Australia 25
Sunrise is Blackbird’s love letter to founders and the beautiful things they create. It’s a celebration of exceptionalism in Australia and New Zealand where people from our startup community come together to dream up the future. Sunrise Australia returns in 2025 on 30 April and 1 May. Join us. Be part of it. Shape the future.
30 April & 1 May
Carriageworks, Sydney
Sunrise is Blackbird’s love letter to founders and the beautiful things they create. It’s a celebration of exceptionalism in Australia and New Zealand, where people come together to dream up the future.
⬤ Sunrise Australia 2025
⬤ 30 April & 1 May
⬤ Carriageworks, Sydney
Ben Shewry
Head chef and owner of Attica, Ben transformed it into one of the world’s most celebrated restaurants, championing creativity, collaboration, and a groundbreaking approach to Australian cuisine.
Robyn Denholm
Chair of Tesla and Blackbird board member, Robyn has led global tech giants, shaped Australia’s innovation landscape, and champions the future of sports and technology investment.
Tim Doyle
Tim Doyle is the Co-founder and CEO of Eucalyptus, a digital clinic network serving 500,000+ patients globally. Previously, he led growth at Koala and advised on digital strategy for the Australian Labor Party.
Kirsha Kaechele
Kirsha Kaechele is an artist, curator, and founder of Material Institute. Known as “Mrs. Mona,” she transforms problems into art through radical projects spanning ecology, social change, and conceptual provocations.
Paul Bassat
Paul co-founded SEEK, one of Australia’s most successful tech companies, cofounded Square Peg, a leading VC firm. He most recently founded Amplify, bringing Australians together to solve the country’s biggest challenges.
Pete Shadbolt
A quantum computing pioneer, Pete co-founded PsiQuantum to build a fault-tolerant quantum computer. With a PhD in photonics, he leads efforts to scale quantum tech globally.
Annabel Hay
Named by *Forbes* as an entrepreneur to watch, Annabel is the visionary behind CLUTCH Glue, a patented clothing adhesive redefining fashion with innovation, effectiveness, and a commitment to sustainability.
Lucy Hay
Ex-agency creative turned glue mogul, Lucy honed her 8 years in advertising to market CLUTCH Glue to the masses with a social-first (and community-first) approach.
Felix Thomsen
Felix Thomsen, Co-founder and CEO of Iceberg Quantum, is designing next-gen fault-tolerant architectures to accelerate quantum computing. He holds a PhD in quantum computing from the University of Sydney.
Jessica Ducrou
A driving force in Australian live music, Jessica co-founded Splendour in the Grass, led major festivals, and shaped industry policy. A champion for artists, she continues to influence music’s future.
Armina Rosenberg
Armina is co-founder and co-portfolio manager of Minotaur Capital, an AI-driven global equities firm. She previously managed portfolios at Grok Ventures, Audant Investments, and began her career in equities research at J.P. Morgan.
Vu Tran
Co-founder of edtech unicorn Go1, Vu scaled it from Y Combinator to global success. Now, he’s tackling sovereign defence tech with Black Sky Industries, advancing Australia’s rocket and weapons capabilities.
Karl Durrance
Karl Durrance, Managing Director at Stripe Australia & New Zealand, helps businesses scale online. A former AWS and Telstra leader, he’s passionate about innovation, data, and building high-performing teams that drive global success.
Sam Bowman
Sam is the Founder of Works in Progress, a magazine of new and underrated ideas in science, technology and economics, which was acquired by Stripe in 2022. He is head of publishing at Stripe where he also oversees Stripe Press.
May Samali
May Samali is the Founder & CEO of Human Leadership Lab, unlocking leadership potential through coaching, research, and investment. A Harvard graduate and venture partner, her insights have been featured in TechCrunch, Forbes, and more.
Georgina Harrisson
Georgina Harrisson, CEO of AMPLIFY, is a policy leader with 20+ years in government reform. She’s shaped the NDIS and led Australia’s largest education system, tackling how to fix broken systems for everyday Australians.
Eddie Harran
Eddie Harran is an AI advisor and intelligence designer exploring AI-native thinking, intelligence augmentation, and human-AI collaboration. Through VAST, he researches and advises on how AI is reshaping creativity, knowledge, and identity.
Jaddan Comerford
A fierce advocate for Australian music, Jaddan built UNIFIED Music Group from a suburban bedroom into a powerhouse, managing and elevating iconic independent artists worldwide.
Jack Dean
Jack has spent over a decade helping innovative companies secure R&D Tax Offsets and grants across industries. Passionate about government incentives by day, he’s a Bunnies fan, board game enthusiast, and hockey player by night.
Pat Stewart
Pat Stewart, NSW State Manager at Radium Capital, helps innovators access R&D financing. With 15 years in finance and an MBA, he’s passionate about startups, green innovation, and AgTech, supporting businesses to thrive.
Hayley Saddington
Hayley Saddington, Founder & CEO of Peak Medical, is a healthcare innovator revolutionising patient care. A Telstra Business Woman of the Year and Shark Tank finalist, she blends medical tech and business to drive impact.
Cam Price
Cam Price, co-founder & CEO of LeadStory, launched the world’s first personalized news bulletin for SmartTVs and EV screens. A former TV journalist, he now reaches 10M+ viewers globally each month.
Kylie Troy-West
Kylie Troy-West, co-founder and COO of Factor House, led its $5M seed round after bootstrapping global sales. She champions diversity, inclusion, and sustainability while building high-performing, people-first teams in enterprise tech.
Derek Troy-West
Derek Troy-West is the co-founder and CEO of Factor House, pioneering user-centric tools for real-time data streaming. A fintech veteran, he’s shaping the future of enterprise tech with next-gen infrastructure solutions.
