This year at Sunrise Aotearoa, we’re not just here to listen - we’re here to talk, share, and solve. Our brand new Community Meetups programming is all about bringing founders, operators, creators, and innovators together for deep discussions in intimate settings. Think of it as your chance to connect with your fellow Travellers and explore the topics that matter most to your startup journey.
Community Meetups are where magic happens. Bring your biggest questions, share your stories, and be ready to swap ideas and strategies. You won’t just be hearing from the pros - you’ll be part of the collective wisdom in the room.
Why did we create this series? Well, we listened to you. Every year, we hear that one of the best parts of Sunrise is connecting with amazing, like-minded people. So, we designed these meetups to make sure those connections aren’t just left to chance. Each session is guided by a seasoned founder, operator, or expert, but the real value comes from everyone in the room. It’s not just about the facilitator dropping knowledge - it’s about you, too.
Where are the Community Meetups?
These sessions will take place at our venue, Wrestler, right next door to the Visions Stage at Meow Nui. Here you’ll find a cozy setting perfect for you to deep dive into topics that matter most to your journey - we’re confident they’ll be an unforgettable part of your Sunrise experience.
Your Community Meetup Lineup:
Founders as First-Time Managers: Navigating the shift from builder to leader
Making the leap from founder to people manager isn’t always straightforward - it’s a whole new game with new challenges. This community meetup is designed to tackle the real, everyday hurdles that first-time managers face as they shift from building products to leading people.
Join us for an open and lively discussion where we’ll swap stories, trade strategies, and dive into practical questions like: How do you transition smoothly from founder to effective manager? What systems can you create to foster continuous development and growth? How do you empower your team to own their progress and drive performance?
This isn’t a lecture - it’s a conversation. Bring your questions, your experiences, and your challenges, and leave with fresh ideas, actionable strategies, and a few new connections to help you grow as a leader.
This session is supported by our good friends at Deel.
Build Smart: Mindset and Strategy for Early-Stage Founders
This isn't about the tools - it's about the mindset. Join fellow early-stage founders in this interactive meetup, where the focus is on how you approach building and launching a product. Together, we'll explore the strategic decisions that matter most when you’re short on time, money, and resources.
In this session, we’ll pose key questions and provoke discussion on how to prioritise, adapt, and stay scrappy while growing your product. This isn’t a one-way conversation - expect to share your own experiences, hear real-world lessons from others in the room, and leave with new ideas that challenge your approach.
Brought to you by Paloma.
Global from Day One: Building a Worldwide Network from New Zealand
Launching a startup from New Zealand is no small feat, but with the right global network and collaboration tools, it becomes possible to hire the best people, secure investors, and recruit customers from around the world. So how do Kiwi founders build and maintain those crucial connections? In this community meetup, we’ll unpack practical tactics and real-life stories of founders who’ve successfully expanded their networks across borders.
Brought to you by Dropbox.
Community as a Growth Strategy: Beyond Clout
Community-building often feels like a tug-of-war between short-term hype and long-term impact. Too often, startups fall into the trap of prioritising optics over outcomes: 'How good did this event look?' instead of asking 'What did this achieve?'.
But here’s the truth: community is more than just a buzzword. It’s a powerhouse growth strategy for businesses that think bigger. It’s about meaningful connections over metrics, sustained ROI over fleeting clicks, and bringing people together in ways that drive real engagement and loyalty. Can the energy of clout-driven moments coexist with the substance of genuine community-building? How do you balance the allure of immediate impact with the patience required for lasting growth?
Join us at this community meetup, hosted by Airwallex, as we unpack the art and science of community as a growth strategy. Let’s explore how to go beyond the surface and build something that resonates, inspires, and grows with purpose.
Proudly supported by our pals at Airwallex.
Brought to you by Airwallex.
Pitch Perfect: Refining Your Startup Story
Whether you’re gearing up to meet with investors or pitching to potential partners, a polished, persuasive elevator pitch is essential for every founder. In this dynamic meetup, three founders will take center stage, delivering their elevator pitches to the community. The real magic happens next: with the help of a facilitator, the audience will dive in, offering insights, asking thought-provoking questions, and sharing recent pitching experiences.
This is a hands-on, collaborative session designed to give you the tools to elevate your verbal pitch. You’ll leave with tactical advice on storytelling, structuring your pitch, handling tough questions, and keeping your audience engaged.
Brought to you by Airwallex.
Financial Foundations: What Your Future CFO Wishes You’d Set Up
In the early days, founders are the driving force behind everything in a startup - including the finance function. But what happens when your startup scales, and it’s time to bring in a CFO? In this interactive meetup, three seasoned startup CFOs will share stories op on what they wish their founders and CEOs had in place before they joined the team.
This session is all about engagement. Expect a lively, hands-on discussion where the audience will have the chance to ask questions, share experiences, and brainstorm solutions alongside the CFOs. Together, we’ll tackle practical questions like: How do you create a finance function without formal training? What systems and processes should you set up now to avoid chaos later? And how can you lay the right financial groundwork so your CFO can hit the ground running post-Series A?
Brought to you by Airwallex.