October 28 – 30, 2025
VIC
What is Summit Expedition?
Innovation Bay is Australia’s leading membership community for tech founders and investors. Summit Expedition: Scale-up Edition is our flagship event of the year designed exclusively for founders navigating the challenges of scaling their companies.
More than just another tech conference, Summit Expedition: Scale up edition is an immersive, unplugged retreat where real connections and breakthrough insights happen. Over three days, you’ll step away from the daily grind to engage in hands-on experiences, candid discussions and meaningful networking – all focused on the unique journey of scaling a company.
Set against the stunning backdrop of remote Victoria, this retreat is designed to help you tackle growth challenges, refine your strategy, and connect with those who truly understand the scale-up journey. Join us and take your next leap forward.
Why attend Summit Expedition?
Immerse yourself in the collective wisdom of Australia’s most innovative and inspiring people.
Connect with fellow tech founders who are navigating—or have successfully navigated—the scale-up journey.
Discover fresh ideas, collaborate across businesses, and gain actionable insights to tackle your biggest challenges. This is your opportunity to learn, share, and grow alongside those who truly understand the founder experience.
Forge deeper, more meaningful relationships faster.
There’s only so much you can talk about at networking drinks.
On this journey, you’ll be sharing unique experiences designed to strengthen bonds and build rich connections to propel you forward, professionally and personally.
Solve your biggest challenges with a departure from your day-to-day.
Ignite your mind with a powerful change of scenery and an injection of fresh perspective.
We use neuroscience and our 20+ year history in running events to craft moments that will unlock your ability to think through some of your most pressing problems.
Experience Australia’s unforgettable Victorian Wine Country like never before.
We’re crafting an unforgettable experience that will immerse you in the region’s rich cultural heritage, ignite your sense of adventure, and offer a fresh perspective shaped by one of the most breathtaking landscapes on Earth.
Speakers
Adam Schwab
CEO/Founder, Luxury Escapes
In 2010, Adam co-founded what would become Luxury Escapes from a tiny, windowless office in a dark Melbourne laneway. Fourteen years later, Luxury Escapes has growth to turns over more than a $1 billion annually with more than 600 team members across four continents. Adam and his co-founders bootstrapped the business until 2022, before raising more than $120m in growth and secondary capital.
Luxury Escapes survived and thrived during Covid better than any other travel business globally – doubling in size and being one of the only travel businesses to increase its team during the pandemic.
Didier Elzinga
CEO/Founder, CultureAmp
Didier Elzinga is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Culture Amp, a leading employee experience platform that focuses on improving workplace culture and engagement. Elzinga founded Culture Amp in May 2009 and has since grown the company into a global leader in employee feedback and analytics. With a background in technology and leadership, Elzingas vision and innovative approach have made Culture Amp a key player in the HR technology space.
Tessa Court
CEO, IntelligenceBank
Tessa Court is the CEO, Founder and Director of IntelligenceBank, a smart content operations platform supporting blue chip clients with digital asset management, brand governance, and marketing compliance. In 2024, she led the acquisition of AI marketing compliance company Red Marker and integrated it into IntelligenceBank. In 2021, she raised $50M in growth capital to fuel expansion in the US and Europe.
Previously, Tessa was on the Executive Team at Hitwise, where she led global marketing, research, and sales, growing revenue by 270% and supporting international expansion. Hitwise was acquired by Experian for $240M. Earlier in her career, she worked in global advertising in New York with Ogilvy, BBDO, and Univision.
Tessa has served as a NED for multiple tech companies and mentors founders in the B2B SaaS space. She holds a BA from Tulane University and an MA from NYU.
Steve Vamos
Global Executive, Xero, Apple, Microsoft
A seasoned global executive, Steve brings more that 40 years experience in tech and digital media, including five years as CEO of Xero (2018–2023). He’s led through every major tech shift and economic shock since the 1980s, with leadership roles at IBM, Apple, Microsoft, and ninemsn.
Spending time across Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Asia, Steve has been at the frontline of every significant technology shift and economic shock since the 1980s with companies such as IBM, Apple, Microsoft, and ninemsn.
He has also been a non-executive director of ASX listed companies such as Telstra, Fletcher Building and David Jones and several start-ups and emerging businesses. From 2005 – 2014 Steve also founded and ran a not for profit called the Society for Knowledge Economics (SKE), a cross industry collaboration aimed at improving the quality of workplace leadership in Australia.
In his newly released book, Through Shifts and Shocks: Lessons from the Front Line of Technology and Change, Steve shares eight Must-Do actions that represent the most important lessons he has learnt about how leaders need to think and act in the face of uncertainty and change.
Sasha Baranikov
Managing Director, Stream Ventures
Mum, Artist & Investor – Sasha also Co-Founded ASX listed Uniti Wireless, which recently sold for ~$3.7bn. Sasha has never worked in the same industry twice.
Her story is one of a non-conformist, of following opportunities and doing things differently. Currently MD of Steam Ventures, a strategic advisory that aims to put the ‘A’ back into STEM, her 17 years of global experience spans entertainment, gaming, telecommunications, space and technology industries.
Sasha will share her experiences and practical examples of how doing things differently can make your vision come true. Learn what on earth ‘pickles’ has to do with this, including insights into listing a company and working in the space industry. Sasha believes it’s a privilege to now support other Australian Founders on their journeys – their unwavering pursuits that push boundaries to create the future that lays ahead of us.
