Founders Unfiltered

This in person event will be held on Thursday 28 May 2026 from 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Not every entrepreneurial moment makes it to the highlight reel.

This evening event invites four founders to share their most challenging, embarrassing or darkly humorous entrepreneurial disasters — rapid-fire, unscripted and unfiltered.

Founders choose their own stories. Perhaps it was their worst investor meeting, the customer from hell, the moment they almost quit or their most expensive mistake. Whatever it was, they're ready to talk about it.

After the presentations, extended networking with drinks follows in a relaxed atmosphere — the perfect setting to dig deeper into the stories and connect with others over shared struggles.

For founders, aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone who knows that the most useful lessons rarely come from the success stories.

Agenda:

  • Four founders share their biggest entrepreneurial disasters
  • Extended networking with drinks

This event is part of a series of special events throughout 2026 honouring a decade of supporting founders and innovation in the Hunter and Central Coast regions.

Event Information

  • Date:  Thursday 28 May 2026 from 5:00pm - 7:00pm
  • Duration: 2 hours
  • Location: I2N Hub, Honeysuckle

Reserve a spot

🚀 Why I2N?

The University of Newcastle's Integrated Innovation Network (I2N) is Australia's #1 Most Recommended Accelerator and Incubator by Startup Muster, 2025 - the country's biggest startup survey.

By harnessing The Hunter and Central Coast regions' unique resources and innovation ecosystem, I2N empowers the most promising innovators and entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into high-impact, sustainable global businesses. Through our enterprise skill-building programs and dedicated spaces, I2N is creating the foundation for startups to thrive and driving economic diversity across our region.