Founder Groups Sydney

AI Tech & Startup Night — Sydney

**Nomad Global Hub** brings together builders, founders, and tech professionals for a night of curated networking and high-impact startup pitches. **Community Pass spots are limited — reserve yours before they're gone.** **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.*

SydDT #131: Lead Change That Matters with Ben Pecotich

Join us for the launch of Ben Pecotich's new book Lead Change That Matters: Design the Conditions for Momentum! Your ticket includes all the usual SydDT goodness… plus a set of limited-edition Lead Change That Matters cards that we’ll use on the night to catalyse conversation and help you choose your own journey. You’ll also get a special launch discount on Ben's new book. What’s a change you’d love to build momentum on? Bring it along. Whether you’re leading a team, designing a better experience, or helping an organisation move towards something that matters… we’ll have plenty to explore together. 300+ people shared their experiences, goals, frustrations, and hopes through the research behind the book – including so many of you from the SydDT community. Ben will share some of what he's learnt, then we’ll explore the five elements of Conditions for Momentum through conversations about our own work. You’ll use your set of the Lead Change That Matters cards to open up those conversations and help you choose your own journey through the evening… and beyond. You’ll take your own complete set of cards home to keep exploring – on your own and with your team. Come along! Bring a colleague or friend and join us for some fun conversations with interesting people in and around the design thinking community. New members are welcome! **SPEAKER** **[Ben Pecotich](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpecotich/)** **Design & Innovation Director/Founder, [Dynamic4](https://dynamic4.com). Author of Lead Change That Matters: Design the Conditions for Momentum** Ben's a designer, adviser, and founder of Dynamic4. He works alongside leaders and their teams on their most complex challenges across strategy, design, and tech. For 30+ years, Ben's led, designed, and delivered strategic change in financial services in Australia, NZ, Asia, the UK, and Europe – and co-founded 20+ startups and social enterprises across health and fitness, fintech, events, and community building. He founded Dynamic4 in 2001. Ben takes a human-centred design and living systems approach to helping clients design, build, and launch ideas that customers and teams love, make money, and do great things for people and our planet while increasing wellbeing. Everything he does is about accelerating the transition to more regenerative ways of living and doing business, creating the conditions for people and communities to be happier and live on a healthier planet. Ben's the author of Solve Problems That Matter and his new book Lead Change That Matters: Design the Conditions for Momentum is launching now. He's also the co-founder of Sydney Design Thinking. **EVENT SPONSORS** This event is brought to you by [Thoughtworks](https://www.thoughtworks.com/), [Shapeshifters](https://www.shapeshifterscreative.com.au/), 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.

Wonderful Wednesday dinner with Jenni at Chalios Thai

Data Driven or Data Distracted!

