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In a world obsessed with what’s next, SXSW Sydney’s 2025 Tech & Innovation Festival is asking a different question: who’s next?
This October, the Tech & Innovation program returns with a lineup designed to do more than just showcase the latest gadgets and buzzwords. From the conference stages to the expo floor, from student pitches to a reimagined Hackathon, the focus is on people — the thinkers, builders, risk-takers and researchers shaping how technology impacts our everyday lives.
And it’s not just about ideas for tomorrow. The festival exists to create traction today — helping emerging innovators connect with industry, generate investment, and unlock global opportunity.
The Tech & Innovation conference sessions at SXSW Sydney dive deep into the urgent, fascinating and often uncomfortable questions surrounding modern technology. Featuring global heavyweights like Mo Gawdat (former Chief Business Officer at Google X), Meredith Whittaker (President of Signal), Lars Rasmussen (Co-founder of Google Maps), Ivan Zhao (CEO and Co-Founder of Notion) and more, the conference blends inspiration with interrogation.
You’ll find sessions that challenge assumptions and spark action — like:
AI Ethics: Australia's Opportunity on the World Stage
Australia is falling behind the rest of the world in regulating AI. With no national bill of rights and minimal protections for free will, choice and agency, we are at risk of entering a tech-dystopian world where we become the product. Join Dr Joshua Krook as he explores some difficult legal questions raised by AI, including the risks of bias and discrimination, privacy, a lack of human oversight and human rights. As a co-drafter of the Munich Convention on AI, Data and Human Rights, he will also discuss the relevance of ethical principles like transparency, accountability, and fairness, as well as the role of legal frameworks like the European AI Act, the world's first AI regulation.
Redefining Art With Neuroscience
Advances in neuroscience and technology are revolutionising the way we engage with art and creativity, opening doors for deeper human connection. At the forefront of this innovation is the Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG) device, a cutting-edge tool that allows brainwave activity to manipulate sound and visual parameters in real time. This breakthrough not only expands the boundaries of artistic expression but also paves the way for inclusive collaboration between individuals from the disability cohort and those without disabilities, fostering shared experiences and bridging the gaps that often divide us. This session aim to highlight the creation of a piece of audiovisual art crafter by brainwaves in real time using QEEG device.
Trenchcoat not required: The critical role of cyber intelligence in business decision-making
During this session, CyberCX's Executive Director of Cyber Intelligence, Katherine Mansted will demystify cyber intelligence and its increasingly important role for organisations in managing cyber risk. Katherine will discuss how intelligence empowers informed decision making at all levels of a business. Using a number of real-world examples, Katherine will share how intelligence has the power to shift cyber defence from a reactive to a proactive activity, helping organisations find and anticipate trends.
Digital Sovereignty - Don't build your castle on someone else's land
Digital sovereignty is about reclaiming your data, identity, and digital presence. As individuals, we too often surrender control to platforms and apps, sharing more than we realize. This talk reveals the hidden costs of that complacency, from invasive data-mining and manipulative algorithms to weakened personal agency. We'll explore how to protect your online self and you’ll learn how to secure your information, shape your narrative, and navigate the digital world on your own terms. Rather than relying on distant tech giants, discover how to set boundaries and demand accountability. Join us to see why digital sovereignty isn’t just for governments or corporations. It’s a personal right that starts with you.
Over at the Tech & Innovation Expo, attendees can get hands-on with the future. Open to the public for the first time on Saturday October 18, the Expo is a buzzing hub of hardware, software, prototypes and people — from Asia-Pacific trailblazers to global leaders. Think AI, robotics, health tech, clean energy and immersive experiences you can walk through, touch and test.
This is where ideas meet audiences — and where startups often find their first big fans or future funders.
The Tech & Innovation Showcase shines a spotlight on early-stage projects from university students and emerging entrepreneurs — and this year’s first selections are already turning heads.
From Inara, a real-time muscle feedback wearable developed by UTS mechatronics student Anthony Biscotto, to Focus Bear (RMIT University), an AI-powered productivity tool originally designed for neurodivergent users, these innovations tackle real-world problems with heart, precision and imagination.
Other highlights include:
These aren’t just student projects — they’re scalable, investable ideas with global relevance. Submissions are open until 31 July, with more projects to be revealed in the months ahead.
Also returning is the XR+ Showcase, where the cutting edge of storytelling and sensory technology meet. From VR explorations of Jungian psychology in Rising River to time-twisting installations like Revolving Time Domain, XR+ showcases creators who aren’t just making content — they’re reshaping what media can be.
If you’re developing an immersive, interactive or experimental experience, XR+ is still accepting submissions until 30 June 2025.
One of this year’s most exciting additions? The Student Pitch — a new platform giving rising innovators the chance to pitch ideas in front of an expert panel, with real feedback and real potential. Coupled with the Hackathon, which encourages collaboration across disciplines and backgrounds, the festival is cultivating not just tomorrow’s ideas — but tomorrow’s teams.
SXSW Sydney 2025’s Tech & Innovation Festival isn’t just a place to be inspired. It’s where investors meet founders, researchers meet industry, and student projects become companies. It’s a real-world launchpad for global ideas, and a uniquely Asia-Pacific space where culture, creativity and commerce converge.
Whether you're building, funding, scaling or exploring, this is where you find the people — and the momentum — to move forward.
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