Patrick Llewellyn
VP, Digital & Design Services & CEO 99d by Vista
As CEO of 99designs, Patrick scaled the startup from a small online forum into a thriving global marketplace that has paid out over US$500M to freelance designers. Under his leadership, the team grew from 10 to 140+, with a focus on sustainable growth, profitability, and international expansion, including the launch of 8 localized-language sites.
After relocating to San Francisco, Patrick led a successful $35M Series A funding round from Accel (investors in Facebook and Dropbox), followed by a $10M Series B in 2015. In 2020, he orchestrated 99designs’ acquisition by VistaPrint, recognizing the opportunity to accelerate growth by joining a global brand with a shared mission to support small businesses and creators.
Today, Patrick leads VistaPrint’s Digital and Design Services portfolio (including 99designs by Vista), overseeing a 400+ person team focused on being the go-to design and marketing partner for small businesses worldwide. His prior decade of experience in corporate advisory, capital raising, and M&A provides a unique perspective on building and scaling tech businesses.
What’s on at Summit Expedition?
DAY 1: The Big Picture
Itinerary:
- 12:00pm – 2:00pm | Arrival & Check-In
- 2:00pm – 5:00pm | Kick-Off & Interactive Workshops
- 5:00pm – 6:00pm | Free Time
- 6:00pm – 9:00pm | Dinner & Founder Firesides
- 9:00pm onwards | Unscripted Connection – Drinks, chats, and late-night connections
Workshops:
Lessons From: Honest stories and insights from members who’ve been through the scale-up fire
Global Signals: Emerging US trends shaping the startup landscape
Day 2: Scaling Your Business
Itinerary:
- 7:30am – 9:30am | Optional Health & Wellness + Breakfast
- 9:30am – 11:30am | Workshop: Problem Solving for Scale
- 12:00pm – 1:30pm | Long Lunch at a local vineyard
- 1:30pm – 3:30pm | Interactive workshops & Afternoon Activity
- 5:30pm – 6:30pm | Free Time
- 6:30pm – 10:00pm | Founder Dinner Party
Workshops:
AI Trends: Exploring cutting-edge applications of AI across product, operations, and compliance – and what’s next
The Value is in the Room: Member-led knowledge exchange – surfacing the untapped AI insights, frameworks, and experiences already among us
Day 3: Scaling your Leadership
Itinerary:
- 7:30am – 9:30am | Optional Health & Wellness + Breakfast
- 9:00am – 12:00pm | Workshop: Solving Leadership Challenges
- 12:00pm – 1:30pm | Lunch
- 1:30pm – 2:00pm | Closing Keynote
- 2:00pm onwards | Departures
Workshops:
Leadership in Practice: Member-led tactics, mental models, and stories from the frontlines of founder growth
Scaling Your Leadership: Real-world leadership challenges unpacked – from team dynamics to self-leadership at scale
Who’s attending?
Find your people! Here’s a selection of the attendees who will be joining you at the event:
We’ll keep updating this section as registrations roll in 👀
| Anna Rakoczy, Co-Founder & CEO, Homemade Method |
| Anna Wright, CEO, BindiMaps |
| Anthony Woodward, CEO, RecordPoint |
| Bob Criner, Co-Founder & CEO, Stralis |
| Charlie Wood, CEO, Wiise |
| Cheryl Kitchener, Founder, Unscripted Photographers |
| Daniel Lohrmann, Managing Director, ikaros |
| Daniel Ouliaris, CEO, Neo Intelligence |
| Fiona Turner, Co-Founder & CEO, Bitwise Ag |
| James Baker, CEO, Varicon |
| Jeremy Hastings, Founder & CEO, Hutly |
| Katy Barfield, Founder & CEO, Yume |
| Lisa Vincent, CEO, HowToo |
| Lucy Lloyd, CEO, Mentorloop |
| Paula Burton, CEO, Mass Dynamics |
| Sasha Baranikov, Managing Director, Steam Ventures |
| Stephen Patterson Fang, Co-Founder, Pllum |
| Stuart Low, CEO, Biza |
| Robert Kinkade, Founder, Beerlove |
| Vincent Flether, Co-Founder & CPO, CartonCloud |
Registration
This event is exclusively for Innovation Bay members.
Not a member? We have a limited number of openings for prospective members who are exploring becoming joining Innovation Bay. Apply to attend and we’ll be in touch.
Want to get a sense of the
Summit Expedition experience?
Watch the videos below to discover more about the adventures and connections you can expect to experience.
What people say about our events
“The Innovation Bay team structured one of the most relevant events for business leaders I’ve experienced with room full of positive ego professionals invested in success beyond 2024.”
Steve Lewis | Vigilum, Nabu
“Innovation Bay is really unique. It’s an open forum for discussion. We come and connect and share deals and talk about what we’re struggling with or what we’re aiming for. It’s such a great space to be able to get everyone together and all the different ideas in an open forum.”
Georgia Barkell | Sprint Ventures
“The magic happens when you can put lots of people in a room together who have the right values and intentions. What I’m finding is that everyone wants to help each other. We’ve built some really great relationships.”
Yash Varma | Empress Capital
Registration
This event is exclusively for Innovation Bay members.
Not a member? We have a limited number of openings for prospective members who are exploring becoming joining Innovation Bay. Register your interest and we’ll be in touch.
