Founder Groups Sydney
Connect with fellow founders in Sydney

VC Networking: Pitch Day - Amsterdam
Tue, Aug 18, 2:00 PM**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/3zienozq)** 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.*

VC Networking: Pitch Day — Melbourne
Wed, Aug 26, 2:00 PM**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/7u25j79t)** 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.*

From EVP & CPO of Walmart US to Advisor for MrBeast: A Chat with Jon Alferness
Tue, Aug 25, 7:30 AMSome careers shape products. Others shape industries. Join Leading the Product for an exclusive evening with [Jon Alferness](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-alferness-b193a3/) — one of Silicon Valley's most accomplished product leaders, advisor and investor. Jon is a highly experienced technology and product leader with more than 20 years' experience in Silicon Valley and the global retail sector, including recent focus on the food and grocery sector. Across more than two decades, his career has been defined by senior executive roles delivering digital transformation and innovation at some of the world's most influential technology companies, including Google, Pinterest, Lyft and, most recently, as Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Walmart US whilst a Strategic Advisor to MrBeast — a role encompassing eCommerce, Financial Services, Health & Wellness, Merchant Tools, and Last Mile Delivery. Prior to Walmart, Jon spent 13 years at Google, where as Vice President of Product Management, he played a pivotal role in developing Google Ads across Search, Mobile, Shopping, and Travel, driving innovations that shaped the digital advertising landscape. Now, Jon's roles consist of Non Executive Director for Woolworths Group and Advisor/Investor to many companies. Hosted as an intimate Fireside Chat, with Brainmates CEO [Adrienne Tan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennetan/) driving the fireside chat, this is a rare opportunity for the Australian product community to hear directly from someone who has operated at the highest levels of global product leadership. This will be an open, candid conversation exploring what it really takes to build enduring product organisations, lead through constant technological change, make high-stakes decisions, and develop the next generation of product leaders. We'll dive into topics including: * How product leadership has evolved across the world's biggest technology companies. * What separates exceptional product organisations from merely good ones. * Leading through AI, disruption and constant change. * Building products, teams and cultures that scale. * The lessons, mistakes and experiences that only come from operating at the very highest level. Following the fireside conversation, we'll open the floor for an audience Q&A, giving attendees the chance to ask their own questions and engage directly with one of the industry's most experienced product executives. We'll then continue the conversation over drinks and networking with Sydney's product community. **Evening timeline** 5.30 – 6.15pm: Arrive, grab a drink, and connect 6.15 – 7.15pm: Fireside conversation with Jon Alferness and audience Q&A 7.15 – 8.00pm: Networking, conversation, and connection Whether you're an experienced product leader, an aspiring executive, or simply curious about how the world's best product organisations think and operate, this promises to be an evening of practical insights, honest stories, and unforgettable access. A huge shoutout to Dovetail for their gracious hosting at their Surry Hills office. We'll have light food and drinks covered—all we ask is that you bring your curiosity, your questions, and your perspective. RSVP your spot today.

