Founder Groups Sydney

SydDT #131: Lead Change That Matters with Ben Pecotich

Join us for the launch of my Ben Pecotich's new book Lead Change That Matters: Design the Conditions for Momentum! Your ticket includes all the usual SydDT goodness… plus a set of limited-edition Lead Change That Matters cards that we’ll use on the night to catalyse conversation and help you choose your own journey. You’ll also get a special launch discount on Ben's new book. 300+ people shared their experiences, goals, frustrations, and hopes through the research behind the book – including so many of you from the SydDT community. Lead Change That Matters is a call to action. It says the work matters, the people involved matter, and what we choose to do next matters. This session is for you if you’re: * Leading change you’re accountable for but can’t really control * Navigating complexity with increasing ambiguity and uncertainty * Caring for everyone’s wellbeing but dodging your own burnout * Firefighting the tactical when you want to lead the strategic change that matters At the heart of the book is a tension that ran through the research. Leaders are expected to juggle more as the work becomes faster, more complex, and more scrutinised… but the conditions around them haven’t kept pace with what’s being demanded. We want people to collaborate, adapt, take the initiative, and deliver meaningful results. What are we doing to make that possible? The premise is that leading change well is about designing the conditions for people to do meaningful work together – bringing purpose and performance together to build momentum and deliver results that matter. We’ll explore these themes together… with a focus on how we design the conditions for momentum, so we can lead change that matters. Come join us for some fun conversations with interesting people in and around the design thinking community. New members are welcome! **SPEAKER** **[Ben Pecotich](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpecotich/)** **Design & Innovation Director/Founder, [Dynamic4](https://dynamic4.com). Author of Lead Change That Matters: Design the Conditions for Momentum** Ben's a designer, adviser, and founder of Dynamic4. He works alongside leaders and their teams on their most complex challenges across strategy, design, and tech. For 30+ years, Ben's led, designed, and delivered strategic change in financial services in Australia, NZ, Asia, the UK, and Europe – and co-founded 20+ startups and social enterprises across health and fitness, fintech, events, and community building. He founded Dynamic4 in 2001. Ben takes a human-centred design and living systems approach to helping clients design, build, and launch ideas that customers and teams love, make money, and do great things for people and our planet while increasing wellbeing. Everything he does is about accelerating the transition to more regenerative ways of living and doing business, creating the conditions for people and communities to be happier and live on a healthier planet. Ben's the author of Solve Problems That Matter and his new book Lead Change That Matters: Design the Conditions for Momentum is launching now. He's also the co-founder of Sydney Design Thinking. **EVENT SPONSORS** This event is brought to you by [Thoughtworks](https://www.thoughtworks.com/), [Shapeshifters](https://www.shapeshifterscreative.com.au/), and [Dynamic4](https://dynamic4.com/). We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.

Wonderful Wednesday dinner with Jenni at Chalios Thai

From Chaos to Confidence

Schedule --- • 19:00 - 19:30 General networking starts. Setup space, open the first. Brief Introduction Round (Who are you? What do you do?). FREE drinks • 19:30 - 20:00 What bugs you (i.e. Lean Mastermind)? • 20:00 - 21:00 Topic of the day (see speaker details below). Q & A • 21:00 - 21:15 Last drinks. Closing down. Carry on partying elsewhere. **Details** --- General get together. Share the latest news in the entrepreneurs community. Have a drink with like minded people Exchange stories from the trenches and tips on how to run a better business. **Lean Mastermind Session** --- Share a Challenge or an idea you have for your start up / business How can we help you resolve your problem or help you improve on your idea? ## **Topic of the Day: From Chaos to Confidence** How Smart Content Management Keeps Your Business Compliant, Efficient and Ready to Grow ## **Speaker of the Day: Bruce Wren CEO of revelr.ai** Bruce has created and sold several companies before. Revealr.ai is his latest project and deals with turning the 40 year old PDF into an "online twin". ## **Audience** Suitable for those with a growing business looking to share solutions and experience to accelerate growth and value. Bring a friend/aspiring entrepreneur. **Format** --- Casual get together/Mastermind **Sponsors** --- Thanks for [WOTSO](https://wotso.com/locations/manly) for hosting the event and Michael from https://www.magaconsult.com/about for nourishment (i.e. free drinks and nibbles). Thanks to Amazon Web Services for their ongoing support: [https://aws.amazon.com/getting-started](https://aws.amazon.com/getting-started)

