Spark Festival turns 10 and gears up to reignite the NSW startup scene

Australia’s largest startup festival, Spark, returns  October 27 to November 2 this year, marking a decade of helping the NSW startup sector connect and learn.

More than 4,000 people annually take part in Spark Festival week, which kicked off in 2016, connecting founders, investors, universities and others through hundreds of events in Sydney and now across the state.

Spark Festival chair Murray Hurps said this year’s event comes as startup event activity in NSW has slumped by over 90%, leaving government-backed spaces underutilised and founders struggling to find support.

“The challenge today isn’t just connecting events – it’s rebuilding the community,” he said

“Our tenth festival is about sparking the next generation of ecosystem leaders and gatherings as the stakes are higher than ever for Australia.

“Over the past few months we’ve seen AI, sovereign capabilities and tech investment being recognised as critical to the nation at the federal government’s productivity roundtable, in the NSW Innovation Blueprint, and by many of the ASX200 CEOs. The Spark Festival is more important today than ever before.

“The spark now needed is to reignite the sector and bring together entrepreneurs, investors, business and government so the next generation of ecosystem leaders can come together.”

Stone & Chalk CEO Chris Kirk said the NSW tech sector would not be what it is today without Spark Festival.

“For the past decade, it has made opportunities in the innovation system more visible and accessible, celebrated entrepreneurship, and brought people together with shared purpose,” he said.

“Stone & Chalk has been proud to support Spark Festival since the very beginning, and we’re excited to see it continue to ignite new energy and opportunities across the Tech Central precinct.”

Hurps said Spark Festival 2025 is both a celebration of a decade of impact and a rallying point to rebuild a thriving, well-connected startup community for the future.

This year’s Spark Festival will focus on AI; green tech & sustainability; housing & infrastructure; and deep tech & advanced manufacturing across six core streams. 

• Founding & Raising connects founders with investors, corporates and policymakers to strengthen capital and supply chain ties. 
• Spark AI explores generative and agentic AI, educating the wider community on opportunities and risks. 
• Startup Teams builds networks for employees beyond founders, normalising startups as career paths. 
• Sustainability & Impact fosters climate tech and responsible innovation. 
• Housing & Infrastructure highlights startup-led solutions for affordability and resilience.
• The Spark Investment Network links investment-ready founders with global and diverse capital sources through exclusive events and community forums.

Spark Festival 2025 is both just a celebration of the past decade, and building the future of NSW startups. 

The festival is supported by the City of Sydney and Stone & Chalk. Hurps is keen to hear from others sponsors.

“If you’d like to be involved in the Spark Festival, visit sparkfestival.co — we’d be delighted to hear from everyone in the ecosystem,” Hurps said.