Open for Business: The Founders Market

A free long lunch on the Kent St Terrace, with honest founder stories and 1:1 advice from Westpac business bankers. Whatever you’re building, whatever stage you’re at.

Long before pitch decks and funding rounds, there was the market stall.

Someone with an idea, a bit of nerve and a table to sell from. Entrepreneurship has always looked like this: making something, putting it in front of people and finding a way to grow it.

Open for Business brings that spirit back to the leafy Kent St Terrace at Tank Stream Labs. It’s lunch in the sun with people who get what you’re building, and practical lessons you can take back to your business, whether that’s a product, a service, an app or a side hustle.

Come for 45 minutes on your lunch break, or stay all afternoon. No sales pitch, just honest advice.

On the panel: back to the roots of building a business

Our founders will talk openly about:

• Bootstrapping: growing on your own revenue, spending carefully and knowing when it’s time to raise or borrow

• Building a brand as a solo founder: getting noticed, earning trust and staying consistent when it’s just you

• Taking AI in a different direction: using it to create new experiences and categories, not just to automate tasks

• Testing demand before you spend big, and choosing the right partners as you grow

You’ll walk away with

• Practical lessons you can apply to your own business straight away

• A clear next step on your business finances, from a 1:1 with a Westpac business banker

• New connections with founders at the same stage as you

• Lunch on the terrace and a welcome gift bag

Meet the founders

Adam Good, Co-founder and CEO, Auric
Auric makes scent programmable, combining AI, connected hardware and TGA-approved essential oils. Its Aromasphere is in homes, and its enterprise offering is used by businesses including Telstra.

Yvette Symon, Founder, Cute Drinks
Cute Drinks is a female-founded, non-alcoholic functional beverage brand blending cocktail-inspired flavours with science-informed ingredients, designed for people who want more intention in their everyday choices without compromising on taste.

More founders to be announced.

Explore the founder market

Meet the founders at their stalls and experience what they’ve built: try a live Auric scent demo and taste Cute Drinks [confirm]. Love something? Scan the stall’s QR code to shop later.

Bring your questions to the Westpac bankers

Grab a 1:1 with a business banker. No obligation, just bring your questions and leave with answers:

• Setting up business banking and separating business and personal money

• Managing cash flow and getting paid on time

• Funding growth when you’ve been bootstrapping

This is for you if

• You’ve just registered an ABN or are about to

• You’re running a side hustle and thinking about going further

• You’re a solo founder figuring out what to focus on next

• You don’t call yourself a founder yet, but you’re building something

Coming solo? Most people do. Our team will make the introductions. Or bring a friend who’s been talking about starting something.

Presented by Tank Stream Labs and The Founders Union with Westpac.