StartupHaus Melbourne · Dec 2026: Where Australia’s Top Founders, VCs & Startup Operators Meet

New: The LiveHaus Anthem

We wrote our own song for Season 5. Press play on your way in: Watch the LiveHaus Anthem on LinkedIn

StartupHaus Melbourne at a Glance

• Date: Tuesday 1 December 2026

• Time: 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm AEDT

• Venue: Natural Velocity AI Learning Centre, Level 1, 9 Star Crescent Docklands

• Who it is for: founders, early operators, investors and ecosystem builders

• Format: 2 panels, founder pitches and food and drinks

• Tickets: Paid, limited and curated. Please have your ticket ready at check-in.

Why Attend StartupHaus 2026

StartupHaus is where Australia’s founders, operators, investors, and venture ecosystem collide.
A high-energy after-work gathering for the people building what’s next from seed-stage to scale-up.

Whether you’re a founder, early-stage operator, VC partner, angel investor, or ecosystem builder, this is your room to learn, connect, pitch, and grow.

What You’ll Gain

• Founder-to-founder insights on traction, GTM, fundraising, product velocity, and real execution.

• Investor access without the awkwardness – curated intros to VCs, angels, accelerators & ecosystem leaders.

• Raw, tactical stories from founders who’ve shipped, scaled, failed, rebuilt, and won.

• A premium after-work atmosphere with DJ, drinks, food, and momentum-charged storytelling.

Event Agenda

5:30 – 6:00 PM | Founder Drinks + Curated Networking
Meet the right people; not just the closest ones.

6:00 – 6:05 PM | LiveHaus Welcome
Setting the energy and intention for the night.

6:05 – 6:45 PM | Panel 1: Founder Panel – "The AI Tax: Is Every Startup Now an AI Startup, Whether It Wants to Be or Not?

• Rosie Chong, Personal Branding Strategist, RC Personal Branding

• Raymond Ngai, Co-founder, Sazoom

• Liesl Haris, Co-Founder & CEO, Gap Drone

• Ria Verma, Founder, Problem Solved Hub

6:45 – 6:55 PM | Networking between panels

6:55 – 7:35 PM | Panel 2: VC Panel – "The Series A Cliff: Why Only 1 in 5 Seed Startups Make the Jump (And What the Other 4 Get Wrong)

• Chad Stephens, Angel Investor, Sidespace

• Andrew J. Nash, Co-founder & CEO, Austral Impact

• Rohit Bhargava, Founder, Komo

• Manon Dennison, Senior Investment Manager, Gandel Invest

7:35 – 8:00 PM | 2-3 Selected Founder Pitches

Founder Pitch 1 (3-5 mins)

Founder Pitch 2 (3-5 mins)

Live Audience Q&A and Feedback (5-10 mins)

8:00 – 9:30 PM | Music, Food & Drinks, Networking

Wrap up the night with purposeful conversations, food, drinks, and the LiveHaus energy.

Getting to the Venue

Natural Velocity AI Learning Centre, Level 1, 9 Star Crescent Docklands

(Next to Melbourne College of Hair & Beauty, in the District Docklands)

Public Transport (recommended)

• By tram: We're at the last stop on tram routes 70 & 86 (free tram zone). Exit the FRONT of the tram, cross the road and enter the left-hand side District Docklands entrance, up the escalator near Penny Specialty Coffee, take a left over the bridge and we're next to Melbourne College of Hair & Beauty

• By Rideshare: Enter ‘Natural Velocity’ into your App and a driver will drop you off outside The District Docklands entrance. enter the left-hand side District Docklands entrance, up the escalator near Penny Specialty Coffee, take a left over the bridge and we're next to Melbourne College of Hair & Beauty

• By Motorbike/bicycle: Plenty of two-wheel parking is available along Docklands Drive

• By Ferry: Natural Velocity is a 10-minute walk, or 5 min tram ride from Port Phillip Ferries Docklands Terminal (see 70 & 86 tram instructions above)

• By Hoverboard: Not recommended

Parking

• Park in “the District Docklands East Carpark” above Woollies. From your car exit level one, walk past H&M towards Star Cres, turn left take a right over the bridge and we're next to Melbourne College of Hair & Beauty. NV can discount parking down to $7.

• Evening rates vary, worth booking online in advance to save.

About LiveHaus

🏆 LiveHaus was recently recognised by the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards (NSW/ACT) for Connecting Communities & Innovation.

LiveHaus is redefining how Australia connects through business events: replacing boring, low-energy conferences with fast-paced, story-driven experiences where real conversations lead to real ROI.

Every LiveHaus event is built on one promise:
Energy first. Connections second. Outcomes third.
(Yes, in that order.)

Join the StartupHaus Community

Each Haus has its own dedicated WhatsApp group inside the LiveHaus community. Join the StartupHaus crew here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/L7UriFt55vVJWfRIlZ1l0I?mode=gi_t

When you join, please share: your name, what you’re building, why you’re attending and how the group can support you. Let’s keep it high-signal and intentional.

StartupHaus Melbourne brought to you by LiveHaus: proudly sponsored by Cloud Bridge and Natural Velocity to bring Australia’s next-gen founders together.

Watch: What a LiveHaus Feels Like

The LiveHaus documentary: Watch the short film on the vision, people and energy behind what we are building. If it resonates, feel free to show the post some love on LinkedIn (like, comment or cheeky reshare).

Season 4 recaps:

• StartupHaus Melbourne recap (Season 4)

• LiveHaus Season 4 highlights (1 year anniversary)