Western Sydney Tech Innovators, home


Free sessions across Western Sydney. Whatever your age, language or starting point

Our impact

Members joined4,000+

innovators, builders and technologists have joined Western Sydney's largest AI community.

Events delivered128+

meetups, workshops and hands-on build sessions run for the region since 2024.

Teams shipped60+

teams have shipped a working AI product across the full WSTI hackathon series.

Our programs

WSTI programs run all year, ordered by what they ask of you. No cost, no prerequisites, no gatekeeping.

View more: Our programs

Professional Training

Workforce upskill: AI Automation for Working Professionals workshops

Small groups, practical outcomes, ticketed to cover the room and the facilitator.

See the workshops
Lailei Huang presenting an AI automation workshop, attendees following on their laptops.

What the sessions look like

Two minutes in the room, and the hackathon weekend that came out of it.

  • Western Sydney AI Innovation Summit & Hackathon
  • The WSTI Story
  • Digital & AI Mentor Bootcamp

  • As part of the Spark Festival an AI engaged community got together for a thorough conversation on what Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, where it is at, what it is currently offering. Discussed were topics such as AI companions, autonomous agents, deepfakes, workforce transformation, and more.

    All participants had great insights and shared in the meaningful dialogue, enjoyed light refreshments, and made (new) connections with fellow Western Sydney residents grappling with the same questions about our AI-shaped future.

    Laurens Willems van Beveren

  • My 7-year-old boy did something last weekend that I never imagined... When I told him I'd be presenting VoiceAI over the weekend in the AI meetup, his eyes lit up and he said, “Can I join you?”

    So the night before, we sat together, built a simple slide, and practiced. And then… he stood in front of a room full of AI learners and gave his first-ever talk on AI.

    And in that moment, I realized something, kids don't learn from what we tell them. They learn from what we live.

    All thanks to Lailei Huang and Faiyaz Gazi for creating such a wonderful community Western Sydney Tech Innovators with the goal of increasing AI literacy in Western Sydney.

    Amit Gupta

  • It was a hands-on introduction to building AI agents that can go beyond answering questions and actually help automate everyday work.

    What I enjoyed most wasn't just the technology, it was the people. I met entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals from diverse backgrounds, and it was fascinating to hear how each of them is exploring AI to solve different business challenges.

    A big thank you to Western Sydney Tech Innovators for organising such a practical and engaging session. Looking forward to attending the next workshops in the series and continuing to learn more about AI agents and automation.

    Divya Mittal

  • Had a great time today attending the Hands-on Workshop on AI Agents and Automation Workflows hosted by Western Sydney Tech Innovators.

    We built an automation workflow using n8n and also recreated the same process using Claude Code with MCP in VS Code. It was interesting to see how the same workflow can be built using both visual automation and AI-assisted coding.

    It was also great meeting people from different professional backgrounds and sharing ideas around AI and automation. Overall, it was a great learning experience and a fantastic way to understand the practical side of AI automation.

    Loganathan Mani

  • AI talks are everywhere, but this session was about actually building.

    It was a hands-on session where people from diverse backgrounds experimented, built, and turned ideas into quick prototypes. The focus wasn't on theory, but on learning by building.

    Fatma Ali

Meet the community

Photographs from across the meetups, labs and community nights. The people the numbers are about.

  • The WSTI team with guests at a community evening
  • The audience follows a session, laptops open
  • Lailei Huang presents at the screen
  • An attendee holds up her certificate in the audience
  • Two attendees at a community night, screens running behind them
  • Two attendees deep in conversation between sessions
  • WSTI members and guests at an evening meetup
  • Western Sydney Community AI Lab - Monthly Saturday Sessions
  • Members and visiting guests lined up at an evening meetup
  • Attendees catching up as the room fills behind them
  • A WSTI member chats with attendees between talks
  • Attendees in conversation as they arrive
  • Small groups talking between sessions
  • Two attendees compare notes at a community night
  • Three members at an evening session
  • Two guests at a community evening
  • Guests seated together before the talks
  • Two young builders in the audience
  • The audience listening from the floor
  • A guest speaker addresses the room
  • The WSTI crew at the first anniversary celebration

What our members went on to build

  • Meet Tommy Dam

    Tommy Dam began his journey with WSTI as an attendee of the Saturday AI Labs. He was passionate about making it easier for carers to fulfil their reporting requirements. Today CareLogix has been adopted by many aged and disability care operators.