Our CCX Sydney October event features a very lively and topical panel discussion entitled Data Driven or Data Distracted We will be applying a $10.00 cover charge to cover Food and drinks and on this occasion will be kindly hosted by the ONSET https://theonset.com.au/ About the session **How Product, Design & Engineering actually use evidence to make decisions** How much data do we really need to make better product decisions? And when does being “data-driven” start getting in the way of good product thinking? For this CCX Sydney session, we’re bringing together four practitioners from different corners of the product ecosystem — analytics, strategy and service design, UX/CX, and engineering — to explore the role data and evidence actually play in product development and delivery. Each speaker will have **15 minutes to make their own case** for — or against — being **DATA-DRIVEN OR DATA-DISTRACTED**. Rather than presenting a single view, they’ll challenge us to look at how research, analytics, customer insight, AI, product requirements engineering and data can influence the decisions we make — from defining the problem and creating the PRD through to designing, building and releasing the product. Our speakers bring four very different perspectives: **Olga Pasikova\, Senior Analytics Director; Rob Tot\, Strategy & Service Design Lead; Thomas Shillingford\, UX \| CX \| Strategy \| AI and Author; and David Berigny\, Forward Deployed Engineer\.** Each panel member will bring their own experience, provocations and examples to the question: **when does data help us make better decisions — and when does it simply give us more information to react to?** Then we turn up the heat. Following the four presentations, **Sophie Greenfield, Senior Product & AI Designer at CBA**, will lead a lively panel discussion, bringing the speakers together to challenge each other's perspectives and explore the tensions between data, evidence, intuition, customer understanding and design judgement. Because being data-driven sounds simple. **Knowing what data to trust, what it actually means, and when to ignore it is where things get interesting.** **About our Panel:** ### Olga Pasikova **Senior Analytics Director** Olga Pasikova is a Senior Analytics Director and experienced digital analytics specialist with more than a decade working across data, analytics and digital measurement. She brings a strong ability to translate complex analytics challenges into clear strategic direction, helping teams use data to understand behaviour, measure outcomes and make better-informed decisions. Olga is also an active member of Sydney’s data and analytics community. ### Rob Tot **Strategy & Service Design Lead** Rob Tot is a Strategy and Service Design Lead who works at the intersection of customer needs, business strategy and service innovation. His work brings together strategic thinking and human-centred design to help organisations navigate complex problems, uncover opportunities and turn insight into meaningful product and service outcomes. ### Thomas Shillingford **UX \| CX \| Strategy \| AI \| Author** Thomas Shillingford is a UX and CX strategist, designer, author and speaker with extensive experience across digital products and customer experiences. His career has included work spanning research, customer journeys, interaction design, usability, design strategy and large-scale digital transformation. More recently, Thomas has been exploring the impact of AI on design practice, including how AI is changing design systems, strategy and the role of human judgement. ### David Berigny **Forward Deployed Engineer** David Berigny is a Forward Deployed Engineer working at the intersection of technology, product development and real-world customer problems. His role brings engineering directly into the product development process — translating customer and business needs into practical technical solutions, testing ideas in the field and using evidence from real-world implementation to inform what gets built and how it evolves. ### Sophie Greenfield FACILITATOR **Senior Product Designer & Facilitator** Sophie Greenfield is a Senior Product Designer at Commonwealth Bank with more than 20 years’ experience across UX, product design, research and digital strategy. Her career has spanned product strategy, customer research and experience design across organisations including CommBank, Westpac and ING Direct. Sophie has a particular interest in the intersection of **data, customer insight, product strategy and AI-enabled design**. She has been exploring and teaching AI-enabled design practices, from research synthesis and hypothesis validation to rapid prototyping and new ways of working for designers. For **DATA-DRIVEN OR DATA-DISTRACTED?**, Sophie will facilitate the conversation between our four speakers, challenging their perspectives and helping unpack the bigger question: **when does evidence genuinely improve product decisions — and when can data become a distraction from understanding the customer?** We are so excited to be wrapping up the year with this awesome panel discussion hosted by new friends of CCX Sydney, the ONSET. [https://theonset.com.au/](https://theonset.com.au/) Lastly make sure you Join us for sponsored drinks post the event at a nearby bar more details to follow. Regards Kevin, Lydia, Sylvia, James and Carolina.

Workplace Psychosocial Safety Lunch

Networking Lunch: Workplace Psychosocial Safety Beyond the Policy Your employee says they are struggling. How do you respond? Join WonderLab for a welcoming lunch with fellow managers, business owners, HR and WHS professionals. Connect over a meal, exchange experiences and explore how to put workplace psychosocial safety into everyday practice. Coming alone or joining us for the first time? You are very welcome. Our host will greet you, introduce you to others and help you settle in at a table with fellow attendees. You do not need to know anyone beforehand or be confident at networking. There is space to listen, ask questions and join the conversation at your own pace. If you feel a little nervous, you can message us before the event. We’re happy to help. What to expect \- Hear from WonderLab founder Rachel WingMan about turning workplace policies into practical action\. \- Practise responding when your employee raises a concern or says they are struggling\. \- Share ideas with people navigating similar workplace challenges\. \- Leave with new connections and practical tools to use with your team\. This lunch is for managers, founders, executives, HR, WHS and people and culture professionals who want to build healthier workplaces and feel more confident in everyday conversations. We want everyone to feel comfortable and respected. Please bring curiosity, respect for others and a willingness to listen. Our host is there to help throughout the event. The details: 📅 Friday, 23 October 2026 🕦 11:30am to 2:00pm 📍 WonderLab in the Sky, Level 18, 388 Lane Cove Road, Macquarie Park NSW 2113 🎟️ $49 per person, including lunch 👥 Limited to 30 attendees 🚗 Parking available at Veriu Macquarie Park Get to know us before you come Take a look at our past gatherings and get to know WonderLab before the day. 📸 Browse our event gallery: https://wonderlab.com.au/events/#gallery 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wonderlab.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WonderlabWellness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wonderlab-wellness/posts/? Come on your own or bring a colleague. We look forward to welcoming you. Book your place on the WonderLab event page: https://events.wonderlab.com.au/monthly-networking-lunch-workplace-psychosocial-safety/

