Overview

The AI market has moved from excitement to examination. Investors, acquirers, lenders and boards are no longer asking whether a company has an AI story. They are asking whether it has a credible, defensible and financially sustainable one.

For AI-native and AI-enabled companies, this changes the diligence conversation. Growth alone is not enough. Capital is looking closely at what the business owns, what it depends on, how margins behave at scale, whether customers are truly adopting the product, and whether the company can defend its position as models, infrastructure and pricing continue to shift.

As part of the TCA's Investment & Growth Series, experts from J.P. Morgan, leading legal and advisory partners, venture capital, and successful AI companies will come together for a panel discussion and fireside chat on what it now takes to build an AI business that can attract and sustain serious capital.

Audience

This session is designed for senior leaders at AI-native and AI-enabled start-ups (seeded with launched products) and scale-ups. There will be opportunity to meet with speakers and panellists at the networking morning tea.

Key Themes

  • What makes an AI company investable now: What signals matter most and what separates companies that can attract serious capital from those that can't.
  • The new diligence checklist: What will investors, advisers and acquirers examine before they believe the AI story?
  • The AI margin question: How are investors assessing gross margin, unit economics, pricing power and cost-to-serve in AI-enabled businesses?
  • Pricing, revenue quality and customer proof: What pricing models are credible, and what customer evidence gives investors confidence?
  • Governance, risk and readiness: What level of governance is now expected from serious AI companies?

9:00am

Welcome and Opening
Paul Fletcher, Board Director, Tech Council of Australia

9:05am - 9:35am

Fireside Chat
J.P. Morgan in conversation with Dr. Aengus Tran, Co-Founder & CEO of Harrison.ai, exploring what the capital raising and diligence process actually looks like - what gets tested, what strengthens or weakens a company's position, and the lessons learned along the way.

  • Dr Aengus Tran, Co-Founder & CEO, Harrison.ai
  • Kyra Hannaford, Executive Director, Equity Capital Markets, Australia and New Zealand, J.P. Morgan

9:35am - 10:15am

Panel: The Capital Conversation
This panel examines what it now takes to build a credible, fundable AI business in 2026 - exploring what investors and advisers are really scrutinising from unit economics and pricing models to governance, data rights and customer proof.

  • Moderator: Paul Fletcher, Board Director, Tech Council of Australia
  • Danielle Haj-Moussa, Investment Manager, Main Sequence Ventures
  • Mark Hoh, Head of TMT Investment Banking, Australia and New Zealand, J.P. Morgan
  • Peter Corbett, National TMT Lead & Telco, Media & Entertainment Partner, Deloitte
  • Simon Burns, Partner, Technology & Digital Group, Gilbert + Tobin

10:15am

Thanks and Closing

Paul Fletcher, Board Director, Tech Council of Australia

10:20am - 11:00am

Networking and Morning Tea

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM AEST on Tuesday, September 22, 2026
J.P. Morgan, 85 Castlereagh Street, Sydney (map)

Attendee Notes

  • Spaces are limited, please RSVP to confirm your attendance.

  • If you have any questions please reach out to Karla Henderson – Partner Forum Lead karla@techcouncil.com.au