Where are the high tech entrepeneurs we need?

Dear ,

What to do? Australia has a problem - we no longer make things, we specialise in digging stuff up and exporting it. These days the big money worldwide is in IP, but while we have the 12th largest economy in the world we don't figure in world rankings when it comes to filing patents.

Steve Baxter, a successful high tech entrepreneur who these days dedicates himself to nurturing high tech startups, should have the answers. He is our speaker at this year's McIlwraith Lecture, to be held on Wednesday October 29 at the Victoria Park Venue Centre (to book click here).

Australia's standard of living is based on high prices for our minerals. Without them the federal budget collapses and debt flies out of control.

It's not a complete wasteland. In the high tech sector we have multi-billion dollar companies like Atlassian, and more recently Canva, but if we want to continue to enjoy high living standards, we need many more.

The McIlwraith Lecture celebrates innovation and entrepreneurship. Steve Baxter made his first fortune with SE Net, an Internet Service Provider he set up in his spare room.

He rose to public fame as one of the panellists on the Shark Tank and was later appointed Queensland's Chief Entrepreneur by the state government.

Today, one of his businesses is River City Labs, which is an incubator designed to produce more innovators and entrepreneurs like himself, while another is TEN13 a tech venture capitalist vehicle.

An ex-serviceman, Steve is also currently Founder and Lead Investor of Beaten Zone Venture Partners which focuses on early-stage tech ventures in defence.

This year’s lecture is unmissable given all the challenges facing Australia, and the inability of our political class to focus on them.

Details are:
Date and time: Wednesday October 29, 2025, 7:00 for 7:30 pm
Venue: Victoria Park Venue Centre, 309 Herston Road, Herston Q 4029
Price: $175 AIP members, $195 general public, $130 concessions (all tickets include two-course meal and all drinks)
RSVP: October 22, 2025 12:00 midnight
Booking: to book click here

Kind regards,

GRAHAM YOUNG
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR PROGRESS