A chance to celebrate the year together

UNE SRI founders gather in Tamworth and Armidale, 10th & 11th December

Running your own business rarely comes with a Christmas party.

For many founders, the end of the year looks much the same as the rest of it. Client work, loose ends to wrap up, planning the next move. There’s rarely a natural moment to pause and acknowledge the year that’s been.

That’s part of why the UNE SMART Region Incubator’s end-of-year founder gatherings have become such a nice tradition.

On 10 December, Tamworth founders gathered for lunch at Nude Amigos, the town’s newest Mexican eatery. The following evening in Armidale, the community met for drinks and nibbles at The Welder’s Dog Brewery.

Different venues, different vibe, but the same idea.

For many in the community, it’s a bit like a shared Christmas party. A chance for founders, many of whom run their businesses solo, to step away from the work and spend a few hours with people who understand the journey.

There were no presentations, or pitching, no lessons to learn. Just a room full of founders catching up properly.

In Tamworth, conversation moved easily between tables as tacos arrived and mock-margaritas appeared. Stories from the year surfaced quickly. Wins, tough patches, ideas still taking shape. A few founders were meeting for the first time, others had spent months crossing paths at masterclasses and programs.

The following evening in Armidale had its own rhythm. At The Welder’s Dog, founders gathered over drinks and shared plates, swapping updates and easing into that end-of-year feeling where things finally slow down enough for real conversations.

Across both gatherings, one thing was clear. The SRI founder community is a diverse one. Different industries, different stages of business, different personalities around the table. But there’s a shared understanding that comes from building something of your own.

Moments like these might seem small, but they matter. Building a business can be a lonely road at times. Being able to sit down with others doing the same thing, even just over a cheese board and wine (or nachos!)  reminds people they’re not doing it alone.