“A safe space to be optimistic.”
That’s how Rick Baker, partner at Blackbird, one of Australia’s biggest venture capital firms, which is also the custodians of Sunrise, described 2024’s edition of their Festival of Ideas & Innovation.
He was, of course, contextualising. Since the last edition of Sunrise in November 2022, Australia’s tech and innovation sector has been through a rough ride.
Though as over 1700 darlings of the Australian ecosystem spilled through the doors of Sydney’s iconic Carriageworks for Sunrise, you could have been forgiven for thinking we were still living in the “good ol’ days”.
And at a festival where the key financial backer made most of their money through investing in technology, where better to start than with an animated TV series.
Yes, you read that right.
Joe Brumm, the creator of Bluey, delivered Sunrise’s headline keynote and it was a marvellous reminder that there’s more to the world than AI, quantum, or whatever other buzzword you’re currently sick of hearing.
Bluey is now the most streamed TV show in the world, across any genre. It’s an incredible testament to its relatability, down-to-earth nature and happy-go-lucky Australianism.
All adjectives that can be used to describe Brumm, who wowed the crowd with his laid-back attitude to success and how he maintained creative integrity while pitching Bluey.
“If I wasn’t a grumpy 39-year-old man I would likely have made more concessions.”
Brumm also highlighted the importance people played in his own professional journey and Bluey’s runaway success.
It proved the perfect signposting for what was about to come at Sunrise.
Baker also spoke about the goal of Sunrise being the “unexpected collisions” that happen when you bring the industry’s brightest minds together in one space.
What was meant as a metaphor quickly became a physical manifestation as the doors to the main foyer swung open on morning one.
Where 30-second conversations would be interrupted by even briefer ones, as faces from around the country (and some intrepid souls from across the globe) were reacquainted with a feverish exuberance, geed up by Brumm and Baker’s intros.
It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to a human game of bumper cars.
With the inevitable crack on the ribs from the safety bar as someone side-ends you, being replaced with a foreboding sense of losing the plot after you’ve said the same thing 200 times.
And just like at the circus, you come away feeling a little bit like it isn’t good for the body, but it’s amazing for the soul.
Fast forward to the Sunday after Sunrise, as I sit and write this piece and this analogy couldn’t be more accurate.
The sore throat from four days of intense chatting with old, new, and now lifelong friends — so worth it.
The feeling of anxiety from the backlog of emails that were ignored in lieu of conversations ironically just added to the amount of work that needed to be done afterwards.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The detox that the body is craving after a diet of “eat whenever you can” and startup pizza and beer at Sunrise’s various side events.
Ignoring the body and listening to the soul.
I’m struck by how Baker kicked us off and the backdrop to which his words were spoken.
It’s easier to feel like his positive entree sounded a little bit like the overused “we have dry powder and are ready to use it” mantra that we often hear from the Australian investor fraternity.
Though isn’t that why we come to an event like Sunrise — for a bit of escapism and optimism?
I’m a firm believer that the positive impact an event has had on you can be measured by the post-event blues that you get once it’s over.
The Sunrise blues definitely hit hard and left me questioning whether the only version of Blue we need is a six-year-old heeler puppy that is currently taking the world by storm.
One that just so happens to represent the best version of our lucky country.
A sentiment that can also be shared with Sunrise Australia 2024 and the people who made it so special.
Dickie Currer is the head of ecosystem at Scalare Partners and the co-national lead of Tech Australia Advocates.
This article was first published as a post on LinkedIn.
Never miss a story: sign up to SmartCompany’s free daily newsletter and find our best stories on LinkedIn.
Dickie Currer is the head of ecosystem at Scalare Partners and the co-national lead of Tech Australia Advocates. Currer was formerly the head of partnerships at Startup Victoria.
