Western Australia’s longest running tech and innovation festival ran from Monday 2 December to Friday 6 December, bringing together global and local leaders in digital innovation, entrepreneurship and investment.
The festival provided a platform for local digital startups and innovators to showcase their capabilities and highlight WA’s thriving tech ecosystem.
The festival demonstrates the growing importance of fostering digital innovation and collaboration, with sold out major events including West Tech Women, West Tech Coast, West Tech Main and Freo Startup Fest.
The 2024 West Tech Fest featured over 29 satellite events enabling it further expanding its reach across the State’s startup and tech innovation community.
Exciting additions were made to the festival this year, such as the inaugural First Nations House, a West Aussie Sundowner for the international visitors, and a mid-week standup comedy. The additions offered new dimensions to the annual week-long festival and highlighted the valued importance of diversity and inclusion within the startup community.
Invest and Trade Western Australia led a delegation of 50 international participants who engaged in conference and networking sessions, to promote WA's digital technology sector, and encourage international investment, trade and partnership.
The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (JTSI), through the New Industries Fund (NIF), is a major supporter of West Tech Fest, contributing $1 million to the iterations of the festival from 2022 to 2025.
This support reflects the State Government’s commitment to positioning WA as a renowned global hub of invention, investment, innovation and impact.
West Tech Fest exemplifies WA Government’s commitment to supporting the innovation ecosystem and wider diversification goals, such as the DiversifyWA framework, supporting the diversification of our economy across industries.
The festival and JTSI's sponsorship demonstrate commitment to delivering on priority action areas within Innovation Strategy: Western Australia - the place to innovate. This included access to capital, diversity and inclusion, and promotion and adoption.
Through events such as West Tech Fest, WA is advancing its vision of becoming a global leader in tech and innovation, empowering local startups and innovators.
