LaunchVic OG Boss Kate Cornick Departs to Become Tech Council CEO
•February 17, 2026
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Companies Mentioned
Why It Matters
Cornick’s transition brings seasoned startup leadership to the national tech lobby, potentially reshaping advocacy for both large and emerging firms. The merger of LaunchVic may alter funding pathways for Victoria’s fast‑growing tech sector.
Key Takeaways
- •Kate Cornick moves from LaunchVic to Tech Council CEO
- •Victoria startups grew to 4,400, $139B valuation under her
- •LaunchVic will merge with Breakthrough Victoria, entity shape unclear
- •Brighte founder Katherine McConnell joins TCA board as director
- •TCA seeks balance between large tech firms and early startups
Pulse Analysis
Kate Cornick’s decade at LaunchVic coincided with an unprecedented surge in Victoria’s tech landscape. By 2024 the state hosted roughly 4,400 startups and generated a $139 billion economic contribution, a growth rate that outpaced most Australian regions. Her background as a startup founder, ministerial advisor, and former NBN Co executive gave her a rare blend of operational and policy expertise, enabling LaunchVic to secure public‑private partnerships and attract venture capital that reshaped the local ecosystem.
At the Tech Council of Australia, Cornick inherits a lobby group under pressure to broaden its remit beyond the dominant big‑tech players. The appointment of Brighte founder Katherine McConnell to the board underscores a strategic pivot toward sustainability‑focused and early‑stage innovation. Industry observers expect the council to leverage Cornick’s network to champion policies that level the playing field, such as tax incentives for seed funding and streamlined regulatory pathways for emerging technologies.
Meanwhile, the Victorian government’s decision to fold LaunchVic into the Breakthrough Victoria fund adds a layer of uncertainty to the state’s funding pipeline. The merger aims to consolidate resources amid a ballooning budget deficit, but it also risks diluting the dedicated support mechanisms that helped startups scale. Stakeholders will watch closely how the new entity balances investment mandates with the need for ecosystem‑wide mentorship, ensuring that the momentum built over the past decade is not lost.
LaunchVic OG boss Kate Cornick departs to become Tech Council CEO
LaunchVic CEO Dr Kate Cornick has resigned after a decade with the Victorian startup body to become the new CEO of the Tech Council of Australia (TCA).
She’ll take over from outgoing CEO Damian Kassabgi, who will become a special adviser to the Tech Council board after announcing his departure from the role last year.
Meanwhile, Brighte founder and CEO Katherine McConnell, a founding member of TCA’s Consumer Energy Tech Alliance, is replacing former board member Robyn Denholm as a TCA director.
Chair Scott Farquhar, an investor in Brighte via his wife Kim Jackson’s VC fund, Skip Capital, said, “Katherine’s record on tech‑based innovation and passion for sustainability is widely regarded, and her perspectives and experience will be a valuable addition to the Board.”
The choice of Cornick as the new TCA boss may go some way to addressing concerns that the industry lobby group is too heavily aligned with the big end of tech town, at the expense of early‑stage startups.
She was previously a startup founder, ministerial advisor and GM of enterprise and strategy at NBN Co before joining the state‑government‑funded startup body in 2016 as its founding CEO.
Last month she was appointed deputy chancellor of Charles Sturt University.
Cornick has been central to the growth of LaunchVic. On her watch Victoria’s startup ecosystem quadrupled in size to 4,400 startups and the sector was valued at $139 billion, a 28‑fold increase in the decade.
In December, the Victorian government announced LaunchVic would be merged into the investment fund Breakthrough Victoria as part of broader public‑sector reforms to try and reduce the cash‑strapped state’s ballooning budget deficit, which has grown nearly tenfold during a decade of the Labor government, with Victoria’s net debt predicted to hit $194 billion in three years. The shape of the merged entity remains uncertain at this point.
VC transformed
LaunchVic chair Leigh Jasper paid tribute to Cornick’s stewardship:
“Under Kate’s leadership startup creation in Victoria has grown significantly, the venture capital landscape has been transformed and the sector’s economic contribution is recognised,” he said.
“She is widely respected for her deep sector expertise and strong relationships across industry and government. The Tech Council of Australia is fortunate to have her leading the organisation.”
Scott Farquhar thanked Kassabgi for his contribution and welcomed Cornick:
“The last few years has been a time of real momentum and change for the sector as well as for the TCA and the role we play on behalf of our members, and Damian has been central to driving and successfully navigating both,” he said.
“Damian will hand over the reins as CEO with the TCA in a strong position operationally and on the back of key wins for members from a policy, advocacy and engagement perspective.”
Brighte founder Katherine McConnell.
McConnell said she joins the TCA board at a pivotal time:
“The next decade will define Australia’s place in the global tech economy,” she said.
“I’m excited to work alongside the Board and members to help ensure more Australian tech companies can scale and succeed.”
The TCA’s AGM also approved an additional three‑year term for Farquhar as a director.
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