Stone & Chalk, Australia’s largest innovation ecosystem, has appointed Stela Solar as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Solar is a nationally recognised technology leader who served as the inaugural Director of Australia’s National Artificial Intelligence Centre, and most recently as a Managing Director at Accenture. Solar will take the reins from outgoing CEO Chris Kirk, who has been at Stone & Chalk for more than a decade, including as its CEO since 2024.
The CEO appointment reinforces Stone & Chalk’s ambition to be a central node through which Australian innovators engage with the advancement of artificial intelligence. It follows the organisation’s deepening partnerships with global technology leaders including OpenAI, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, and comes as AI changes the playing field for founders at every stage.
Stone & Chalk Chairperson Richard Kimber said, “Stela brings a rare combination of experience across startups, government, corporations, and the broader Australian innovation ecosystem. She also brings a strategic leadership perspective, strong personal drive and team orientation that are key requirements for this important role.”
As the Founding Head of the National AI Centre, Solar built Australia’s first national AI adoption guidance, co-chaired the Commonwealth AI Consortium, and developed nationwide AI policy instruments including the Voluntary AI Safety Standard. At Accenture, she led organisations through AI transformation and generative AI adoption. Prior to that, she held senior leadership positions at Microsoft across a decade, including Global Director of AI Solution Sales.
“Stone & Chalk already plays a central role in Australia’s innovation ecosystem. Our startup founders are building Australia’s sovereign tech capability and I’m excited to lead an organisation that accelerates Australian innovation,” said Solar. “AI presents both the greatest opportunity and the biggest challenge for technology companies today. No single player can succeed alone; it requires collaboration across the entire value chain: from researchers and universities to government and industry. My focus will be on building the infrastructure, the talent pipelines, and the support systems that help Australian startups move fast enough to compete globally.”
Under Kirk’s leadership, Stone & Chalk grew from a single hub focused on fintech startups to a national innovation ecosystem with spaces across Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The organisation has supported more than 12,000 innovators, with startups in its network raising over $4.4 billion to date. Kirk launched the Startup Hub at Lot Fourteen in South Australia, oversaw the transition from the Sydney Startup Hub to the Tech Central Innovation Hub, positioning Stone & Chalk at the centre of Australia’s largest technology precinct, and built partnerships with major organisations including AWS, Microsoft, KPMG and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
"I joined Stone & Chalk in 2015 when it was an idea on a page. Ten years on, we've built Australia's largest and most recommended startup support organisation," said Kirk. "Stela is widely recognised as a leader in advancing AI - we worked closely with her and her team on the National AI Sprint and she is known and trusted across the startup community. She deeply understands the challenges facing emerging tech businesses because she's worked across every dimension of the ecosystem. I have enormous confidence in this transition and couldn't be more excited about the next chapter for Stone & Chalk, its community, and the founders we serve," Kirk said.
Among Solar’s early priorities will be the development of a shared services model - designed to plug critical business functions such as hiring, marketing, insurance and operations into startups - freeing founders to focus on customers, product, and innovation. She will also champion initiatives focused on founder wellbeing and resilience, reflecting a belief that better-supported founders build stronger, more sustainable companies, and enhance Australian economic resilience.
Stone & Chalk has set an ambition to support 10,000 Australian startup success stories over the next decade. Over the past year, the organisation has delivered more than 500 events nationally, facilitated more than 1,000 high-value connections, and was named Australia’s most recommended startup support organisation for a second consecutive year.
About Stela Solar
Stela Solar is an internationally recognised technology leader with a distinguished 20-year career driving business transformation through emerging technologies including cloud, IoT, and AI. She served as the inaugural Director of Australia’s National AI Centre and Co-chair of the Commonwealth AI Consortium, and was most recently Managing Director (Data and AI) at Accenture ANZ. She previously held several senior leadership positions at Microsoft, including Global Director of AI Solution Sales and Global Partner Co-sell Leader. Solar also serves on the Data & AI Advisory Council at Beyond Blue.
About Stone & Chalk
Stone & Chalk is Australia’s largest innovation ecosystem, with hubs across Sydney (Tech Central Innovation Hub), Melbourne and Adelaide. Founded in 2015, the organisation supports startups and scaleups with access to capital, customers and capability. Its network includes more than 1,500 startups who have collectively raised over $4.4 billion. Notable companies grown within the ecosystem include Flare HR, Cover Genius, MyVenue and FrankieOne. Stone & Chalk partners with major organisations including AWS, Microsoft, OpenAI, KPMG and CA ANZ to create direct pathways between startups and enterprise opportunities.
