Merri-bek Bold Business Gathering - August 2025

Funding Bold Moves

We’re bringing together Merri-bek’s entrepreneurs, founders, and business owners to talk about a topic we all wrestle with but rarely get to unpack properly: how do we fund what we’re building?!

Whether your journey has or will involve debt, bootstrapping, grants, VC, angels, private capital or your own family/friends mix, we’re creating a space to share what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what we’re learning along the way to scale and build our businesses.

Building a business is full of bold moves like buying equipment, fitting out a space, hiring team members, developing a product, or accessing new markets.

Generously joining us to offer their insights and bold stories so far are:

• Kristy Barber, Designer & Founder, Kuwaii

• Peter Vranes, CEO & Co-Founder, Nutromics

• Tom Edwards & Betty Milner, Owners, Iris the Bakery

Why come?

• Learn about different financing paths and the trade-offs that come with them

• Ask questions, share stories and connect with others building or dreaming about building bold

• Have open conversations with others navigating similar paths

• Help shape a business community that’s bold, diverse, and connected

• Find a local job or collaborator or mentor

• Discover how you might be able to best fund your business growth

Merri-bek is where innovation, community and sustainability thrive together. We believe the future favours the bold, and we’re bringing together Merri-bek’s innovators, entrepreneurs, creators, change-makers and owners of future-focused businesses - the people who are pushing boundaries, blending industries and doing things differently. Bold Businesses create jobs, spark new industries, build community, and give people purpose. Merri-bek is fast becoming the home for businesses that don’t just adapt to the future, they shape it.

💡Please share this with anyone who should be in the room 

📩 Questions? Have a funding story you might like to share? Are you someone who can offer funding to businesses?
Please email business@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

Photo credit: Jam Nawaz