R&D Tax: How Startups Actually Get More Value From It

Most startups focus on whether their R&D claim is eligible. The bigger opportunity is understanding what separates an average claim from a strong one, and that often comes down to how the company behaves throughout the year, not what it tries to reconstruct at lodgement time. R&D tax is often treated as an annual compliance exercise. This session is designed to show founders what stronger R&D practices look like throughout the year and how that can affect the quality, defensibility and value of the claim. Alex Knight will use practical examples, proprietary data and lessons from working with innovative companies to show the behaviours, records and decisions that separate stronger claims from businesses trying to piece everything together at the end. The aim is not a generic tax presentation, but a useful operating view of how startups can make R&D tax part of a better capital and innovation discipline. What you'll leave with A clearer understanding of what separates stronger R&D claims from average ones Practical examples of the evidence and behaviours that matter throughout the year A better view of how founders can avoid reconstructing everything at lodgement time Insights supported by proprietary data and real examples Practical actions to improve your own R&D process FormatPractical expert session, real examples, proprietary data and Q&A. Who it's forStartup founders, CEOs, CFOs, finance leaders and operators of R&D-intensive businesses. Speaker Alex Knight, Advanced Alex Knight is founder and CEO of Advanced, Australia’s fastest & most impactful R&D finance partner, helping founders and startups access their R&D Tax Incentive refund as strategic growth capital. Previously he was an investment manager at crowdfunding platform VentureCrowd, and worked with debt financier Tractor Ventures. Alex Zinzopoulos, Partner, William Buck As one of Australia’s leading advisors to the tech sector, Alex works with a range of startups and scaleups across AI, SaaS, Blockchain, Life Sciences and Digital Gaming. Alex supports tech companies to maximise their government incentives, structure their cap table correctly for founders and employees, and structure the business for a tax-effective exit. The Startup Growth Lab is 2-days of practical workshops, live demos and real conversations, part of Spark Festival at UTS, 23-24 September 2026.