Last week, Invest Fest 2025 brought the buzz to the Gold Coast, as over 175 curated founder–investor meetings, keynote sessions, VC panels, and startup showcases lit up the city’s innovation scene.
The Gold Coast played host to founders, funders, and future-builders as Cohort Innovation Space brought the startup spirit to life across multiple locations. With support from Economic Development Queensland, Invest Gold Coast, QIC, Cake Equity, Create Financial, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), the festival delivered more than just hype. It delivered real momentum for the region’s growing innovation economy.
Day 1: Deals, Ideas and Ambition
Thursday launched with 1:1 investor meetings in the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, sparking fresh opportunities and connections. Queensland’s former Chief Entrepreneur Wayne Gerard kicked off the keynote, followed by a lively VC panel featuring Antonia Mijatovic (Airtree), Ben Weinberger (Giant Leap) and Ben Lindsay (Investible), offering insight into what today’s top investors are really looking for.
Andrew Antonopolous, founder of Synnch, summed it up best: “Founders are building smarter, almost everything has an AI element, and Investors are leaning in! The ecosystem is more alive than ever!“
Day 2: From Sunrise to Strategy
Day two started strong with sunrise surf and yoga hosted by Cake Equity, followed by Australian Startup Basketball with AWS. A VC-Partner Breakfast brought investors together in an exclusive roundtable, before the crowd converged for the sold-out Mayor’s Tech Lunch at Mondrian — one of the signature moments of the festival.
NextDC CEO Craig Scroggie reminded us that “Precincts aren’t built on companies, they are built on partnerships”
That message echoed throughout the room. Zeligate co-founder Sam Naidoo added, “When one succeeds, everyone succeeds.” And from Scott Zenevra, Google Data and AI Customer Engineer: “Anything is possible!”
The festival wrapped with Fridays by Mondrian, hosted by Currents and powered by Torus, giving attendees one last opportunity to connect and unwind.
More than a series of events, Invest Fest showed what happens when vision, capital, and community come together. The feedback was unanimous: this isn’t just a local moment, it’s a signal that the Gold Coast is stepping confidently into its role on the national innovation map.
