Buy Australian AI Bridge

A real pathway into enterprise procurement

The Buy Australian AI Bridge is an 8-week accelerator connecting Australian AI companies with financial services buyers - with the intention of commercial adoption.

Banks, insurers and super funds are making AI buying decisions now. Global providers are scaling into the Australian market, creating an immediate opportunity for Australian companies to compete for enterprise demand.

Financial services is already one of Australia's most mature sectors for AI adoption, with a demonstrated willingness to invest in emerging technology, collaborate with innovators and explore new procurement pathways.

But the bar for adoption is rising. APRA's April 2026 letter found that AI adoption has outpaced governance, while CPS 230 requirements for material service-provider arrangements, including fourth parties, apply to existing contracts from 1 July 2026.

For Australian AI companies, enterprise readiness now means proving more than what your technology can do. You need the evidence, capability and commercial readiness to meet expectations across security, governance, risk, compliance, procurement and implementation.

The AI Bridge builds that readiness while connecting you directly with the people making buying decisions.

EOIs open 27 August.

[Submit your EOI]

About the Buy Australian AI Bridge

From promising technology to enterprise-ready supplier

Over 8 weeks, participants work with financial services buyers, specialists and program partners to understand real enterprise requirements, strengthen their readiness and progress opportunities towards procurement.

The program focuses on three parts of Australia's financial services sector:

• Banking: The sector's most developed enterprise procurement environments, with established pathways for assessing and adopting new technology.
• Insurance: Where AI has direct applications across areas including underwriting, claims and customer operations.
• Superannuation: A sector with significant member-service responsibilities and, in many cases, comparatively lean technology teams.

The 8-week accelerator

Selected companies undertake an intensive program covering:

• Enterprise diagnostics and opportunity matching
• AI assurance and technical trust
• Regulatory and compliance readiness
• Procurement and commercial navigation
• Enterprise implementation
• Commercial case development
• Decision readiness

Digital pathway

Everyone who applies can access a supporting digital program - including recorded masterclasses and resources covering responsible AI, enterprise expectations, regulatory requirements and procurement.

Why join the AI Bridge?

Get closer to the people who can buy what you've built

The AI Bridge is designed around commercial adoption.

Participants get:

• Access to enterprise demand: Understand the AI priorities financial institutions are actively exploring.
• Direct access to buyers: Engage with the people who own the problems and buying decisions.
• Enterprise readiness: Prepare for the compliance, assurance and procurement requirements of large institutions.
• Diligence support: Strengthen your security, compliance, technical and implementation evidence.
• Clearer buying pathways: Understand how enterprise decisions are made and who needs to be involved.
• A pathway to procurement: Progress toward a funded pilot and potential commercial relationship where requirements are met.
• Implementation support: Prepare your team and technology for enterprise integration and delivery.
• Industry visibility: Build your profile through the National AI Centre, Stone & Chalk and industry partners.
• Long-term growth: Build capabilities that strengthen your business for future enterprise customers.

[Submit your EOI]

Key program dates

• 27 August: Expressions of interest open
• 24 September: Expressions of interest close
• 30 September: Applicants notified of submission outcome
• 5 October: Accelerator begins
• 27 November: Accelerator ends

Week by week:

• Week 1: Onboarding and diagnostics
• Week 2: Validation and matching
• Week 3: AI assurance and technical trust
• Week 4: Regulation and compliance
• Week 5: Procurement and commercial navigation
• Week 6: Enterprise implementation
• Week 7: Commercial case and decision readiness
• Week 8: Showcase

Who should apply?

The AI Bridge is for established Australian AI companies with an ABN. Applicants must:

• Have a proven AI product with proprietary technology, paying customers and commercial traction.
• Address a clear banking, insurance or superannuation use case or demonstrated enterprise demand.
• Be enterprise-ready, with the technology, roadmap and approach to security, data and integration to support adoption at scale.
• Have sufficient funding, runway and team capacity to complete the program, enterprise diligence and a potential paid pilot.
• Be equipped to navigate enterprise procurement and engage business, technology, risk, compliance and legal stakeholders.
• Have a founder or senior executive participate throughout, including required in-person sessions in Sydney.
• Meet the Buy Australian AI eligibility criteria.

Backed by the right partners

The Buy Australian AI Bridge brings together Stone & Chalk's enterprise network with national AI leadership and responsible AI expertise to help Australian companies navigate the path to financial services adoption.

Stone & Chalk delivers the program, drawing on more than a decade of connecting startups with industry, government and real commercial opportunities. Founded as a fintech hub alongside Australia's major banks, today Stone & Chalk is Australia's largest innovation community, with hubs in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The National AI Centre, as Principal Sponsor, connects participating companies with Australia's broader AI ecosystem and supports the growth and adoption of Australian AI capability.

Gradient Institute, Australia's independent responsible AI research organisation, brings deep technical expertise in responsible AI and helps companies build the evidence needed to demonstrate that their systems can be trusted.

Participants will also have access to specialists from across Stone & Chalk's network of AI, cloud and technology partners, bringing in the right expertise as specific commercial opportunities progress.

How to apply

Your pathway into the AI Bridge starts with an expression of interest:

• 1. Register your interest: Tell us what you've built, who's using it, what your company does and where it fits within financial services.
• 2. Go through selection: Companies are matched against the needs of participating institutions and assessed on the strength of the potential commercial opportunity.
• 3. Enter the Bridge: Selected companies start working with specialists and financial services partners on real requirements, real opportunities and real enterprise problems.

Apply now