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY DINNER WITH JENNI AT THE RAILWAY HOTEL IN HORNSBY

Machine Learning to mRNA: How I Built a Personalised Cancer Vaccine for My Dog

**Brief bio** * Paul Conyngham is the founder of Gamgee, a Y Combinator company developing personalised mRNA cancer vaccines for dogs. After 17 years in machine learning, Paul taught himself genomics and used AI to design a personalised vaccine for his dog Rosie, whose responsive tumours shrank by 50–75%. * **Talk outline** \- Rosie’s cancer and why existing treatments were not enough \- Using AI to cross from machine learning into genomics \- The journey from tumour sequencing to an administered mRNA vaccine \- What worked\, what failed and what one patient can teach us \- Turning a year\-long manual process into repeatable software \- Why Gamgee is starting with dogs and where the technology goes next NOTE: Register for this event here : https://www.meetup.com/data-science-sydney/events/316413053

🌟 You're Invited! Dundas Toastmasters Meeting 🌟

Join us for an evening of inspiring speeches, impromptu challenges, and friendly learning. Toastmasters is a supportive space where you can: ✅ Build confidence in public speaking ✅ Sharpen leadership and communication skills ✅ Connect with like-minded people ✨ Guests are always welcome! No need to speak if you don’t want to — just come along, listen, and enjoy the evening. 👉 Message us for more info or simply drop in!

October syd<video> - #80th episode

Join us for Season 11, Episode 5 as we celebrate 80 meetups of community, code, and video tech this October with another great night of video tech talks returning to the slick **Canva** office for an evening of deep-dives, good friends networking, food and drinks. Tonights speakers will be **[David Rodd (US) - Software Engineering Manager Paramount+](https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lightning-rodd/)** **KITT: Could AI Have Saved Our Event Platform? How solving lost jobs evolved into building distributed state** **[Colin Hendry - Media Technical Specialist @ SBS](https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinhendry/ )** **Streaming both of the worlds largest sporting events (at the same time)** **[Janaka Beragama Kuruppuge - Director Cloud and AI Engineering @ Oracle](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdishantha/)** **[Jeremy Brown - Video and Ads @ Kick](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremybrownau/)** **How much can change in a year at Kick the worlds fourth largest live streaming platform** **Sponsors** Our thanks to **Canva** for hosting and sponsoring pizza + drinks at the venue. Sydney Video Technology is a volunteer group, as part of many groups independently run around the world. Tonight’s hosts will be: Jeremy Brown, Adrian Britton, Grégoire Duché and Amy Prosser

Building AI Agents That Remember, Reason, and Act

Hello Amazonians, For our next AWS Sydney Meetup, **MongoDB** and **PolarSeven** are bringing together two practical talks exploring what it takes to build AI agents for real-world environments! **🎤 Hear from:** **Mark Sailba, Senior Solutions Architect @ MongoDB** *Building AI Agents That Remember, Reason, and Act* *AI agents are moving beyond simple prompt-and-response experiences, but getting them to reliably complete real-world tasks requires more than a capable model. In this session, we’ll explore the architecture behind production-ready agents: how memory and context help agents maintain continuity, how data and tools enable meaningful action, and how governance, observability, and state management support secure operation at scale. Using AWS and MongoDB, we’ll share practical patterns for building agents that can remember what matters, reason over enterprise context, and act with confidence.* **Florian Huebscher, Cloud Support Engineer @ PolarSeven** *Talk title TBC* After the talks, stick around for networking, pizzas, and drinks with the local AWS Sydney User Group community! 🍻🍕🤤 **Agenda:** 17:30 - Arrive & drinks 18:00 - Introductions 18:05 - Talk 1: *Building AI Agents That Remember, Reason, and Act* Mark Sailba, Senior Solutions Architect @ MongoDB 18:35 - Talk 2: *TBC* Florian Huebscher, Cloud Support Engineer @ PolarSeven 19:05 - Networking, food, and drinks! 🍻🍕 **Event details:** 🗓️ Date: Wed, 7 October 2026 🕕 Time: 6:00 PM 📍 Location: Level 8/2 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000 *(Please enter via Kent St to access the building).* RSVP now to save your spot. We look forward to seeing you there! Cheers, **The PolarSeven Team** *Would you like to present? Complete [this form](https://forms.gle/GAqrJggTjme6Uzsu6) and we'll be in touch soon.*

