Niki is a co-founder of Blackbird, an investment firm with the dream to be a generational owner of generational companies born from Australia and New Zealand, right at the very beginning. Blackbird began in 2012 and today manages a portfolio of 100+ technology companies worth over $10.4 billion, with committed capital across five funds. Before Blackbird, he founded Startmate and co-founded two software companies.

Andrew Sypkes invests in tech ventures via his family office and SecondQuarter Ventures. He is highly collaborative with other investors and invests for long-term.

Partner at a top decile venture fund. Angel investor with a unicorn exit. LinkedIn content creator with strong engagements.

Brad was the Chief Executive Officer of Woolworths Group from February 2015 until his retirement at the end of September 2024. He was formerly the Managing Director of Woolworths Liquor (Endeavour Group) from 2012 until February 2015.

Brad joined Woolworths in 2011 after the acquisition of the Cellarmasters Group, a direct wine retail and production company. He was Chief Executive Officer of Cellarmasters from its acquisition by Archer Capital in a leveraged buy-out in 2007 until its sale to Woolworths in 2011.

Prior to this, Brad was the Chief Financial Officer of fintech start-up -Tyro Payments. He was in this role from 2004-2006 and then as a Non Executive Director. Brad was a Vice President and Director with The Boston Consulting Group for 15 years working for BCG in both ANZ and USA as a core member of their global retail and corporate development practices.

Brad Banducci has a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management and received Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce Degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. A South African by birth, Brad moved to Australia in 1989. Growing up, he worked in both his mother’s and father’s retail businesses during his school and university years. Brad’s passion is entrepreneurship and he manages the Cinderella Investment Fund and its investments in a broad range of new and emerging businesses.

Skip Capital invests in long term, stable infrastructure and real assets through the Skip Essential Infrastructure Fund. The Skip Essential Infrastructure Fund is focussed on opportunities across renewable energy and decarbonisation, data infrastructure, up-valuing waste, food infrastructure and innovative health.

As a Partner and Co-founder at AirTree Ventures, Craig Blair invests in and partners with some of the world’s most ambitious founders to build the iconic technology companies of tomorrow. With almost 20 years of venture capital experience, he has led investments in many of Australia’s most successful technology companies, including Canva, Employment Hero, Go1, Pet Circle, and US-based DroneDeploy.

Before joining AirTree, Craig was a Partner at netus, an Australian venture capital fund with a global top-decile track record. He has also founded three software businesses, two of which were successful, while the third provided invaluable lessons in entrepreneurship. Drawing on his experience as a founder, an MBA from INSEAD, and expertise in strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and executive management, Craig works closely with founders to help them build and scale exceptional companies while contributing to the continued growth of Australia’s technology ecosystem.

Anthony is a seasoned entrepreneur with a rare ability to build and scale technology across continents. He launched his entrepreneurial journey during the Global Financial Crisis, founding a fintech startup that he grew into a cross-border operation spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas — before successfully exiting during the turbulence of Covid.

His capacity to navigate economic headwinds while managing international complexity speaks to both his resilience and his global instincts.

Transitioning into Angel Investing and Mentoring, Anthony now brings a truly international lens to the founders he supports across software, robotics, and disruptive technologies. Having deployed solutions across diverse regulatory environments, cultures, and markets, he understands firsthand what it takes to scale beyond borders — whether that means revolutionising payment systems, redefining customer experiences, or identifying inefficiencies that transcend any single market.

A fervent connector of businesses and visionary founders, Anthony finds his greatest satisfaction in guiding ideas from conception to global market leadership. His mentoring draws on hard-won experience across multiple geographies, offering founders practical guidance in product development, commercialisation, go-to-market strategies for international expansion, and exit planning on a world stage.

Kara Frederick is an Energy tech investor & founder.

Rick Baker is a co-founder of Blackbird Ventures, a venture capital firm focussed on investing in the best global tech startups being formed in Australia and New Zealand. Rick has led the firm’s investments into companies such as Canva, SafetyCulture and Gilmour Space. Prior to Blackbird, Rick ran MLC’s venture capital portfolio with investments of over half a billion dollars.

Anthony Woodward is the co-founder and CEO of RecordPoint, a fast-growing Australian scale-up, and an active angel investor and mentor to early-stage SaaS startups.

As Managing Partner at Black Nova Venture Capital, Matt oversees the qualification, proposal and selection of all startups entering the Black Nova portfolio, as well as ensuring our continued growth by leveraging his extensive network, experience and determination to make a positive impact through partnerships in the Australian and international startup ecosystem.

Matt was formerly the CEO & Co-Founder of Donesafe, a market leading global EHS SaaS startup with 1.5million+ paying users at exit. Matt took the business from launch in 2013 to exit with the acquisition by HSI in 2020. He is Co-Founder and Advisor of Whispli, a Y-combinator alumni SaaS startup for safe and secure anonymous whistleblowing with clients including LVMH, Westpac, Qantas, EY, Oxfam and Fairfax Media.

Over the past decade Matt has experienced every stage of the startup entrepreneur lifecycle from inception and launch, to funding and exit. Matt is on a mission to build greater technology literacy and drive change in the way in which Australia exports. Matt dreams of a day when tech export revenue exceeds that of minerals.

Lorenzo Coppa is an award winning entrepreneur, strategy & go-to-market advisor, investor with over 30 years of experience founding and scaling innovative businesses. As a character focused, visionary leader, he builds disruptive, strongly differentiated, market-leading businesses. As an advisor, Lorenzo works with founders and boards to create disruptive and strongly differentiated brands that drive the adoption of technology, enhancing business operations thereby prospering both customers and employees. He is a trusted friend in business to founders and strengthens insightful boards.

Trevor Folsom is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Investible, a venture capital firm backing early-stage technology companies across Australia, Singapore and globally, with 5 funds and a Club Network of former founders, executives and family offices from 12 countries.

Co-Founder and former CEO/CIO of Caledonia.

William is a founder, technologist, and sovereignty-minded entrepreneur who believes Australia can be a global powerhouse of innovation – and is doing something about it. As Founder & CEO of Reason Group, he leads an advisory and technology services firm helping government and regulated enterprises dramatically lift their productivity.

Charles is the managing director of 21networks, a small family office. He invests in early-stage businesses: typically, double-sided marketplaces or analytics firms. His investments are a mix of for-profit and for-purpose companies.

His career has been as a data/technology entrepreneur and experienced advisor to CEOs, senior executives, and boards. For the past twenty years, he has founded, invested in, and served as a director of a range of start-ups and established companies in both the United States and Australia. He works across the industrial, technology and services sectors.

Prior to consulting and investing, Charles worked for Accenture, Procter & Gamble, Boral and Cincinnati Bell. His practical experience is supported by an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours from the University of Melbourne.