SA festival granted multimillion-dollar funding extension
Adelaide innovation and business festival _SOUTHSTART has secured three more years of state government funding, allowing the event to “grow in step with the innovators we serve”.
A $2 million state government investment will support _SOUTHSTART for another three years as the startup and innovation festival creeps closer to its 10-year anniversary under its current directors.
Announced today, the new three-year commitment will support the delivery of _SOUTHSTART through to 2028.
The annual festival is held across Adelaide and regional South Australia, bringing technologies, artists, entrepreneurs and scientists together to discuss the pressing topics of the day, share stories of business growth and connect over shared meals.
_SOUTHSTART co-director Danielle Seymour, who took over running the event in 2018, said the investment would “allow us to grow in step with the innovators we serve”.
The event has transformed from a home-grown startup conference into a full-blown festival, platforming the likes of Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph, Techstars founder Brad Feld, and founders of Australian unicorns like Canva, Culture Amp and more.
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“As we evolve with intent, and reach a level of maturity rarely afforded to platforms of our kind, we aim to further demonstrate the critical role of startups in South Australia’s path to greater economic complexity,” Seymour said.
_SOUTHSTART was founded in 2013 but Seymour and Kent Town-based The Moonshine Lab stepped in to lead the event in 2018.
Seymour said “so much has changed since then, both professionally and personally”.
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“Back then, I was a commerce student, still discovering what a ‘startup’ even was. Today, I’m a mum of one, with another on the way. Personally, navigating company growth with deadlines that can feel like they ‘stop for no one’, through some of my life’s biggest transitions has been my proudest achievement,” she said.
“We’ve gone from a handful of volunteers to a small (but mighty) team of five. We’ve printed attendee lanyards in a hotel room at 3am, weathered pandemic postponements, and built makeshift ‘villages’ in regional wineries. We’ve taken over iconic local haunts like Golden Boy, Africola, Peel St, Gilbert Place, D’Arenberg, and Seppeltsfield – pulling off a volume of events that some might deliver in a year, all in just a few days.
“Tears have been shed. Keepsakes exchanged. People have landed new jobs, left old ones, found co-founders, secured funding, found investment opportunities or simply found the confidence to move forward. It goes on.”
She said her team was currently working on building the 2026 edition of the festival, which will be embedded with _SOUTHSTART’s legacy of “the trust we build, the ideas we help bring to life, and the belief that innovation can start (and thrive) from here”.
“We create space for people to connect with purpose, form lasting relationships, and pursue ideas that don’t always fit into a box.
“We value depth over noise, and we’re not afraid to do things differently.
“By living these values, we’re building a more connected, confident, and creatively ambitious South Australia and contributing to a national culture that backs its people.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Dr Susan Close said the festival had “proven its value as a catalyst for innovation, investment, new connections and business growth, helping put South Australia’s burgeoning startup sector and emerging industries on the map”.
“Through this $2 million investment, the South Australian Government is backing the next stage of _SOUTHSTART’s growth, creating more opportunities for local entrepreneurs, showcasing the depth of opportunities for investors, attracting new partnerships and strengthening South Australia’s innovation economy.”
