SOUTHSTART event expected to drive innovation & connection

SOUTHSTART, the festival dedicated to start-ups and innovation in Australia, has unveiled its comprehensive programme for the year 2025, which is set to address key contemporary topics and foster connections among industry leaders.

Spanning from March 4 to March 6 in Adelaide, the event is expected to welcome hundreds of founders, investors, and industry advocates.

Supported by the Government of South Australia's Department of State Development, SOUTHSTART has been recognised as the country's premier start-up event for the second consecutive year by Startup Muster.

Among the prominent speakers slated to attend are Phil Morle, Partner at Main Sequence Ventures; Allys Todd, Co-Founder and CEO at ValAi; Ben Pfisterer, CEO and Co-Founder at Zeller; Paz Pisarski, Co-Founder at The Community Collective; Rowan Simpson, investor, founder, author, and Chairman at Hoku Group; Dom Pym, Founder of Euphemia; and Matt Loop, Vice President and Head of Asia at Rippling.

Danielle Seymour, Director of SOUTHSTART, explained the philosophy behind the event, "At SOUTHSTART, we don't see ourselves as a conference in the traditional sense of the word."

"At a conference, guards are often up, personal agendas are rigid and set well in advance, and there's a very defined line between speakers and delegates. Instead, we see ourselves as more of a community offsite for founders, investors, and those who champion and create change.

For us, it's about providing the environment to grow, immerse and connect."

Seymour highlighted the event's aim to provide a meaningful experience for attendees, "In a startup ecosystem that never stops and never sleeps, we've spent over a decade designing an environment to help our community pause, connect, and embrace serendipity."

"Attendees will uncover meaningful insights, make genuine rather than transactional connections, and be an active participant in shaping what's next. And if that's not enough, it's a celebration of the beauty and hospitality of Adelaide and its surrounding areas."

The 2025 iteration of SOUTHSTART will feature a blend of established elements and new focuses, including a series of industry summits.

Seymour commented on this development, "In 2025, we'll be bringing back a lot of the elements that make SOUTHSTART so popular, but also a series of fresh focuses too.

For example, in 2025 we'll be introducing a series of carefully-curated industry summits designed to dive into the topics that will define some of our most critical sectors."

The festival is structured into three thematic days: GROW on March 4, IMMERSE on March 5, and CONNECT on March 6.

The GROW segment will focus on personal and professional development through expert-led masterclasses. IMMERSE will take place in McLaren Vale, encouraging insightful conversations and mindfulness activities. Finally, CONNECT will feature industry summits to foster collaboration across sectors such as sovereign technology, agritech, and climate.

Innovation Bay is partnering with _SOUTHSTART to bring its Aurora community, comprising over 120 general partners from 97 unique venture capital funds. Phaedon Stough, CEO at Innovation Bay, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, "I'm thrilled to be returning to Adelaide and partnering with SOUTHSTART and the SA Government. SOUTHSTART is a cornerstone of the ANZ tech community calendar, and it provides an incredible platform for our members to connect with local founders and investors."

"We're proud to bring our Aurora VC community along, representing over 120 general partners from 97 funds, to foster collaboration and drive innovation together."

Ticket packages are available in the range from USD $299 to USD $999, with further details on acquisition accessible through the event's channels.