    Read more: Tommy Dam

  • Meet Kristy McCarthy

    Kristy McCarthy was working on her own to build an innovative app to support people with disabilities but struggled to code it herself because she did not have the skill set. Then she joined one of WSTI's AI Project Hubs and learnt about new AI development methods.

    Read more: Kristy McCarthy

  • Meet Asha Murphy

    Asha Murphy came to a Saturday AI Lab with a game she could no longer change. Puzzlings supports memory and recall for older people, and the developer who built it was no longer available. She rebuilt it herself and showed it at the community showcase.

    Read more: Asha Murphy
View more: What our members went on to build

What people say about working with us

  • “Really well facilitated and awesome content. I can't believe that I left with a functional AI agent on a live website.”
  • “This is a great place to interact with people interested in AI and how it can be used for business and personal topics. Everyone is very friendly and the level of expertise from fellow participants and the facilitators is amazing and everyone is willing to share their expertise and experiences - good and difficulties experienced with AI. I am a very devoted fan of this event.”
  • “Very welcoming, inclusive community! Will definitely come back again!”
  • “They are doing an amazing thing on educating everyone on AI. What they are doing at this level I don't think we can get it anywhere else at the moment. So huge shoutout to them!”
  • “Great spot to get projects happening.”
  • “More events like this please! Need more excellent speakers like this.”
  • “nice & productive”
  • “The hosts and presenters were technical experts, had really sweet, helpful personalities, and were super generous with essential information for anyone getting into or progressing with AI film creation. They save you heaps of money with their tried and true workflow and curation of the AI sites available today.”
  • “Great host and presenters. Learnt a lot in a short time. Met many like-minded people too.”
  • “It was wonderful meeting a lot of new people since I am new to the city and I could network with a lot of people.”
  • “Loved it. So happy to be included and had the chance to get my ChatGPT on the mic lol and also connect with some AMAZING people. Thank you, wish I could've said hi to more of you.”
  • “Lailei, Faiyaz and Tommy organised it so well. The event was a successful gathering with participants learning about AI and networking to build trusted connections.”
  • “Great entry-level event. Helpful for people getting started with AI Tools.”
  • “Great to meet new people from different skill background. Friendly environment.”
  • “Such a positive vibe and great trainers and participants”
  • “Really appreciated the organisers' focus on upskilling the group and meeting everyone where they were.”
  • “Well organised, terrific content and great vibes! I learn so much and leave feeling energised and inspired.”
  • “Great Teamwork in arranging the event, making participants feel safe and open up to new learnings. Thanks WSTI team”
  • Musab Shroof: “We built real AI agents using n8n automation and Claude Code. The agents can research topics, write newsletter content, and even send emails to clients automatically. Exciting to see how practical AI tools can help businesses save time and work smarter.”

The organisations building this with WSTI

WSTI's partner organisations:

  • City of Parramatta
  • Investment NSW
  • Google
  • UNSW Founders
  • Western Sydney Startup Hub
  • LaunchPad WSU
  • Spacecubed
  • Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue
  • City of Ryde
  • Georges River Council
  • Uniting
  • Good Things
  • University of Technology Sydney
  • Parramatta Leagues Club
  • Domino's Pizza Northmead Store

Free stays free because partners make it possible.

Partner funding buys the room, the facilitator, the laptops on the table and the food that keeps a Saturday session running. Councils, universities, government and industry all back this differently. Tell us which you are and we will send the one-pager that fits.

Become a partner