Passion to Purpose: Learn to Host Small Events and Test Your Business Idea

**A 4 Week Program for Women Ready to Share Their Ideas with Confidence!** Have you ever thought: * I'd love to run my own workshop. * I'd like to see if people are interested in my idea. * I enjoy helping others, but don't know where to begin. * I'd love to build a community around something I'm passionate about. If that sounds like you, we created this four-week program for you. Instead of spending months planning, you'll learn how to test your idea by hosting a small, welcoming experience where you can learn from real conversations and genuine feedback. Whether your interest is wellness, creativity, business, personal interests, food, gardening, fitness, education or another topic you enjoy, hosting can be a practical way to explore your idea while building confidence and connecting with others. **What You'll Learn** * Week 1 — Discover Your Passion and Purpose Explore what genuinely interests you, who you enjoy helping and how your interests could become a simple community experience. * Week 2 — Design Your First Hosted Experience Learn how to turn your idea into a simple event that people would enjoy attending. * Week 3 — Build Confidence as a Host Hosting is a skill that improves with practice. We'll share practical ideas that have worked well through Morgaia's own community experiences. * Week 4 — Test, Reflect and Grow Bring everything together by planning your own small hosted experience. **Who This Program Is For** This program is ideal for women who: * have an idea they'd like to explore * enjoy bringing people together * want to build confidence speaking with groups * would like to develop leadership and communication skills * are considering creating future workshops, events or community experiences * want to learn in a friendly and supportive environment No previous hosting experience is required. **What You'll Receive** * Four interactive group sessions * Practical worksheets and planning templates * Opportunities to learn alongside other women * A supportive community where questions are encouraged * Practical ideas you can apply at your own pace **What to bring** * A notebook/journal + pen * An open mind **Contribution**: $5 **Meeting point** The Sorrel Cafe & Kitchen https://share.google/UdizTCl7qcKVNrbUG **Check out our Sister Meetups** Glow Up and Go Sydney - Yoga and Mind-Body Movement [https://www.meetup.com/glowupandgosydney](https://www.meetup.com/glowupandgosydney) Sydney Eats Walk Social Life [https://www.meetup.com/sydneyeatswalksociallife](https://www.meetup.com/sydneyeatswalksociallife) This event is brought to you by **Morgaia**, a welcoming community for women 40+ who want to build healthy habits, enjoy gentle movement and connect with like-minded women. Learn more at [www.morgaia.com](http://www.morgaia.com/). **About Morgaia** Morgaia encourages women to keep growing, learning and building confidence through community experiences. This program shares practical ideas, personal experiences and lessons learned from hosting community events over time. Every participant is encouraged to adapt what they learn to suit their own goals, interests and circumstances. Whether you choose to host one event or continue developing your ideas beyond the program, you'll leave with more confidence, practical knowledge and a clearer understanding of your next steps. Come along, meet like-minded women, and discover how hosting can be a practical way to explore your ideas, grow your confidence, and create meaningful community connections. **Important Information** This event is an educational community program that shares practical experiences, ideas and general information. It is not business, legal, financial, medical or psychological advice. Individual experiences and outcomes will differ, and participants are encouraged to seek professional advice where appropriate for their personal circumstances.

Sydney Claude Community: From Beginners to Builders

Welcome to the Sydney Claude Community! Whether you are completely new to artificial intelligence or a seasoned developer looking to architect enterprise solutions, this meetup is your space to learn, share, and grow. AI is moving fast, and navigating it alone can be overwhelming. We’ve broadened the scope of this group to support everyone in our local community who wants to understand and leverage AI—specifically Anthropic’s Claude—no matter where you are on your journey. **What to Expect:** Grab a coffee and join us for relaxed, open discussions broken down into three main areas of focus: •⁠ ⁠The AI Explorers (Beginners): For those who don't know much about AI yet but are eager to explore, ask questions, and get hands-on experience in a welcoming environment. •⁠ ⁠The Professionals (Intermediate): For those who understand the basics of AI but want practical advice on how to implement it to help their teams, automate workflows, or support their companies. •⁠ ⁠The Builders (Advanced): For developers and consultants willing to dive deep, study AI architecture, and prepare for the official Anthropic certification exams. **Why Join Us?** As AI evolves, getting the right guidance is crucial. One of our co-organizers is an official Anthropic Partner and a newly Certified Claude Code Architect Professional. We are here to support the community, provide mentorship, share real-world use cases, and help you navigate the certification pathways. Come along to network, share your ideas, and learn how to make AI work for you! **About the Organizers & Partners** •⁠ ⁠Code Sydney (https://code.sydney/) •⁠ ⁠Community Partner: Seiment (https://seiment.com/)

