A celebration of Australia’s startup ecosystem showcasing innovation, investment and entrepreneurship.
West Tech Fest exists to connect local startup founders and tech entrepreneurs with global thought leaders amongst Western Australia’s most stunning landscapes. The event annually attracts thousands of delegates from across WA, Australia, and the world to Perth in December each year for what is now Australia’s longest running tech and innovation festival.
Before being known as West Tech Fest, the festival was originally a showcase of technology and innovation through the WApp Awards, held in 2011 and 2012, which was a competition run to identify the best mobile app concept from staff, students and alumni of Western Australian universities.
From the success of the 2012 awards, the OzApp Awards (2013-2017) were developed to take the WApp Awards concept nation-wide. Hosted in Perth, the awards attracted an audience of world-leading investors and entrepreneurs, including a host of Silicon Valley venture capitalists specialising in technology and innovation.
Today as West Tech Fest, with support from the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation’s New Industries Fund, West Tech Fest welcomes visitors from all over WA, Australia and the world, showcasing the very best of Australia’s technology innovation community and highlighting the lessons that can be learned from creating a startup business in Western Australia.
West Tech Fest was initiated by Curtin University and co-founded by Bill Tai, Larry Lopez, Rohan McDougall, and Paula Taylor.
Our Objectives
Raising awareness
Raise the public profile and awareness of Western Australia’s technology and innovation capabilities and support the positioning of Western Australia as an innovation hub.
Celebrating WA
Champion West Australian startups and their successes.
Building capability
Attract investment for West Australian startups and innovators.
Building connections
Foster effective collaboration within the startup ecosystem between universities, government, and industry.
Our Principles
Founders First
We are dedicated to spotlighting the achievements of local startups, offering a stage to share their stories and inspire others.
Invest in WA
We provide a dynamic environment where innovators and investors come together, enabling future partnerships and investment.
Connective Hub
The festival acts as a unifying platform, where startups, risk capital, academia, government, and corporates collaborate to advance innovation in Perth.
Globally Inspired
We provide a platform to explore and engage with innovative ideas from around the world, all in one fantastic location – Perth.
West Tech Fest Team
Founders
Organising Committee
