One of the biggest benefits for aspiring entrepreneurs in Melbourne is the vast number of startup and tech events in the area. At these many events, experienced CEOs, founders, and investors in Melbourne share their experiences and knowledge with the next generation of startups.
In the blog post below, we’ve listed plenty of startup events and groups in the Melbourne area for every stage of your startup, whether you’re testing your idea, looking to learn new skills, meet potential co-founders, find investors, or just meet new and interesting people.
Inspirational Startup Events
The are many inspirational startup events and Meetups in Melbourne, where you hear interesting stories from experienced entrepreneurs and begin to meet others in the Melbourne startup community. The great thing about these events is that they are open to the public and very welcoming to newcomers.
- Above All Human
- Pause Fest
- The Entrepreneurs’ Unconvention
- Above All Human Pause Fest The Entrepreneurs’ Unconvention
- Startup Melbourne
- Startup Weekend
- Young Social Entrepreneurs Conference
Best Practices Startup Events
Melbourne is home to a plethora of beginner knowledge-sharing events. These events are each focused on specific topics related to building a business, and feature expert speakers that share their best practices, tips for success, and pitfalls to avoid. Most of these events are free, but some may charge a small ticket fee that is definitely worth the investment.
- Founder Showcase: Startup Pitch & Networking Event: 3:00am, Apr 19, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341124
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
- How to Acquire Your First Customers with Actionable SEO Strategies : 3:00am, Apr 25, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341130
- Co-Founders Connect: Find a Business Partner Online: 10:00am, May 02, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/340829
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas (Interactive Online Event): 3:00am, May 09, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341136
- How to Build a Fundable Start-up Brand: 3:00am, May 21, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341142
- Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Transition to Startup Founder: 10:00am, May 23, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/340355
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 10:00am, May 28, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/340909
- How to Quickly Establish Safe, Reliable, and Compliant AI Startups: 3:00am, May 30, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341148
- Ask an Investor Anything: Q&A with a Venture Capitalist: 10:00am, Jun 06, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/340973
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 10:00am, Jun 11, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341009
- Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Transition to Startup Founder: 3:00am, Jun 13, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341172
- Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 3:00am, Jun 18, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341166
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 3:00am, Jun 27, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341160
- Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Transition to Startup Founder: 10:00am, Jul 02, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341156
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 10:00am, Jul 16, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/341249
- What is the DNA of an Entrepreneur? Insights from 15 Years of Research: 10:00am, Jul 23, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/343961
- Startup Fundraising Q&A: Meet Investors from the FI Venture Network: 12:00pm, Dec 24, 2024 (Australia/Melbourne): https://FI.co/e/342633
- Startup Vic
- Silicon Beach Melbourne
- Startup Grind Melbourne
- Fintech Melbourne
- Lean Startup Melbourne
- Startup Founder 101 Melbourne
- Startup HealthTech
Events to Network and Form a Team in Melbourne
When you're ready to start building a team, it's time to attend events, talk about your startup project, and meet people that share your interests in Melbourne. While attending any of the events listed in this post can help you meet potential team members, the events below are especially useful
- The Entrepreneur Club
- Entrepreneurs in Melbourne
- Melbourne Entrepreneurs Networking Group
- Melbourne Entrepreneur Network
- Melbourne Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
- Speed Networking Melbourne
- Travel, Entrepreneurship, Leadership
- Young Entrepreneur Networking
Builder-Focused Events and Hackathons in Melbourne
If you have a technical skillset, or are looking to network and learn from people that have a technical skillset, then it is worth looking into the maker-focused events in Melbourne. These include hackathons, technical Meetups, and other communities that foster people building products.
- Melbourne CocoaHeads
- Melbourne Mobile
- Melbourne Geek Night
- Melbourne RORO
- Xamarin Melbourne
- BlueChilli Technology
Startup Bootcamps in Melbourne
Events focused on making concrete progress on your startup. These usually specialize in a particular skill or vertical, and offer comprehensive training.
- Fitzroy Academy
- Founder Institute
- General Assembly
- Peer Academy
- BSchool
- Wade Institute
- Lean Startup Machine Melbourne
- ChilliChats
- SPARK Deakin
Investor Networking Events in Melbourne
If you already have a team and/or product, then you might be ready to start networking with investors in Melbourne. There are many events in Melbourne that gather angel investors (affluent people that invest their personal capital in early-stage startups or entrepreneurs, and generally provide only a small one-time investment to help the business grow), angel investor groups (networks, or syndicates, of angel investors who pool their resources together to invest more money than would typically be issued with a private angel investment), and venture capital firms (large institutional funds that provide large amounts of funding for later stage companies with impressive and proven growth), like the ones listed below.
Are you looking for expert guidance and feedback to build a startup in Melbourne?
The Founder Institute is an idea-stage accelerator that works with solo-entrepreneurs, and teams, during the earliest stages of building a business. Through an intensive 3.5 month program, FI participants build their business through a proven structured process, and receive feedback and assistance from over 30+ successful entrepreneurs and investors in Melbourne. Upon completing the program, Graduates join a global network of entrepreneurs and receive ongoing help to get funding and build their business. FI Graduates have raised over $1.75BN in funding, and are building some of the world's fastest growing companies.
Learn more about the Founder Institute at FI.co, join a free startup event in Melbourne, or apply to build a startup in Melbourne today.
