On July 2, 2025, inside the historic halls of Melbourne Town Hall, a global conversation took shape.

Co-hosted by the City of Melbourne and supported by HEX, the Melbourne–India Tech & Innovation Roundtable gathered a diverse group of leaders from across government, business, higher education, and startup communities, all working at the intersection of innovation, international collaboration, and the future of education.

This wasn’t just another panel or networking event. It was a rare moment of alignment, where local leadership met global opportunity.

A Room Full of Decision-Makers

The guest list included more than 40 influential voices shaping Australia–India relations and technology strategy:

• The Hon. Nicholas Reece, Lord Mayor of Melbourne
  
  
• The Hon. Dr. Sushil Kumar, Consul General of India
  
  
• The Hon. Tim Watts MP, Special Envoy for the Indian Ocean Affairs
  
  
• Delegates from Global Victoria, Invest Victoria, and the Centre for Australia–India Relations
  
  
• Industry leaders from Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech, FirstSource, Adaptus, and Iotasol
  
  
• Founders and directors from STEM startups, law firms, and advisory networks
  
  
• Senior representatives from Monash University, RMIT University, and the University of Melbourne

Also among the guests were a few familiar faces from the HEX orbit, including Dr Erin Watson (Baker & York Director, and HEX’s Money & the Future contributor), and Ravi Dang, Managing Director at Iotasol.

HEX in Conversation

On behalf of HEX, Puja Ganguli facilitated parts of the evening, sharing insights from our work across Asia and Australia to help bridge the gap between traditional education and emerging innovation careers.

She was joined by HEX team members Jacqueline Huynh, Josh Moon, and co-founder Christopher Hoffmann, who all helped carry forward our message:

“If you want to futureproof your workforce, you need to back the next generation of talent, globally-minded, entrepreneurial, and ready to solve real problems.”

Beyond the Roundtable

As Australia and India strengthen their partnership across tech, education, and entrepreneurship, moments like this matter, not just for policy or trade headlines, but for the ecosystems that power real progress.

At HEX, we believe students and early-stage founders are a vital part of that ecosystem. They’re not waiting to be invited into the future, they’re already building it.

We’re proud to have supported this roundtable alongside the City of Melbourne, and we’re excited to keep showing up wherever ideas, innovation, and impact intersect.