Automate Your Business with Hermes Agent - Keep Private and Take Control
Fri, Aug 14, 11:30 PM**This is a paid event.** Early-bird tickets for **$149** are available until 7th August. Tickets will be **$249** thereafter. Get your tickets on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1993880315698?aff=oddtdtcreator **Overview** Ready to automate — on your own terms? A full-day, hands-on build at WSTI, where you'll set up a Business AI OS on **Hermes** — the open-source AI agent you run yourself. Lunch + optional consultation included. \> ***"I want AI actually running my business — but on my terms: my data, my computer, my costs."*** Sound familiar? You're ready for the next step. You'll build a Business AI OS — the foundation that holds your business's context, memory and tool connections and powers every Agent that runs on it. By day's end you'll have assembled a Chief-of-Staff agent that triages a whole inbox into one dashboard, plus a content agent for social — on a real business scenario, on software that's yours to take home. **Why Hermes — what a rented AI tool can't give you** \- 🔓 **Hermes Agent.** Free & open-source. Take Hermes home and set up the same thing for your own business, on your own computer. \- 🔒 **Your data stays with you.** Hermes runs on your own machine and connects to your own accounts — your emails never sit on someone else's cloud. \- 💸 **Your model, your cost — your choice.** You're not locked to one paid provider: plug in a low-cost model, or an all-in subscription if you prefer. You control the bill. \- 📱 **It lives where you do.** Connect Hermes to WhatsApp and run your business from your phone — get the morning's inbox triage sent straight to you. **What You'll Walk Out With** * **A Business AI OS that knows your business** — its context, voice, prices and tools — running on Hermes, on a real scenario (the foundation everything else builds on) * **A Chief of Staff that runs your inbox for you** — a team of specialist agents that sort, draft and prioritise every email into one dashboard, and run themselves every morning on a schedule (drafts only — never sends without you) * **A content agent for the other direction** — it spots a happy-customer email and writes ready-to-post Instagram/Facebook content (inbound **and** outbound, one system) * **An optional free 30-minute AI consultation** to map your next step **Who This Is For** \- SME owners and founders who want automation without giving up cost control or data privacy \- Working professionals who want a self\-hosted\, no\-lock\-in setup they fully own \- Anyone curious how Western Sydney businesses are running on AI Agents **What to Expect** * **Background** — what a Business AI OS is, and why open-source + self-hosted matters for cost and privacy * **Demo** — a live Chief of Staff triaging a full inbox * **Hands-on all day** — install Hermes → give it your business memory → build an Operations Agent → save it as a skill + schedule it → build specialist sub-agents → assemble a Chief of Staff → extend it with content/social * **Lunch + networking** with other Western Sydney business owners, founders and builders * **Next steps** + your optional free consultation **FAQ** **What is a Business AI OS?** A personal AI operating system for your business — the layer that knows the business (context, memory) and connects to your own tools, so it can spawn the right Agent for any task. **What platform do you use?** Hermes — an open-source AI agent framework (by Nous Research) that runs on your own computer and works with any AI model. It's free, so you can take the exact setup home. **Where does my data go?** Hermes runs on the computer in front of you and connects to your own accounts — your data stays with you, not on someone else's cloud. **Can you set it up and run it for me?** Yes. If you'd rather not run it yourself, our 1-on-1 AI OS Build Support can set it up and maintain it on **your own private server** — a dedicated setup that stays yours, never a shared cloud. Ask at your free consultation. **Do I need to know AI or coding?** No coding — Hermes has a friendly desktop app. New to AI? An intro taster experience helps but isn't required. **Do I need a laptop?** No — WSTI provides one to make learning as smooth as possible. We prepare tools, licences, configurations, learning projects and materials beforehand for you. Bring your own if you'd like to take notes. **Is lunch included?** Yes. **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.

Earning Influence: Why Strong Design work doesn't move the room
Tue, Aug 18, 8:00 AMWelcome Back CCX Sydney to our events for 2026 from myself, Lydia, Sylvia and James and we are planning a bumper selection of speakers for this year. Our next event on August 18th will feature two unique presentations from Designers Dan Whelan and Ariel Blackman both from Commonwealth Bank. We will be hosting by the Team at Hipages special thanks to Carlos Guedes and Natalia Furtado. Our first Talk from CBA Product Design leader, Dan Whelan: **Earning Influence: Why Strong Design Work Doesn't Move the Room** **About Dan's Talk** You're doing great work. Decisions move on without you anyway. Here's why — and what has to be true before that changes. It's easy to assume that if the work is good enough, it earns its own influence. It doesn't. Design gets described, by default, in process terms — what was explored, tested, shipped — while the room is listening for risk, revenue and consequence, meaning how we describe the work to each other isn't the value our stakeholders want to see. Good work can fail to move a decision, because how it's described isn't connected to the decision's value. This talk covers the two things that usually get in the way of making your work land. First, the translation problem: why the same piece of work, described two different ways, gets two completely different receptions from your non-designer stakeholders. Second, the gap underneath: work that fails to land because it was never linked to key behaviour to start with, it was built around untraceable best practice. This talk covers both, so the next time you do good work, it doesn't get ignored. **About Dan** Dan Whelan is a design leader with 20 years across companies including Intuit and CommBank, and some of Australia's most complex financial products. She writes and speaks on decision quality and behavioural design, helping designers close the gap between doing strong work and having it influence the room. Our second speaker also from CBA will Ariel Blackman, User Experience Designer on Neurodivergent Strategies **About Ariels talk** Neurospicy Awareness, Acceptance & Strategies An honest look at life as a neurodivergent designer. Through personal stories and practical strategies, Ariel shares what she's learned about managing overwhelm, working with her brain instead of against it, and embracing self-acceptance along the way. Expect a mix of lived experience, useful tools, and a healthy dose of neurospicy chaos **About Ariel:** Ariel Blackman is a Product Designer with over 10 years of experience creating digital products and experiences. Alongside her design career, she's spent years learning how to navigate life as a neurodivergent person, developing practical tools and strategies to better understand herself, manage overwhelm, and work with her brain rather than against it. Passionate about sharing lived experiences with honesty, humour, and vulnerability, Ariel enjoys creating spaces where people feel seen, understood, and accepted. She believes that while everyone's experience is different, there is immense value in sharing the strategies and lessons we've learned along the way. Please note that we will be back at Hipages for our August Event so please familiarise yourself with The location and Start Time. We hope to See you in August and are really looking forward to Hearing from both Dan and Ariel.

🍜Asian Background Social: Lounge Asia Sydney (Easy English) 6pm
Sat, Aug 15, 8:00 AM🌏 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. 📱 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!
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