SYDNEY

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APRIL 01, 2025

Hear from global innovators and venture capitalists to turbocharge your growth.

SMARTCOMPANY'S AUDIENCE OF BUSINESS OWNERS

The SmartCompany Reader Survey 2024 

A mechatronics engineer, Grace began building robots in her teens and founded Andromeda to create Abi – a truly empathetic robot capable of bringing genuine connection into people’s lives in situations where it’s needed most. Determined to make a positive difference in the world, Grace developed her idea from its earliest stages at a Startmate accelerator through research and development to secure investor funding

and build a talented team. Working closely with aged care homes, Grace has led the team to make Abi relate to residents like never before – providing personalised companionship that replaces loneliness with meaningful connection and joy.

Adam Schwab is the co-founder of the world’s most loved travel business, Luxury Escapes, a prolific author and podcast host (of the top-rated The Contrarians with Adam and Adir and From Zero podcasts) and was awarded the Young CEO of the Year in 2015. Since 2004, Adam has been a financial journalist and business commentator specialising in corporate governance, economics and start-ups for SmartCompany, the Australian Financial Review, and has appeared on Channel 7 News nationally, 3AW, 2GB, Sky Business and Today Tonight.

Dr Adir Shiffman is an Australian serial technology startup founder, investor, and executive chairman of global athlete analytics leader Catapult Sports (ASX: CAT). He has been rated the World's 10th Most Innovative Person in Sports Business. After qualifying in medicine and practising as an MD, Adir transitioned to startup founder and, over the last two decades, launched, built and sold several high-growth technology companies.

Lisa Teh is unhealthily obsessed with all things digital. As a serial entrepreneur and Web3 pioneer, she's riding the cutting edge of marketing innovation through Mooning, her agency that helps brands navigate the wild frontiers of Web3 and AI. Before diving into the metaverse, she built CODI Agency, a powerhouse digital marketing firm, crafting and executing digital marketing campaigns for global giants like Uber Eats, San Pellegrino, and L'Oreal.

Elaine Stead is a member of the investment team at Main Sequence, with a background spanning research, entrepreneurship and venture capital. She is most well-known for her 20-year track record that extends to investing in over 100 startups across Australia, the United States and South East Asia, including several unicorns.

Aaron Tan is a principal at KKR & Co. and leads the firm’s growth equity investing efforts across Australia and New Zealand with a focus on software, fintech, and AI. He is involved with KKR’s investments in Advanced Navigation, SmartHR and Employment Hero. Prior to joining KKR, Aaron was an investment director at OneVentures, a leading Australian venture capital fund.

Dr Suji Sanjeevan is a doctor-turned-fragrance innovator, pioneering the future of medtech and digiscents. A King’s College London graduate, she began in research and policy before co-founding LIGHT + GLO in 2015 with her husband, an allergy specialist. Its sister brand, BrandScent, leads in olfactory branding and experiential marketing. After making waves on Shark Tank Australia, Suji is driving AI-powered scent solutions, set to revolutionise healthcare, wellness, and immersive digital experiences.

Sam Garven is the co-founder and CEO of Hello Canopy, a start up that enables employees in the workplace to speak up about misconduct, whistleblowing and burnout. Notably, Hello Canopy was part of the Techstars Accelerator program in 2024 where 83% of the selected companies had at least one women founder. She's also a founding member of Grapevine, a not for profit empowering Australia's tech and startup ecosystem by sharing stories of sexual harassment and discrimination in service of driving systemic change. 

Tim Fung is the founder and CEO of Airtasker, a marketplace for local services connecting people who need work done, with trusted, and skilled locals who want to work and earn extra cash. Airtasker’s mission is to empower people to realise the full value of their skills - to create jobs, income and purpose and have a positive impact on the future of work on a global scale. Tim is also a co-founder and director of Tank Stream Labs Pty Ltd – a co-working space and entrepreneurial community located in Sydney. 

Taryn Williams is a multi-award-winning founder and CEO. Taryn founded WINK Models, which grew to become one of Australia’s most successful commercial modelling agencies. Her latest project is #Gifted, a Shopify plug-in enabling brands to manage their influencer contra gifting at scale, which is already being used by some of Australia’s biggest brands, including Accor Hotels and PE Nation.

