Packed house at Subiaco’s first West Tech Fest event signals strong innovation appetite

Monday night marked Subiaco’s debut as a West Tech Fest host city, with ‘Subi Sundowner: Startups on Tap’ bringing together Western Australia’s start-up and innovation community for an evening of conversation, networking, and industry insight at FOUND Subiaco.

Delivered in partnership with Startup WA, with support from MeshPoints, the capacity crowd included founders, investors, researchers, industry representatives, and local businesses.

The event featured Perth Wildcats Owner Mark Arena, Women & Infants Research Foundation CEO Deborah Attard Portughes, and Ford & Doonan Co-founder and Managing Director Andrew Ford, who shared perspectives on leadership, adaptability, and building high-performing organisations across sport, research, and business. Their discussion highlighted the increasing opportunities for collaboration across sectors.

Mayor David McMullen said the turnout demonstrated the growing interest in Subiaco’s emerging role in Western Australia’s innovation ecosystem.

“We are seeing more entrepreneurs, researchers, and creative thinkers choose Subiaco as their base, and the turnout tonight reflects that momentum. There is a clear appetite for connection, collaboration, and new ideas.”

He said hosting part of West Tech Fest in Subiaco further underscored the strength of the city’s innovation community.

“There is an existing ecosystem of startups, entrepreneurs, innovators and creatives already doing business right here in Subiaco. We want to harness that and see it grow,

“By supporting forums where people can meet and exchange ideas, the City is helping to build a more diverse and resilient local economy – one that is equipped for the future.”

Recent mapping by the City valued Subiaco’s innovation ecosystem at around $400 million, underscoring the scale of activity taking shape across the area.

The event formed part of West Tech Fest 2025, Australia’s longest-running innovation and start-up festival, which features a week-long program of talks, networking events, and industry discussions across the Perth metropolitan area.