From MVP to Mega-Round : Navigating the Hunter’s New Capital Pipeline
In 2025, Hunter-based startups secured over $60 million in cumulative capital, but the path from a MVP grant to a multi-million dollar Series A is a high-stakes climb.
With the next NSW MVP Ventures round opening on 26 March, do you know how to position your tech to be 'investor-ready' for the big players?
The Hunter is Australia’s 'Battery Valley' and a powerhouse of advanced manufacturing. Following the series opener on hard-tech talent in January, the 2026 Innovators Lunch Series continues with its second instalment, bringing the entire capital lifecycle into one room.
Fireside Chat
The event will open with a headline Fireside Chat between Zara Crichton (CEO, Hunter iF) and Justin Bain (CEO, 3ME Technology). They will explore raising $40M in a global market with increasing geopolitical instability and where the opportunities exist for the Hunter to be a global leader for its areas of expertise. Justin will deconstruct the 'Customer Lever': how government investment in Defence and Energy acts as a catalyst for regional startups, smoothing the learning curve and allowing local tech to ride the wake of sovereign-capability giants. Our goal is to show that a global mindset from Day 1 isn’t just an ambition; in the Hunter, it’s a competitive necessity.
Panel
Following the chat, Siobhan Curran will moderate a deep-dive panel of founders, investors, and strategists to explore the 'Bridge' from regional prototype to global solution. Don't raise in a vacuum. With the next round of the NSW MVP Ventures Grant opening on 26 March, offering up to 75% subsidy for regional projects, the timing is critical. However, a grant is only a bridge, not a destination. Are you investment ready?
The Panelists:
- Moderator: Siobhan Curran | Director of Knowledge Exchange & Entrepreneurship, University of Newcastle
- Vivek (Viv) Jayachandran | Managing Director, Jaegersoft
- Carolyn Breeze | CEO, Scalare Partners
- Alex Retzlaff | Managing Partner, Unify Ventures
Timings
12:00 pm | Doors Open: Registration, light lunch, and networking.
12:20 pm | Fireside Chat: Zara Crichton (CEO, Hunter iF) in conversation with Justin Bain (CEO, 3ME Technology).
12:40 pm | Audience Q&A: A direct deep dive with Justin on the "Global Day 1" mindset.
12:50 pm | The Systems Panel: Siobhan Curran (Moderator) explores capital raising in 2026.
1:30 pm | Panel Q&A: Your chance to ask the hard questions about investment readiness.
1:40 pm | Networking
2:00 pm | Close.