KSUG.AI Australia #70 - Cloud Native & AI Unlocked @ Nutanix

**1-Click to register =>** [https://ksug.ai/au-70](https://ksug.ai/au-70) **<=** **Latest promotions** discovered by our community! * **30%** OFF **[Kubernetes](https://sf2.ksug.ai)** Certs - Code: **30K8SUG** * **20%** OFF **[FinOps](https://ksug.ai/finops/?ref=meetup)** Certs Code: **KSAI_20** * Missed **65%** off [LF / CNCF](https://lf.ksug.ai/)? [Get Notified](https://ksug.ai/?notify&ref=meetup) for next BIG drop! We're excited to collaborate with [JR Academy](https://jracademy.ai/) to welcome you to the upcoming **KSUG.AI Australia Meetup** — happening both in-person at at Nutanix and online via [Zoom](https://z5.ksug.ai)! 🎉 We're actively seeking more awesome K8s and AI topic speakers! 👉 [https://sessionize.com/ksug-au-syd](https://sessionize.com/ksug-au-syd) **Agenda and topics preview:** * Food, drinks and Socializing * Welcome / Introductions by the Organizers @**[KSUG.AI](https://ksug.ai/?ref=meet)** * Build a MCP Server in Dart by [Suesi Tran](https://www.linkedin.com/in/suesitran/), Google GDE * Build with AI Hands-On workshop: Build and Scale an AI Image Generator on GKE (CPU to GPU) by [Yongkang He](https://linkedin.com/in/yongkanghe), Google GDE * **Quiz time:** nice swags giveaways Food and drinks will be provided between **5.30 and 6 pm** on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a great opportunity to learn and network with our peers. Thanks to our sponsors **[Nutanix](https://www.nutanix.com/)**! **[1-Click to register here](https://ksug.ai/au-70) to secure your spot!** See you all there! **Location:** Nutanix Pty Ltd, Uluru (room), Level 10 [Maritime Trade Towers, 201 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW 2000](https://maps.app.goo.gl/rkehsQD4yn82ZLPt6) 👉 Join our [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/Rp9WzYyKua) and [WhatsApp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/D9a9IDiCS7U4cqQ0Sh60cz?mode=gi_t) for latest update! 🔖 𝐎𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬: ☸ 30% OFF **[Kubernetes](https://lf.ksug.ai/)** Certs - Code: **30K8SUG** ☸ 20% OFF **[FinOps](https://ksug.ai/finops)** Certs - Code: **KSAI_20** 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐖𝐞 𝐃𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬: ✅ Learn 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ⚡ ✅ Certify 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 💰 ✅ Grow 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 💪 𝟐𝟓𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎+ follow **[KSUG.AI](https://ksug.ai/?ref=meet)** 🔥 [github.com/ksug-ai](https://github.com/ksug-ai) *By registering, you consent to the management of your personal information in accordance with KSUG.AI Meetup's [Privacy Policy](https://ksug.ai/privacy). Additionally, you agree that our sponsors may contact you.*

Fuckup Nights Sydney: The Stories Nobody Puts On LinkedIn

**🎟 Tickets are sold on Eventbrite only: [eventbrite.com.au/e/2002695427936](https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/2002695427936)** **Your Meetup RSVP is not a ticket. Grab yours on Eventbrite, $33.** Three Sydney business owners tell the story of something that went properly wrong. And a mentalist closes the night. We often hear about the wins. Less often about the month someone made a hire who seemed perfect in the interview and it all went very wrong. That's what Fuckup Nights is for! Fuckup Nights is a global storytelling series running in 300+ cities. The format is simple: founders, owners and senior operators get on stage and tell the story of something that went badly wrong in their own business. What they did. What it cost. What they know now. No pitch decks. No "and that is when we raised our Series A". Just the things people normally only admit after the second drink. ## Speakers of the night **Nimarta Verma**, Founder, StorySharing A Stevie Award winning coach who helps leaders tell true stories. She has never told this one on a stage. Money for virtually no work. She thought she hit the jackpot until a phone call came... **Jasper Musgrave**, Founder & Managing Director, Twisted Truth Media "It was just a nightmarish period." Slow to hire, quick to fire - he learned it the expensive way, and he is going to tell you how. **Xavier Crow**, Mentalist & Human Dynamics Specialist, Real Human Dynamics 20+ years. 1,000+ events. 12+ countries. He reads people for a living, which also means he has a collection of nights when the trick did not work. Fair warning: he will know what you are thinking before you do. ## How the night runs * 5:30pm Arrive, grab a drink and grab your favourite seat * 6:00pm Welcome * 6:15pm First story & Q&A * 6:30pm Second story & Q&A * 6:45pm Break & networking * 7:00pm Third story & Q&A * 7:15pm The mentalist closes the night * 7:30pm Networking * 8:00pm Stay on for dinner and drinks at Cardea The night is off the record. The only way to hear this one is to be in the room. ## Where Cardea, Shop 2 T3.01, 300 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo NSW 2000 Cardea is a cocktail bar made for live performance, right in the heart of Barangaroo. Think red velvet booths, glittering chandeliers and vintage furniture. The bar is named after Cardea, the Roman goddess of doorways. We're fairly sure she's also in charge of guarding all our speakers! Take a seat at the bar or get close to the stage in theatre-style seating. Or bring your friends and colleagues and make a booth your base for the night. About half the room comes alone, so come solo or bring your crew. Drinks and food aren't included in your ticket, but Cardea's full menu is available on the night. It's about a five-minute walk from both Wynyard Station and Barangaroo Metro. ## Who comes to this Founders, business owners, agency people, operators, and anyone who is quietly in the middle of their own fuckup right now and would like to feel less alone about it. **🎟 Tickets: [eventbrite.com.au/e/2002695427936](https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/2002695427936)** See you on the other side of the door.