Passion to Purpose: Learn to Host Small Events and Test Your Business Idea

**A 4 Week Program for Women Ready to Share Their Ideas with Confidence!** Have you ever thought: * I'd love to run my own workshop. * I'd like to see if people are interested in my idea. * I enjoy helping others, but don't know where to begin. * I'd love to build a community around something I'm passionate about. If that sounds like you, we created this four-week program for you. Instead of spending months planning, you'll learn how to test your idea by hosting a small, welcoming experience where you can learn from real conversations and genuine feedback. Whether your interest is wellness, creativity, business, personal interests, food, gardening, fitness, education or another topic you enjoy, hosting can be a practical way to explore your idea while building confidence and connecting with others. **What You'll Learn** * Week 1 — Discover Your Passion and Purpose Explore what genuinely interests you, who you enjoy helping and how your interests could become a simple community experience. * Week 2 — Design Your First Hosted Experience Learn how to turn your idea into a simple event that people would enjoy attending. * Week 3 — Build Confidence as a Host Hosting is a skill that improves with practice. We'll share practical ideas that have worked well through Morgaia's own community experiences. * Week 4 — Test, Reflect and Grow Bring everything together by planning your own small hosted experience. **Who This Program Is For** This program is ideal for women who: * have an idea they'd like to explore * enjoy bringing people together * want to build confidence speaking with groups * would like to develop leadership and communication skills * are considering creating future workshops, events or community experiences * want to learn in a friendly and supportive environment No previous hosting experience is required. **What You'll Receive** * Four interactive group sessions * Practical worksheets and planning templates * Opportunities to learn alongside other women * A supportive community where questions are encouraged * Practical ideas you can apply at your own pace **What to bring** * A notebook/journal + pen * An open mind **Contribution**: $5 **Meeting point** The Sorrel Cafe & Kitchen https://share.google/UdizTCl7qcKVNrbUG **Check out our Sister Meetups** Glow Up and Go Sydney - Yoga and Mind-Body Movement [https://www.meetup.com/glowupandgosydney](https://www.meetup.com/glowupandgosydney) Sydney Eats Walk Social Life [https://www.meetup.com/sydneyeatswalksociallife](https://www.meetup.com/sydneyeatswalksociallife) This event is brought to you by **Morgaia**, a welcoming community for women 40+ who want to build healthy habits, enjoy gentle movement and connect with like-minded women. Learn more at [www.morgaia.com](http://www.morgaia.com/). **About Morgaia** Morgaia encourages women to keep growing, learning and building confidence through community experiences. This program shares practical ideas, personal experiences and lessons learned from hosting community events over time. Every participant is encouraged to adapt what they learn to suit their own goals, interests and circumstances. Whether you choose to host one event or continue developing your ideas beyond the program, you'll leave with more confidence, practical knowledge and a clearer understanding of your next steps. Come along, meet like-minded women, and discover how hosting can be a practical way to explore your ideas, grow your confidence, and create meaningful community connections. **Important Information** This event is an educational community program that shares practical experiences, ideas and general information. It is not business, legal, financial, medical or psychological advice. Individual experiences and outcomes will differ, and participants are encouraged to seek professional advice where appropriate for their personal circumstances.