Bronwen Clune
Bronwen joined Capital Brief after 15 years in media, startups, and government innovation. A founding team member at Culture Amp, she brings deep expertise in fostering innovation and growth.
Annie Liao
Annie Liao is the founder of Build Club, the world’s largest AI community, democratising AI education across 20+ cities. A former BCG consultant and data scientist, she helps enterprises and learners upskill through hands-on AI training.
Dave Murphy
Dave is a certified Breathwork and Flow State facilitator, helping leaders and teams unlock creativity, clarity, and performance. He’s worked with Canva, BCG, Blackbird, TikTok, and more to harness flow state.
Brianna Kerr
Brianna Kerr is an impact strategist and entrepreneur, co-founding Kua and Five Bucks. She consults on sustainability, teaches at UNSW, and helps businesses embed impact at their core.
Tina Funder
Tina is the founder of Alt. Leather, a 100% bio-based leather alternative that transforms waste-streams and regenerative plants into material for application across fashion, footwear, upholstery and auto.
Riannah Burns
I believe big challenges—climate, homelessness, mental health—are solved through collaboration. At 10x10, I manage the Venture Philanthropy portfolio, backing early-stage NFPs and driving impact through $5M+ in grants in 2024.
Helen Zhang
Based in Washington DC, Helen co-founded Intrigue Media. She has worked in venture, diplomacy, tech policy, and law—and was once a B-grade dog influencer.
Jeremy Dicker
A former Australian diplomat, Jeremy served in Mexico, Peru, and the U.S. before leading Intrigue Media. Fluent in Spanish, he’s a UN alum and a recipient of Peru’s presidential medal.
Brian Goorjian
Australia’s most decorated basketball coach, Brian has led six NBL titles and guided the Boomers to their first Olympic medal. A coaching legend, he now returns to the Sydney Kings.
Lauren Capelin
Lauren Capelin is a community strategist and innovation specialist in web3, fintech, and startups. She’s led at AWS Startups, Startmate, and Reinventure, shaping ecosystems, investments, and gender diversity in venture and fintech.
Sacha Judd
A lifelong fan and advocate for fandom’s creative power, Sacha advises startups and speaks on internet communities, high-performing teams, and how to build a better online future.
Myffy Rigby
An Australian writer, editor, cookbook author, and presenter, Myffy is a leading voice in food storytelling, bringing deep insight and personality to the culinary world.
Annabel Rolley
Annabel Rolley is the Founder and CEO of Interpretr AI, an AI-powered dream interpretation app. A psychologist with expertise in mental health and performance, she merges science and technology for self-discovery.
Orsolya Toth-Pal
Orsolya is the founder of Suntied and Debate Club, creating spaces for growth and connection. With a decade in media and advertising, she empowers individuals to elevate their careers and confidence.
Arushi Srivastava
Arushi is a dynamic leader in Ad-tech, e-commerce, and affiliate ecosystems, driving growth and mentoring talent.
Janey Martino
Jane Martino is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and advisor, having built and exited multiple companies across media, fintech, and health tech. She co-founded Smiling Mind and recently launched coaching business Kintsugi Way.
Nicholas Ingate
I help leaders grow through transformational travel. As founder of Sabbatical.Travel: I create journeys that inspire reflection, reconnection, and purpose—because meaningful travel starts from within. Journey inward, travel outward.
Henrietta Amevor
Henrietta Amevor is the founder of The Good Gratitude, a movement promoting journaling, community, and connection. She's also an actor (*BUMP*) and works supporting migrant communities at Spectrum.
Solomon Inyang
Solomon is a game developer and PhD researcher exploring how game design and AI can shape simulations for disaster response and agriculture. His latest project, Culture Crafter, lets players build unique virtual cultures.
Amelia Vu
Amelia Minh Vu is a Vietnamese-Australian artist from Melbourne’s west, working across film, dance, and events. She’s directed short films, led major street dance events, and creates powerful live performance works.
What's the point?
Sunrise is a festival of creativity, technology and ambition. At Sunrise, you can immerse yourself in our startup community, become a part of it, and help to shape it.
Announcements
FAQs
What awaits me at Sunrise?
Sunrise isn’t a business conference. It’s not exactly a tech event, either. It's a cultural celebration where you'll be exposed to big ideas, meet new people, and learn something new. We thread creativity and culture throughout every moment to provide meaningful experiences. At Sunrise, we promise:
- You will be inspired by stories of triumph and failure. By visions of a future just out of our reach. By examples of exceptionalism and creativity.
- You will meet new people. Be it your co-founder, your new boss, team member, friend or fellow Traveller.
- You will learn new things. Discover fresh tools, frameworks, and mindsets to level up your journey.
Join us. Be part of it. Shape the future.
When will tickets to Sunrise Australia 2025 be available?
Limited Sunrise Earlybird discounted tickets will be available from 13 February 2025, before switching over to General Admission on 27 February 2025.
When and where is Sunrise Australia 2025?
Sunrise Australia 2025 returns to Sydney on 30 April & 1 May at Carriageworks - 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW 2015.
When will the full program be announced?
You can expect to see a number of magical speaker and session drops every few weeks until Sunrise. The full Sunrise Australia 2025 lineup and schedule will be released closer to the event. Keep your eye on our website, Blackbird's socials or sign up to get notified by email!
Can I sponsor Sunrise?
Each Sunrise, we work with a small group of partners who are as committed as we are in creating an extraordinary event. We're deliberately pretty picky about who we work with, but if you work with a company that wants to champion startups and the people building them, then flick us an email at sunrise@blackbird.vc and we can chat there.