Aug 28, 2026 · 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM GMT+10NetworkingIn-personPast

Startup Networking Melbourne: Founders, Investors & Talent Mixer

Name: Startup Networking Melbourne: Founders, Investors & Talent Mixer
Start: 2026-08-28T18:00:00+10:00
End: 2026-08-28T21:00:00+10:00
Location: The Duke of Wellington

Melbourne Startup Networking Event: Meet Founders, Investors, and Talent - Build or Scale Your Startup

Location

🇦🇺MelbourneThe Duke of Wellington

Date

Aug 28, 20266:00 PM – 9:00 PM GMT+10

Tickets

Free – $60

Format

In-person

This event has already taken place

The next date is now open for registration.

Next: AI & Tech Networking Event in Melbourne by Ascent Valley — Sep 25, 2026 →

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About this event

What to expect

Startup Networking Event in Melbourne for founders, investors, and tech talent.

Join a high-signal startup networking event in Melbourne where founders, investors, and talent connect to build and scale startups.Meet the right people, unlock real opportunities, and grow within the Melbourne startup ecosystem.

Why This Event Is Different

Most networking events end with exchanged LinkedIn profiles.

This one focuses on real conversations and real opportunities.

We bring together founders, investors, engineers, operators and talent in a curated environment designed to create meaningful connections.

Through interactive networking rounds, open conversations and pitch opportunities, participants can share challenges, exchange insights and build relationships that last beyond the event.

What to Expect

Startup Networking in MelbourneStructured networking rounds where founders, investors, and talent connect, share challenges, and explore opportunities.

Talent & Hiring ConnectionsMeet engineers, operators, and professionals in the Melbourne startup ecosystem.

Startup & Investor ConversationsDiscussions around fundraising, product development, and scaling startups.

Who Should Attend

Startup founders in Melbourne
VC and angels investors
Engineers and builders
Operators and product managers
Recruiters and HR professionals
Sales and business development professionals
Job seekers interested in startups
Newcomers to the Melbourne tech ecosystem

Want to Pitch?

A limited number of founders will have the opportunity to present their startup.

Selected founders will showcase their pitch deck to the audience and attending investors, followed by a short Q&A where participants can ask questions and share feedback.

Apply by sending your pitch

Spots are limited and founders will be selected in advance.

For Investors

We invite local investors, angels and venture capitalists to join the event.

Investor participation is complimentary.

After verification, investors receive access to the Ascent Valley ecosystem, including:

curated startup introductions
access to our startup digest
access to our platform and founder community

Interested investors can request verification

This evening's format

Founders & Investor Mixer

An evening without a stage: founders, investors and operators in one room. You write your role and your ask on your badge; introductions are made on request.

How the evening runs

01The first hour is for arriving and finding your people.
02You write your role and your ask on your badge, so a conversation starts with what you need rather than what you do.
03Hosts make introductions on request through the evening; nobody is left to luck at the bar.
04The night closes with the city chat open, so the conversation has somewhere to continue.

What you leave with

Three or four conversations that went somewhere, with the names saved.
A clear picture of who is building what in your city.
A place in the city community layer, in beta, to keep the thread going.

Who it is for

Founders at any stage, investors who would rather meet a founder than read a deck, and operators who have done the job. The most open of the five formats.

Why it is worth itIt is the room where the other four formats begin: the people you meet here are the ones who pitch, invest and answer later.

All Founders & Investor Mixer evenings About the format

Schedule5 items

Event agenda

Times in Australia/Melbourne

05:45 PM
Check - in
Check in, grab a drink, and start meeting fellow founders, builders, and investors before the program begins.
06:20 PM
Interactive Networking Session
Selected founders present their startups to the audience and receive feedback from founders, operators, and investors.
07:20 PM
Break
Time to recharge, continue conversations, and prepare for the startup pitch session.
07:50 PM
Startup Pitch Session
Selected founders present their startups to the audience and receive feedback from founders, operators, and investors.
08:30 PM
Chill Networking
Informal conversation to wrap up.

Frequently asked

Before you book

Do I need a startup to attend?

No. The room is built around founders, but investors and operators (product, engineering, marketing, people who have done the job) are who founders come to meet. Each format says who it is for, and the event page repeats it for that evening.

Can I pitch my startup?

At Pitch Nights and Investor Connect evenings, by application. A ticket lets you attend; a separate application, reviewed by a person, puts you on the list to present. Read how pitching works before you apply.

Will investors be there?

Sometimes, and we never promise it for a given night. Investors come to Investor Connect and to some pitch nights; they are approved on application and are not used as bait. Introductions to investors are made by us afterwards, through the Monday digest, and we take no percentage of any deal.

How do I register, and where is my ticket?

Open the event page and use its ticket button. It takes you to the platform that sells that evening, Eventbrite or Luma; your ticket and confirmation come from there, to the email you used. Right after the purchase you also get two emails from us: an invitation to our Luma calendar and an invitation to your city's community. Each evening is sold in one place only, and refunds follow that ticket page's terms.

What happens after the evening?

You are in your city's community from the moment you buy the ticket: the invitation arrives with your purchase, and it opens in Slack, in the browser or in Telegram, three doors to one room. That is where the conversation continues and where the next date is announced. If you pitched, your startup enters our base with the evening and the date on record.