October syd<video> - #80th episode

Join us for Season 11, Episode 5 as we celebrate 80 meetups of community, code, and video tech this October with another great night of video tech talks returning to the slick **Canva** office for an evening of deep-dives, good friends networking, food and drinks. Tonights speakers will be **[David Rodd (US) - Software Engineering Manager Paramount+](https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lightning-rodd/)** **KITT: Could AI Have Saved Our Event Platform? How solving lost jobs evolved into building distributed state** **[Colin Hendry - Media Technical Specialist @ SBS](https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinhendry/)** **Streaming both of the worlds largest sporting events (at the same time)** **[Jeremy Brown - Video and Ads @ Kick](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremybrownau/)** **How much can change in a year at Kick the worlds fourth largest live streaming platform** **Sponsors** Our thanks to **Canva** for hosting and sponsoring pizza + drinks at the venue. Sydney Video Technology is a volunteer group, as part of many groups independently run around the world. Tonight’s hosts will be: Jeremy Brown, Adrian Britton, Grégoire Duché and Amy Prosser

Sydney Claude for Founders: PRDs and More

**💡 Unlock Claude for Real Work – A Hands-On Vibe Coding Session** This is a practical 2-hour workshop: you'll leave knowing how to use Claude for real work, not just one-off prompts. 🧑‍💻 **About your host:** a vibe coded entrepreneur making 4 figures/day. He's pulling back the curtain and sharing his secret blueprint, step by step. **⚠️ Don't wait.** Spots are capped — confirm yours via the registration link below. ### [🚀 REGISTER HERE 🚀](https://holly-7fc37.aiventurelab.org/product/ClaudeVibeCode?city=Sydney&groupurlname=the-highland-pipes-social-discussion-circle&productId=130001&startgmtdatetime=2026-10-28T06:15:00Z) --- Claude is far more capable than a Q&A box. We'll show you how it actually processes your requests, and how a few simple techniques can dramatically improve the quality of everything it gives you. 🔍 **What You'll Walk Away With:** - Real hands-on practice — not just slides and theory - Confidence to tackle bigger tasks with Claude on your own - Prompting techniques that noticeably improve your results - A solid grasp of how Claude actually thinks and responds 💡 **Real use cases we'll cover:** - Turning rough notes into polished documents - Summarizing meetings and long documents in seconds - Writing and refining PRDs and project plans ⏱️ **2 hours of hands-on practice.** ✨ Two hours of practical skill-building — bring your curiosity. 💻 ✨

Fuckup Nights Sydney: The Stories Nobody Puts On LinkedIn

**🎟 Tickets are sold on Eventbrite only: [eventbrite.com.au/e/2002695427936](https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/2002695427936)** **Your Meetup RSVP is not a ticket. Grab yours on Eventbrite, $33.** Three Sydney business owners tell the story of something that went properly wrong. And a mentalist closes the night. We often hear about the wins. Less often about the month someone made a hire who seemed perfect in the interview and it all went very wrong. That's what Fuckup Nights is for! Fuckup Nights is a global storytelling series running in 300+ cities. The format is simple: founders, owners and senior operators get on stage and tell the story of something that went badly wrong in their own business. What they did. What it cost. What they know now. No pitch decks. No "and that is when we raised our Series A". Just the things people normally only admit after the second drink. ## Speakers of the night **Nimarta Verma**, Founder, StorySharing A Stevie Award winning coach who helps leaders tell true stories. She has never told this one on a stage. Money for virtually no work. She thought she hit the jackpot until a phone call came... **Jasper Musgrave**, Founder & Managing Director, Twisted Truth Media "It was just a nightmarish period." Slow to hire, quick to fire - he learned it the expensive way, and he is going to tell you how. **Xavier Crow**, Mentalist & Human Dynamics Specialist, Real Human Dynamics 20+ years. 1,000+ events. 12+ countries. He reads people for a living, which also means he has a collection of nights when the trick did not work. Fair warning: he will know what you are thinking before you do. ## How the night runs * 5:30pm Arrive, grab a drink and grab your favourite seat * 6:00pm Welcome * 6:15pm First story & Q&A * 6:30pm Second story & Q&A * 6:45pm Break & networking * 7:00pm Third story & Q&A * 7:15pm The mentalist closes the night * 7:30pm Networking * 8:00pm Stay on for dinner and drinks at Cardea The night is off the record. The only way to hear this one is to be in the room. ## Where Cardea, Shop 2 T3.01, 300 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo NSW 2000 Cardea is a cocktail bar made for live performance, right in the heart of Barangaroo. Think red velvet booths, glittering chandeliers and vintage furniture. The bar is named after Cardea, the Roman goddess of doorways. We're fairly sure she's also in charge of guarding all our speakers! Take a seat at the bar or get close to the stage in theatre-style seating. Or bring your friends and colleagues and make a booth your base for the night. About half the room comes alone, so come solo or bring your crew. Drinks and food aren't included in your ticket, but Cardea's full menu is available on the night. It's about a five-minute walk from both Wynyard Station and Barangaroo Metro. ## Who comes to this Founders, business owners, agency people, operators, and anyone who is quietly in the middle of their own fuckup right now and would like to feel less alone about it. **🎟 Tickets: [eventbrite.com.au/e/2002695427936](https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/2002695427936)** See you on the other side of the door.

