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Buy Australian AI Partnership
Build corporate readiness for your startup in the financial sector
Financial services is one of Australia’s most active sectors for AI adoption.
Banks, insurers and super funds are evaluating where AI can solve high-value problems, improve customer outcomes, lift productivity and build new capability.
But the standard for adoption is high. Companies need more than excellent technology. They need the security, governance, and implementation capability to manage enterprise evaluation, approvals and procurement.
The Buy Australian AI Partnership is an initiative that gives Australian startups a pathway into one of the country’s largest and most sophisticated enterprise markets.
Expressions of Interest are now open.
About the Buy Australian AI Partnership
The Partnership supports a national cohort of Australian AI startups and scaleups with expert advice, industry practices, and engagement opportunities across three major parts of financial services:
- Banking: Understand sophisticated enterprise technology and procurement requirements
- Insurance: Explore AI applications across underwriting, claims, customer operations, productivity and other priority areas.
- Superannuation: Explore opportunities to strengthen member services, operations and organisational capability.
From the national cohort, selected companies will complete an intensive eight-week accelerator, with deeper access to financial services enterprises, specialists and decision-makers.
Activities will be shaped to support commercial readiness in startups to engage with enterprise, including AI assurance, regulatory requirements, procurement navigation and technology implementation.
Why you should apply
- Engage directly with enterprise decision-makers: Connect with major financial services organisations and relevant business and technology leaders around real priorities and challenges.
- Access specialist expertise: Work with mentors and experts across responsible AI, enterprise readiness, procurement, governance, security and commercialisation.
- Build enterprise capability: Strengthen your approach to the governance, security, risk and operational requirements of large institutions.
- Strengthen your evidence: Build the technical, security, compliance and implementation evidence needed to support enterprise evaluation and procurement.
- Navigate enterprise buying pathways: Better understand how opportunities progress through evaluation, approvals, procurement and implementation.
- Progress commercial opportunities: Where there is a strong fit, work towards further enterprise engagement, testing and potential paid pilots or procurement.
- Build industry visibility and connections: Connect into the National AI Centre, Stone & Chalk and participating financial services, industry and technology partners.
- Strengthen future growth: Build capabilities, relationships and evidence that can support enterprise opportunities well beyond the program.
The program is designed to help companies progress towards enterprise evaluation, procurement readiness and potential commercial adoption with participating organisations.
We’re looking for proven technology businesses with a meaningful AI capability or application - not only companies that define themselves as an 'AI company'. Relevant solutions may come from a wide range of technology sectors, including cyber security, identity, fraud, data, infrastructure, space, enterprise software and regtech.
Key program dates
The accelerator will run across eight weeks, with activities shaped around enterprise engagement, assurance and governance, commercial readiness, procurement navigation and implementation.
- 27 August: Expressions of interest open
- 24 September: Expressions of interest close
- 30 September: Applicants notified of submission outcome
- 5 October: Buy Australian AI Partnership begins
- 27 November: Buy Australian AI Partnership ends
Who should apply?
The Buy Australian AI Partnership is for established Australian AI companies with proven technology and the ambition and capacity to work with major financial services organisations.
You are a strong applicant if you:
- Have a proven AI product and commercial traction, with technology that is already being used by customers.
- Address a financial services opportunity, with a relevant use case across banking, insurance or superannuation.
- Are ready to pursue enterprise adoption, while recognising that the program is to strengthen the capabilities and evidence to get there.
- Have the team and capacity to engage, including participating in enterprise evaluation, diligence and potential commercial discussions.
- Are prepared to work across enterprise stakeholders, including business, technology, security, risk, compliance, procurement and legal teams where relevant.
- Have senior leadership committed to the opportunity and able to participate throughout the program.
You do not need to arrive fully enterprise-ready. You do need a strong product, credible commercial opportunity and the capacity to build towards the requirements of a major enterprise customer.
Backed by the right partners
Stone & Chalk delivers the program, drawing on more than a decade of connecting startups and scaleups with industry, government and commercial opportunities.
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.
