SmartCompany’s Growth Summit is set to return to Melbourne on 25 February 2026, targeting business leaders seeking practical strategies to scale their operations.
The one-day conference at Crown Melbourne will bring together established business figures and scaling entrepreneurs to discuss funding, talent acquisition, and strategic growth.
The Melbourne event will feature two content streams, one designed for startups that are scaling and one dedicated to growing SMEs. The startup stream will feature a live pitching event, and a series of afternoon roundtable discussions.
Speaker lineup
David Koch and Lauren Morrey will be joined by other speakers, including Culture Amp co-founder and CTO Doug English, HEX co-founder and CEO Jeanette Cheah, Up Bank’s head of growth Sebastian Neylan, Birchal CEO Kirstin Hunter and Giant Leap partner Rachel Yang.
The speaker roster reflects the event’s focus on advice from leaders who have navigated the challenges of scaling businesses in Australia and internationally. The conference programme centres on three key themes: talent, capital, and ambition. Sessions will cover recruiting and retaining staff, understanding what investors are looking for in 2026, and developing strategies to scale.
Australian SMEs are increasingly focused on technology optimisation and automation, with research showing that keeping businesses afloat and digitising operations are among the most urgent considerations. The Growth Summit addresses these priorities with sessions planned on funding strategies, leadership, technology, and growth tactics tailored to the current economic environment.
Pricing and tickets
The event runs from 9:00am to 4:30pm, with networking drinks following until 5:30pm. Super early bird tickets are priced at $199 plus GST, available until 6 November 2025. Early bird pricing of $249 plus GST begins on 7 November, while advanced tickets will be $299 plus GST from 16 January 2026.
For founders and business leaders looking to connect with peers facing similar challenges, the event offers both structured learning and networking opportunities.
Source: Growth Summit 2026
Disclaimer: This article contains information about a commercial event. Dynamic Business has no financial relationship with SmartCompany or the Growth Summit.
Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