Tim Burrowes is the publisher and founder of the marketing industry publications Mumbrella and Unmade. Working on newspapers, magazines and online, Tim has been a journalist for more than 30 years and has written about the media for the last 20. He co-presents the weekly MediaLand show on ABC Radio National, and is also the author of the book Media Unmade, the definitive story of Australia’s media during the disruptive decade of 2010 to 2020.

Amy Boulter is a seasoned leader driving strategic growth and operational excellence. With a proven track record of navigating complex business landscapes, Amy empowers organisations to achieve sustainable success with the right technology stacks. Her expertise spans digital transformation, program management, and she's passionate about fostering innovation and building high-performing teams. Amy is committed to growing small businesses and delivering impactful results that shape the future of business.

Jodie Imam is passionate about helping tech businesses start and grow. Jodie is a founder, angel investor, advisor and non-executive director. Currently she is the co-founder and CEO at Tractor Ventures a fintech company that exists to help founders unlock possibilities with alternative capital. Previously, she co-founded a two-sided marketplace, Occasional Butler, which was acquired by rival Airtasker and depo8 coworking. Jodie has also led SBE Australia, a not-for-profit that accelerates women-led business, and was the director of StartUps at The Wade Institute, and the GM for fashion label Leona Edmiston.

Melbourne-born fintech Zeller is on a mission to change the way small businesses handle payments. Unsatisfied with the options provided by the big banks, and newer players like Square (now Block), Ben Pfisterer was one of four co-founders to launch Zeller in 2020. Its growth was meteoric: despite launching in the depths of COVID-19 restrictions, the firm garnered a billion-dollar valuation just last year, and continues to roll out new features for small and growing enterprises. Pfisterer’s previous experience includes NAB, Visa, and Jack Dorsey’s Square (now Block).

Aubrey helps Culture Amp build equitable processes, products, experiences, and operations. Through all her work, she seeks to question, reimagine, and redesign the systems and practices surrounding us. Aubrey is an advisor/investor to various companies seeking to build a more just world, including OnRamp, Seed&Spark, Stark, Joonko, and Pivot Diversity. Her work has been featured in Wired and the Wall Street Journal. 

Tim Snape is a brand and marketing leader and the chief brand officer at Heaps Normal, Australia’s fastest-growing independent non-alcoholic beer brand. With 17 years in marketing, Tim has led brand strategy, digital content, social media, comms, PR, and partnerships. He’s previously worked at Commbank, Mirvac and the Sydney Opera House.

Kristi Mansfield is the co-founder and CEO of Seer Data, an Australian tech scale-up turning data into action for people creating a better world. Kristi has served on several boards including the North Queensland Cowboys Community Foundation, The Stella Prize, the Australian Women Donors Network, SharingStories and the NSW Government’s Family and Community Services Advisory Board for Social Investment. She has been named one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence by the Australian Financial Review.

Susan Toft started The Laundry Lady on the Gold Coast in 2012. As a new mum with a toddler and a full-time job with interstate travel, she knew other mums and families out there facing the same struggles to keep on top of their laundry. The Laundry Lady had made waves in the Aussie market and beyond. It has since expanded into New Zealand, and was featured on the hit business reality TV show Shark Tank Australia.

Rachael Greaves is the co-founder and CEO of Castlepoint Systems, a globally recognised leader in AI-driven information governance and security. With a deep background in cybersecurity, risk, and compliance, Rachael has led Castlepoint from a bold startup to an internationally expanding enterprise. Under her leadership, the company has earned industry acclaim, secured major government and enterprise clients, and expanded into new markets. 

Kate is an investment manager at Airtree where she focuses on seed to growth investments across Australia and New Zealand. Prior to Airtree, Kate was a management consultant at Oliver Wyman working on a diverse range of projects from wargaming potential merger strategies for large oil and gas businesses, to APRA regulation implementation for insurers and banks. She also spent time interning at a boutique investment bank.

Paul McCarney is CEO of Sector Light, a firm dedicated to the active mentoring of technology CEOs and founders. As an investor, advisor, and founder, Paul has more than 30 years in data, technology, and digital business, and has founded and invested in over 40 technology-related startups. He is a holder of multiple patents relating to systems, data, and identity, consulted for Bain, Deloitte and Accenture, and is a regular industry speaker, private equity advisor, and occasional writer.