As Founding Enterprise Partners, ANZ, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), Cuscal, National Australia Bank (NAB) and Westpac Banking Group bring direct financial services expertise and enterprise perspectives to the program, helping connect participating companies with the realities of adoption, procurement and implementation in the sector.
Solana, as Founding Services Partner, and MYOB and Cognisys, as Founding Supporting Partners, bring additional technology, business and ecosystem expertise to support participating companies as they build their enterprise readiness.
Gradient Institute, Australia's independent responsible AI research organisation and the initative’s Delivery Partner, brings deep technical expertise in responsible AI, helping companies strengthen the evidence, governance and practices needed to build trust in their systems.
The Partnership is also supported by leading industry bodies spanning financial services, technology and the broader business community, including the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA), Australian Banking Association (ABA), Insurance Council of Australia, FinTech Australia, Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).
How to apply
Your pathway into the Buy Australian AI Partnership starts with an expression of interest:
- Submit your EOI: Tell us about your company, your product, your customers and the financial services opportunities you are positioned to address.
- Go through selection: Your application will be considered against participating organisations’ priorities, the strength of your potential commercial opportunity and your capacity to meaningfully participate in the program.
- Join the Buy Australian AI Partnership: If selected, you’ll work with specialists and financial services organisations to understand enterprise requirements, strengthen your readiness and explore opportunities to progress towards adoption.
Expressions of interest open 27 August and close 24 September.
Frequently asked questions
Am I guaranteed a paid pilot?
No. Participation does not guarantee a pilot, procurement decision or commercial contract.
The program moves companies towards approved supplier status and creates pathways to potential commercial adoption.
Any further opportunity will depend on factors including solution fit, enterprise evaluation, risk and security requirements, internal approvals, budget and procurement processes.
Where there is mutual interest, participating organisations and companies may agree to explore further testing, piloting or commercial engagement.
Is this a pitch competition?
No. The Buy Australian AI Partnership goes beyond pitching. It helps companies engage with enterprise requirements, strengthen their evidence and capabilities, navigate evaluation and procurement pathways, and build the commercial case for adoption.
We're early stage. Should we apply?
The accelerator for companies with a proven AI product, commercial traction and enough organisational capacity to pursue a genuine enterprise opportunity.
You do not need to be fully enterprise-ready. Part of the program is helping strong companies build the capability and evidence required to progress in complex enterprise environments.
A broader digital program of resources and webinars will also be available to companies beyond the selected cohort, providing additional opportunities to engage with the program.
Do I need to be in Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide?
No. The Buy Australian AI Partnership is a national program, and companies from anywhere in Australia are encouraged to apply.
Selected companies should expect some in-person participation, particularly for key enterprise engagement sessions, which are most likely to take place in Sydney. However, the program is being designed to minimise unnecessary travel and time away from your business.
Any required in-person commitments will be confirmed with shortlisted companies before final selection.
Do I need to be a fintech startup or scale up?
No. We’re looking for Australian startups and scale-ups with technology that can solve meaningful problems for the financial services industry.
You don’t need to identify as a fintech - you could be an AI company, cyber security startup, space tech company or something else entirely.
If your technology can help a bank, insurer, super fund or other financial services organisation solve one of the identified challenges, we encourage you to apply.
What are the problem statements/use cases?
Participating financial services organisations are identifying priority industry challenges and specific problems where they are looking for innovative technology solutions.
These problem statements will be announced during the EOI period, giving you clearer visibility of the challenges enterprises are actively looking to solve.
This will help you assess where your technology is most relevant and apply against real areas of enterprise demand.
How much time will I need to commit?
The program is designed to make effective use of founders’ and senior leaders’ time.
Across the eight weeks, selected companies will participate in targeted sessions, specialist support and relevant enterprise engagements. The level of participation will vary depending on each company and the commercial opportunities most relevant to them.
We’ll confirm the expected time commitment with shortlisted companies before final selection, so you’ll have a clear understanding of what participation involves.
Ready to apply? Take your tech into one of Australia's most important enterprise markets
Submit EOI