{"id":43560,"date":"2023-10-20T15:29:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/victorian-government-backs-out-of-support-for-startcon-and-funds-three-diversity-focused-conferences-instead-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:29:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:29:28","slug":"victorian-government-backs-out-of-support-for-startcon-and-funds-three-diversity-focused-conferences-instead-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/victorian-government-backs-out-of-support-for-startcon-and-funds-three-diversity-focused-conferences-instead-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Victorian government backs out of support for StartCon and funds three diversity-focused conferences instead – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Victorian government says it will no longer be providing support to bring the StartCon conference to Melbourne and will instead be providing funding to three other tech conferences with a particular focus on cultural and gender diversity.<\/p>\n
Last year, Victorian minister for innovation Philip Dalidakis announced the SydStart conference, the biggest startup event in Australia, would be coming to Melbourne<\/a> from this year and be rebranded to StartCon with $1 million in government funding and in-kind marketing.<\/p>\n But earlier this year it was revealed the conference would be staying put in Sydney for 2016<\/a> due to prolonged negotiations between StartCon organiser Freelancer and the state government.<\/p>\n Now Dalidakis says the government will no longer be backing the conference.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve not been able to finalise that deal with [Freelancer CEO] Matt Barrie,\u201d Dalidakis tells StartupSmart<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish him and Freelancer all the best.\u201d<\/p>\n StartupSmart<\/em> understands that the decision was due to StartCon’s lack of desire to negotiate with the government and to implement diversity metrics for the conference.<\/span><\/p>\n The SydStart conference last year was heavily criticised for an all-male first round of speakers<\/a>, but Barrie says this year\u2019s installment is different.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a huge line-up of female speakers,\u201d Barrie tells StartupSmart<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not 50-50 \u2013 the tech industry isn\u2019t 50-50.\u201d<\/p>\n Barrie says he doesn\u2019t want this to taint this year\u2019s StartCon in Sydney, and that he\u2019s still open to bringing the conference to Melbourne next year.<\/p>\n Instead of StartCon, the Victorian government will now be providing commercial support to Above All Human, PauseFest and the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing we can do more to support great people doing great things \u2013 they are three tremendous conferences,\u201d Dalidakis says.<\/p>\n He says that backing homegrown and international initiatives will boost Victoria\u2019s aim to become a leading innovation hub in the Asia-Pacific, and one that is enriched by diversity and equality.<\/p>\n \u201cThat should be celebrated Australia-wide,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Dalidakis says he has secured an exclusive deal with Girls in Tech to make Melbourne the first place in the southern hemisphere to host the organisation\u2019s conference from next year, and the minister says he\u2019ll be bringing his daughters along.<\/p>\n Above All Human organiser Bronwen Clune and prominent Aussie investor Susan Wu opened the conference this year with a powerful speech<\/a> calling it \u201cbullshit\u201d that reaching gender equality for tech events was a difficult task.<\/p>\n