SXSW Sydney is back for 2025, and the Tech & Innovation Festival is shaping up to be its biggest yet. Leading the charge is the first official keynote speaker: Meredith Whittaker, President of Signal and globally recognised advocate for tech accountability and privacy-first design.
With a career spanning industry, academia, and government, Whittaker has advised institutions from the White House to the EU Parliament. She’s helped shape global AI policy and redefined public understanding of AI’s risks—not from sentient robots, but from the data-hungry, surveillance-driven systems behind them.
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Fresh Faces in the Innovation Arena
- Sandy Carter – COO of Unstoppable Domains and a fierce AI advocate: “Stop fearing AI—fear the companies that ignore it.”
- Ivan Zhao – CEO and Co-Founder of Notion, the $10B productivity giant known as the “Lego of software.”
- Paige Costello – Figma’s VP of Product, formerly of Asana, with deep expertise in AI-driven product design.
- Rohit Agarwal – Managing Director of Peak XV (formerly Sequoia Capital India & SEA), overseeing a $9B portfolio across 400+ companies.
- LTGEN Michelle McGuinness CSC – Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator, bringing military-grade insight into national resilience.
- Tim Cadogan – CEO of GoFundMe, now named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025.
Explore the full list of confirmed speakers here.
Spotlight on Students & Early-Stage Innovators
The SXSW Sydney Hackathon is back—inviting engineers, founders, and AI tinkerers to team up, solve real-world problems, and compete for prizes (and bragging rights).
In addition to the returning Pitch and Hackathon, 2025 introduces two new initiatives:
- Student Pitch (Oct 18) – 12 finalists from tertiary institutions get 3 minutes to pitch bold ideas on “what’s next.” Run in partnership with student-led VC firm NextGen Ventures.
- Tech & Innovation Showcase – A two-day, hands-on expo for early-stage creators at the cutting edge of science, design, and digital tech.
Early Bird Passes Ending Soon
Pass prices rise after May 1st, so now’s the time to secure your spot at Asia-Pacific’s leading creative gathering. This year introduces more affordable early bird tiers than ever before — and for international attendees, enjoy 20% off all passes.
Get your SXSW Sydney 2025 pass
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