It’s been 10 years since the Australian Government formally prioritised fintech as a key growth sector — and a decade since FinTech Australia was formed to champion the industry.
At Intersekt 2025, that milestone was front of mind.
From the very first pre-event dinners on the Tuesday night, there was a palpable buzz of optimism as delegates from around the world gathered to reconnect, celebrate, learn, and plan for the future.
Catching up on the sidelines of Intersekt is always popular
I attended wearing multiple hats: as a newly appointed member of the FinTech Australia board, as CEO and cofounder of a scaling fintech, as a panelist — and as a student hungry to learn.
Here are some of the standout themes and golden nuggets from across the program.
Day 1
Looking into the Crystal Ball: Who Will Be the Next Fintech Titans?
Moderated by Judy Anderson-Firth (Triple Bubble & Euphemia), this panel featured Marnie Baker, a FinTech Australia director, Dom Pym (Euphemia), Lynn Thompson, (QBE Ventures) and Toby Norton-Smith,(x15ventures).
Marnie opened provocatively, asking: “Should the ecosystem be the titan rather than one or two players?” A reminder that building a thriving sector may be more important than chasing unicorns.
Dom challenged the idea that “titan” equals size: “Impact and culture are far more important… better to be big and good than big and not good. We need titans, not tyrants.” His own Up Bank was held up as a future titan on these terms.
Toby spoke about 15x Ventures’ approach to helping fintechs become “enterprise ready,” while Lynn offered her litmus test: “If your sales cycle is under six months, you’ve got something special. If it’s longer, you’re still figuring it out.”
A simple yet sharp benchmark for any startup.
Lynn also highlighted Cover Genius as a standout insurtech to watch.
Building a Sufficient Runway Before Liftoff: Securing Funding in 2025
I had the privilege of joining Shamus Hodgson (Zai Payments), Caroline Tran (Hello Clever), and Kenneth Lai (RSM) for this panel.
Shamus captured the mood with: “Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity.” Investors, he noted, are now more careful than ever and want a crystal-clear view of how their money is spent. Caroline, cofounder of Hello Clever, agreed: “You have to know your numbers precisely. Investors want milestones, exit plans, and returns — and you must deliver.”
I shared the non-dilutive funding perspective, highlighting how founders are now weighing their weighted average cost of capital, strategically blending debt and equity to fund growth. At Tractor Ventures, we’re seeing more founders run dual-track funding strategies than ever before.
Fresh Off the Press: What You Missed in the Australian Startup Landscape
This session, moderated by Bronwen Clune (Capital Brief), brought together Ben Buckingham (Primary), Alex Simmons (Kashkade), and Kirstin Hunter (Birchal).
Kirstin summed up the moment: “Necessity breeds creativity. Founders are looking beyond traditional VC, and alternative capital is now part of the mix.” She also challenged local investors: “We’re a small nation, and VCs lack creativity in early-stage funding.”
Ben pointed to the widening gap between seed, Series A and B, noting that debt is often bridging rounds. Bronwen observed that alt-capital is only just now starting to gain recognition, while Alex added: “Private wealth is becoming more active in the ecosystem.”
Or as Bronwen put it in a headline: “Growth is back, baby.”
Day 2
Women in Fintech Breakfast: From Competition to Collaboration
Sponsored by Cuscal, this session brought together Bronwyn Yam, May Lam, Irene Tsang, myself, and moderator Judy Anderson-Firth.
The Women in Fintech breakfast
With 70 women in the room over a full breakfast, the discussion was powerful and personal. Each panelist spoke of facing discrimination as women — often women of colour and migrants — and succeeding regardless.
We acknowledged the value of women-only spaces, but Judy challenged us not to stop there: “Events like this are vital, but they won’t solve the problem on their own.”
True to form, Judy ended with action: every panelist committed to one tangible step, and every attendee was asked to note their own. My commitments included mentoring more actively, opening doors for other women, and pushing for family-friendly event formats.
Retention Strategies: Creating Workplaces that Sustain Inclusion
Key takeaways from this discussion included:
Understanding backgrounds is key (Anish Sinha).
Culture interviews at Citro ensure candidates are assessed by peers outside their function (Megan Burgess).
AI will reshape work, and flexibility is no longer optional — Cuscal’s hybrid model shows intentional design (Freya Smith).
Representation matters — Zip Co now has 50–55% women across exec and non-exec roles (Lauren McCormack).
Lauren also emphasised vulnerable leadership as the path to psychological safety — a point that resonated deeply with me.
Show and Tell: Why We Invested in Our Portfolio
This panel provided a rare look inside VC decision-making.
Highlights included:
NAB Ventures’ investment in Trovata, for its real-time treasury management impact on NAB’s customer base.
Airtree and Square Peg’s joint backing of Constantinople, betting on the team’s deep customer insight and full-stack AI-native banking platform.
Square Peg’s Ed Barker: “Founders must solve 100% of the problem, not just part of it — that’s how you build defensible moats.”
Five V’s investment in Open Insurance, praised for their customer obsession and testing via their own brand “Huddle.”
Once Bitten, Twice Spry: Lessons from Serial Founders
This session with Stuart Stoyan and Luke Howes was full of hard-won truths.
Luke: “A dollar from a customer is worth more than a dollar from an investor.”
Stu: “Own 100% of something smaller rather than 1% of a unicorn.”
Both: focus on outcomes, not headlines — and never waste a crisis.
Beyond the panels
The networking was constant and energised: handshakes, hugs, and laughter over coffee, buffets, Lune croissants, and even a Messina ice-cream cart courtesy of Mastercard. By night, the action shifted to clubs and bars, reminding us fintech can party as hard as it pitches.
As always, the FinTech Australia team led by Rehan D’Almeida delivered a world-class festival.
The event closed with the high-octane Fintech50 Pitch Extravaganza: 50 founders, 30 seconds each. It was fast, fun, and a thrilling glimpse of the sector’s next wave.
Final thoughts
After ten years of fintech in Australia, Intersekt 2025 showed just how far we’ve come — and how much further we can go. The conversations were candid, the optimism was infectious, and the diversity of capital, leadership, and ideas felt stronger than ever.
The next decade is set to be even bigger.
FinTech Australia CEO Rehan D’Almeida
- Jodie Imam is the cofounder and CEO of Tractor Ventures and a director of FinTech Australia.
