The Australia Summit. Year Two.

Startup Leaders Connect in Melbourne for Growth and Success

Attendees at the Lighter Capital 2023 Australia Summit

Since 2020, our Australian portfolio and market presence have grown significantly. We've had both the privilege of supporting numerous outstanding startups and the opportunity to get to know the incredible teams behind them. We are delighted to host an event that goes beyond just financial support.

Hot on the tail of our Third Annual U.S. Summit, we are thrilled to share the highlights of our second annual Australian Summit in Melbourne, Victoria hosted by Macquarie Bank.

The Second Annual Australian Summit

Outside of the sleek Macquarie Bank offices, a picturesque view of downtown Melbourne was the backdrop for the full-day event that brought founders, CEOs, and startup leaders from the Lighter Capital client portfolio together to connect. It was an intimate atmosphere filled with dynamic collaboration among like-minded startup leaders who swapped personal stories, shared advice, and openly discussed their challenges and victories.

We are both humbled and proud after receiving feedback from Summit attendees who felt it was an invaluable, impactful experience that's unlike other startup events.

​“A great forum to connect and be a contributor to something bigger than just ourselves. Highly recommend the Summit and I will be back.” — Jonathan Byrnes, Co-Founder & CEO Realtime Bookings

​“The Lighter Capital Summit was a great opportunity to come together with other bootstrapped founders and share stories, reset and be inspired.” — Kylie Troy-West, Founder & COO Factor House

Here’s our Recap of the 2023 AUS Summit

This year’s Summit included content-rich sessions, networking opportunities, and bonding time for our Australian clients. Here’s a summary of the day’s events:

Guest Speaker Paul Tontodonati, Founder & Director of Platform Advisory Partners, discussed the state of the economy and the outlook on the SaaS market.

Guest Speaker Bryan Williams, Founder of Hockey Stick Advisory, spoke about partner ecosystems, an underutilized growth lever to scalability.

Panel and Group Discussion

The Remote Revolution: Leadership, Culture, and Accountability

The conversation focused on how startup culture and leadership is changing with the growing number of companies transitioning to remote and hybrid formations.

Pictured from left to right, Sharon Nouh, Jodie Baker, and Greg Bryan

Moderated by Greg Bryan, Investment Director, Lighter Capital.

Panelists included:

• Sharon Nouh, Founder and CEO, ProSpend

• Jodie Baker, Founder and Group CEO, Xakia Technologies

​“A safe place for Founders and CEOs to meet like-minded peers and exchange ideas for the betterment of all.” — Oliver Garside, Co-Founder & Director Rounded

Panel and Group Discussion

From Startup to Exit: Fundraising and Exit Planning

A highly relevant and important topic for our clients, discussions explored the current economy, preparing for an exit, and key considerations when approaching investors.

Moderated by Ian Gardiner of Jelix Ventures, Innovation Bay, Lighter Capital.

Panelists included:

• Melissa Widner, CEO, Lighter Capital

• Danny Gorog, Founder and CEO, Snap Send Solve

“The summit really reinforced for me that we chose well in selecting Lighter over other options. There is such a great ecosystem Lighter is fostering and it’s great to be part of that.” — Brett Burgess, CEO Moorup Technology

Thank you to our Host Sponsor, Macquarie Bank!

We extend our gratitude to our Host Sponsor, Macquarie Bank, for hosting this remarkable gathering for our portfolio in Melbourne.

Macquarie is a global financial services group operating in 33 markets in asset management, retail and business banking, wealth management, leasing and asset financing, market access, commodity trading, renewables development, specialist advisory, capital raising and principal investment. The diversity of our operations, combined with a strong capital position and robust risk management framework, has contributed to their 53-year record of unbroken profitability. Learn more at www.macquarie.com/us/en.html.

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Thank you to our partners at InvestVictoria for joining us at the Australian Summit. We are proud to be appointed by the Victorian Government to deliver the Victorian Venture Growth Fund (VGF). Read more about this $30M fund to invest in Australian Tech Startups.

“The Victorian Government is supporting alternative financing options for high-growth companies in Melbourne and Victoria. The State Government of Victoria views startups as being significant contributors to economic growth and offers practical alternative funding programs to support them.

The government has allocated resources to venture capital and equity-attraction funds and collaborates with industry partners to enhance funding options. This approach aims to foster an environment where startups can prosper, innovate, and make substantial economic contributions to the state.”

Interested in attending a future Lighter Summit?

The Lighter Summit is an annual gathering exclusive to the Lighter Capital client Community. Learn more about non-dilutive startup financing from Lighter Capital and apply today to get funding plus the benefits you'd expect from VCs.

If you are interested in exploring partnership opportunities with Lighter Capital, please reach out to us at info@lightercapital.com.

See you next year!