the winners take home cash prizes
- Sat 21 Nov: every finalist gets a podium at the Grand Festival Day to show their innovation to the panel, industry and community
Other ways to take part
- Build Day, Sat 7 Nov, $15 (book here): at Maker Space PHIVE with Google. Hands-on Antigravity training led by Brett Morgan, Developer Relations Engineer, Google Cloud
- Online, free (book here): build from anywhere
Come to one Build Day, both, or take part online.
Who should come
You do not need a tech background. What you know about your field is the most valuable thing you can bring.- Business owners and professionals from any field, such as health, finance, education, property, trades or community services
- Founders and startups
- University students, recent graduates and young people
- Developers, designers and creatives curious about building with AI
- Anyone with an idea they want to build
What to bring
- Your laptop (essential)
- The AI tools you prefer, with your own accounts and licences. Mentors help you get the most out of them
- Your own challenge for Open Innovation, or pick a Parramatta Possibilities focus area
With
WSTI · Investment NSW · City of Parramatta · Western Sydney Startup Hub
Part of WSTI Festi 2026, Western Sydney's first grassroots AI festival, 5 to 21 November in Parramatta. See more: wsti.org.au/wsti-festi
Notice of Photography and Filming
By entering this event, you acknowledge that photography, audio, and video recording may occur. Your attendance constitutes your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of such media for promotional purposes by Western Sydney Tech Innovators (WSTI). If you prefer not to be photographed or recorded, please inform a WSTI team member upon arrival. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Everyone is welcome, from in and around Parramatta and beyond. When you RSVP, we ask for the postcode where you live, work or study, only for our statistics. If you have one in the City of Parramatta, please use it.6 attendees 
CPD: AI & Business Strategy (with Awqaf Australia)
Western Sydney Startup Hub, powered by Spacecubed, 5 Fleet St, North Parramatta NSW 2151, Australia, North Parramatta, AUTickets are sold by Awqaf Australia on Salaamtix. A Meetup RSVP does not reserve your place. More details and tickets here: https://salaamtix.com/e/awqaf-australia/cpd-ai-for-your-business
You've tried ChatGPT or Claude. You got a few good answers. Then you spent the rest of the day copying and pasting them around, or just went back to doing everything the old way. Sound familiar?
This evening is about closing that gap: from "I've played with AI" to AI doing real work in your business, every day.
During the session we'll cover:
1. Where AI actually pays off (and where it doesn't): What today's AI tools are genuinely good at for a small business or practice, what they're still bad at, and how to tell the difference before you spend a dollar or an hour.
2. The admin that eats your day: Email, client follow-ups, meeting notes, status updates. Watch live as an AI assistant that knows your business triages your inbox, drafts replies in your voice and never lets a follow-up slip. You approve every step.
3. Staying visible without it becoming a second job: Turn what you already know into LinkedIn posts, newsletters, outreach and case studies in a fraction of the time, and still sounding like you.
4. Your week-by-week AI playbook: A simple plan to bring AI into your daily work one step at a time, so the gains show up in your calendar, not just in your head.
You'll walk away knowing how to:
• Cut through the AI hype and identify what's genuinely useful for your business
• Apply AI to solve two of the most common problems Australian businesses face
• Take practical tools home that you can start using the next day
• Follow a simple week-by-week plan to bring AI into your daily workflows, one step at a timeWhether you're AI-curious, AI-sceptical, or already dabbling and unsure what's next, this is a session you can't afford to miss.
Facilitated by Lailei Huang (AI Researcher and Founder of Western Sydney Tech Innovators)
Seats are limited to 30 attendees.
Refreshments provided.
📍 WSTI AI Hub, Level 1 Western Sydney Startup Hub, 5 Fleet St, North Parramatta NSW 2151
*There is ample street parking. The WSTI office is located within the facility.
This event is hosted by Awqaf Australia at the WSTI AI Hub. More details and tickets here: https://salaamtix.com/e/awqaf-australia/cpd-ai-for-your-business
2 attendees
Past events
140