Sydney Claude Community: From Beginners to Builders

Welcome to the Sydney Claude Community! Whether you are completely new to artificial intelligence or a seasoned developer looking to architect enterprise solutions, this meetup is your space to learn, share, and grow. AI is moving fast, and navigating it alone can be overwhelming. We’ve broadened the scope of this group to support everyone in our local community who wants to understand and leverage AI—specifically Anthropic’s Claude—no matter where you are on your journey. **What to Expect:** Grab a coffee and join us for relaxed, open discussions broken down into three main areas of focus: •⁠ ⁠The AI Explorers (Beginners): For those who don't know much about AI yet but are eager to explore, ask questions, and get hands-on experience in a welcoming environment. •⁠ ⁠The Professionals (Intermediate): For those who understand the basics of AI but want practical advice on how to implement it to help their teams, automate workflows, or support their companies. •⁠ ⁠The Builders (Advanced): For developers and consultants willing to dive deep, study AI architecture, and prepare for the official Anthropic certification exams. **Why Join Us?** As AI evolves, getting the right guidance is crucial. One of our co-organizers is an official Anthropic Partner and a newly Certified Claude Code Architect Professional. We are here to support the community, provide mentorship, share real-world use cases, and help you navigate the certification pathways. Come along to network, share your ideas, and learn how to make AI work for you! **About the Organizers & Partners** •⁠ ⁠Code Sydney (https://code.sydney/) •⁠ ⁠Community Partner: Seiment (https://seiment.com/)

Sydney HUG Meetup @ Netflix Animation

Our October 2026 SydHUG is brought to you via a collaboration between the Sydney Houdini User Group, Netflix Animation Studios & the ACM SIGGRAPH Sydney Chapter. We look forward to welcoming attendees from across our communities! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **PRESENTATIONS** More details coming soon. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **SCHEDULE** 6.30pm: Doors open, networking 7.00 to 8:30pm: Presentations **1.** **Presenters:** Anna Molamphy and James Hardy **Title:** Making a Point - Procedural Modelling Workflows **Description:** Discover how NAS leverages instancing in Houdini to streamline asset and environment creation. We’ll showcase our procedural modelling tools and the backend pipeline that empowers artists to craft and assemble complex worlds efficiently **2\. Presenters:** Eric Chan and Julian Davidson **Title:** What’s the Point in Point Instancing? **Description:** A closer look at point instancers - what they are, why we use them, and the challenges they create for downstream departments. We'll walk through the Houdini workflow we designed for FX to make them less painful to work with. 8:30 to 10:00pm: Networking and refreshments \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **ACCESS & ENTRY** To get to the HUG x SIGGRAPH ACM x NAS Event, you will need to walk into the Entertainment Quarter, up Bent Street, and onto John Hargreaves Avenue to reach Gate 3, which is right next to the [Netflix Animation Studios](https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Netflix+Animation+Studios,+Fox+Studios,+Building+54%2F38+Driver+Ave,+Moore+Park+NSW+2021/@-33.8941309,151.2244582,15.84z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x6b12b1e61d410469:0x955b6315c608214!2m2!1d151.2281588!2d-33.8931272?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDkzMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) building. If you walk past AFTRS and the Brent Street Dance School, you will reach a big black gate at the end where Disney security and NAS employees will check in attendees of the event. \- Attendees will receive a NDA\, sent to your email via Envoy before arrival\. Please complete this **before** arrival on the day, and allow 10 minutes to sign in and collect your name tag at Reception upon arrival. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS** SideFX has Houdini Indie licences up for grabs. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-

Women in Projects Australia presents: Building an Ai agent

Stay tuned for more details.