Australian startup sector divided over SXSW Sydney’s sudden demise
After three years, SXSW’s Sydney outpost is shutting down, in a move that has drawn mixed reactions from Australia’s startup community.
SXSW’s expansion to Sydney has long divided Australia’s startup and tech community, with critics arguing it siphoned money, attention and sponsorship away from homegrown events.
Despite fanfare from the NSW Government when the event launched, those criticisms were validated today when organisers announced SXSW Sydney would be ending.
Entrepreneur, writer and former VC investor Jessy Wu — a long-time critic of SXSW — said the decision was a step in the right direction for Australia’s startup ecosystem.
“I’m hopeful the departure of SXSW will give light and oxygen back to local events that have invested deeply in the innovation community for years, such as Sunrise, Spark and Southstart,” Wu told Capital Brief.