Megan is the CEO and director of EnergyLab - Australia’s largest climate tech startup accelerator and innovation ecosystem dedicated to reaching net zero emissions. EnergyLab supports talented founders addressing the global climate crisis to the mentors, advisors, partners, peers and investors they need to succeed.

Dr Libby Sander is an internationally renowned expert on the future of work and the workplace. She is an agenda contributor at the World Economic Forum and has spoken at TEDx. A leading expert on workplace design and the future of work, Libby has appeared on ABC TV, Channel 7’s Sunrise and Channel 9’s Today show, and her research has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. 

Anna is currently the Head of Growth and Engagement Marketing at Turo Australia. Anna joined as their first Aussie hire to help them with their go-to-market strategy. Prior to Turo, Anna helped grow HealthMatch from 80K to 1M users in ten months, and helped launch Spaceship, growing their AUM to $100M in their first four months.

Nathan is the co-founder of Paire, leading the brand’s creativity, marketing, growth, and tech. He scaled Paire from 0 to $10 million, building an essential clothing brand that blends comfort, function, and sustainability with cutting-edge fabric technology.

Tori Starkey is a dynamic marketing and business leader with over twenty years of experience driving growth, transformation, and data-driven decision-making across global enterprises and high-growth scale-ups. As the Chief of Customer & Revenue at Kudosity, a leading business messaging platform, Tori oversees Marketing, Business Intelligence & Analytics, Sales, Customer Support, and GTM Operations, driving strategies that help businesses connect with customers in more meaningful ways.

Olympia Yarger is the founder and CEO of Goterra. With a relentless commitment to innovation and sustainability, Olympia designed and commercialised the world's first decentralised, autonomous, insect farms. She’s also designed the Australian Federal Government's Insect Protein regulatory framework and was a pivotal member of the working group that approved insect protein for livestock feed in Australia. Her work has been recognised globally in agricultural and insect protein industries and the CSIRO has identified a recently discovered species of Soldier Fly in her name. 

Andrew Poesaste is renowned for backing category-defining startups from day zero. He returned to Australia after an accomplished venture career across Europe and Israel, where he invested in three unicorns and helped build a portfolio that is now valued at over $8B. His early-stage focus and strong returns illustrate Andrew’s consistent ability to spot and support tomorrow’s market leaders. A key driver of that success is helping companies make their US market entries from hiring to getting the best follow on US investors. Now, he leverages that same skill set to help Australian and New Zealand companies navigate that same expansion.

Skye is a powerhouse advocate for democracy and the purpose-driven economy, recognised as an Obama Foundation Leader for APAC and a Snow Foundation Entrepreneur Fellow. This drive fueled her co-founding of Ripple, a community empowering thousands of Australians to become agents of change.Skye brings a wealth of international experience and a visionary perspective on the future of work, demonstrating how impact-driven roles can revolutionise our approach to business and society.

HEADLINE SPONSOR

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

This full-day summit brings together Australia’s top business minds and global innovators to share actionable insights on securing funding, scaling businesses, expanding internationally, and leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI.

Full program to be announced shortly.

Hear case studies from those who have successfully grown businesses including how they overcame challenges, and key strategic approaches.

Investors will give insights into securing funding, what they look for, and how start or build relationships with angel investor and venture capitalists.

Hear directly from investors about how they see investing trends, challenges, and opportunities in an improving investment landscape.

Expert, stress-tested advice on building a strong team, retaining talent.

EVENT DETAILS

Tuesday, April 1 - Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney

Conference 8.30am - 5.25pm

Networking drinks 5.25pm - 6.25pm

HOW MUCH ARE TICKETS?

Ticket price is dependent on release. Please visit the checkout page for full pricing information. For group ticket purchases, please contact our team directly at events@smartcompany.com.au.

WHO IS THIS EVENT FOR?

This event offers unparalleled networking opportunities with industry leaders, investors, and fellow entrepreneurs, ensuring attendees leave equipped with the knowledge and connections to accelerate their growth. With a focus on gender diversity and cultural representation, the summit reflects Australia's evolving business landscape.

HOW CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SPONSORING?

For our media kit and more information, please contact sales@smartcompany.com.au.

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