OpenAI is launching a startup program in Australia to coincide with its launch into the local market. The program involves collaboration with some of Australia’s biggest VC firms, including Blackbird, Square Peg, AirTree, January Capital, NextGen Ventures and Boab AI.
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According to OpenAI, participating founders will gain access to API credits, technical support, workshops, and connections to other builders using its tools. The initiative sits alongside a new annual Founder Day event, the first of which was held in Sydney on Wednesday, bringing together local startups for product sessions and demonstrations.
Introducing the program at the event, OpenAI chief strategy officer Jason Kwon said Australia’s history of successful technology companies and the pace of local adoption made it a natural focus for the company.
“From Canva to Atlassian, Australia is home to some of the world’s most successful tech companies,” Kwon said.
“We’re now seeing that same ingenuity emerge in the speed at which Australian founders are adopting advanced AI and building entirely new products and services on top of our platform.”
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The push comes after the company formally opened its first Australian office at the Museum of Contemporary Art earlier in the week. The launch was attended by business and government representatives, including Canva co-founder Melanie Perkins, NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, CommBank’s Stuart Munro, and OpenAI’s regional leadership.
“By opening our first office in Sydney, we are investing in local talent and working directly with Australian businesses, government and the tech community to turn that potential into real economic and societal gains,” Kwon said.
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OpenAI says millions of Australians now use ChatGPT on a weekly basis, with local paid adoption and API usage placing the country in its global top 10 markets. The company has also reported steady growth in platform usage among startups, including Heidi Health in clinical documentation, Lorikeet in customer support automation, and Relevance AI, which provides tools for building AI-powered workflows.
“Australia is well placed to be a global leader in AI, with deep technical talent, strong institutions and a clear ambition to use new technology to lift productivity,” OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, said.
“Through OpenAI for Australia, we are focused on accelerating the infrastructure, workforce skills and local ecosystem needed to turn that opportunity into long-term economic growth.”
Relevance AI co-founder Jacky Koh described the new program as a positive step for early-stage companies relying on the platform, saying it demonstrated a commitment to supporting founders seeking to build and scale locally and globally.
“It’s great to see OpenAI doubling down on Australia’s founder community,” Koh said.
“As a startup that has grown by leveraging OpenAI’s technology, we can’t wait to see the impact this has on the next crop of startups.”
The official launch of “OpenAI for Australia” continues today with a press conference in Pyrmont, attended by Industry Minister Tim Ayres, Assistant Minister Andrew Charlton, NSW Finance Minister Courtney Houssos, and executives from NEXTDC, CommBank, Coles, Wesfarmers and COSBOA.
As part of this event, OpenAI will outline further partnerships, including an MoU with NEXTDC related to AI infrastructure and a national skills initiative developed with corporate partners.
This series of announcements arrives the same week the government released its National AI Plan, which sets out a broad strategic direction but opts against a standalone AI Act.
Instead, the plan emphasises voluntary transparency, existing regulatory frameworks, and a sector-specific approach to oversight. It also highlighted a patchwork of existing programs aimed at improving AI adoption, particularly among SMEs.
