Book Matt Michalewicz for your next event.

Profile

For almost 25 years, Matt Michalewicz has been running high-growth tech companies in the now-popularized areas of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Current Work

As an entrepreneur, he has experienced first-hand the challenges of starting, growing, and selling his own companies and can effectively connect with any audience of business owners. At the same time, his entrepreneurial experience has revolved around the application of advanced technologies to large, global organisations across a diverse set of sectors—including financial services, FMCG, mining, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, and government—and he is able to provide expert commentary and insight into how these organisations achieve efficiency, competitive advantage, and internal innovation.

Previous Experience

Throughout his career, Matt has raised more than $60 million in venture capital, sold his own companies for tens of millions of dollars, served on the board of directors of several ASX-listed companies, and written many books, including Life in Half a Second, Winning Credibility, Puzzle-Based Learning, Adaptive Business Intelligence, and The Rise of Artificial Intelligence.

He is considered a modern leader, having personally led organisations through the crashes and uncertainty of the dot-com, GFC, and covid eras, as well as the rise of disruptive trends such as mass personalisation, on-demand, digitalisation, and the rise of AI. Matt is also known for attracting global names to the boards of his own companies—including the former President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lech Walesa; former Bank of America Chairman and CEO, Hugh McColl Jr.; world-renowned fraud expert and subject of Steven Spielberg's blockbuster "Catch Me if You Can," Frank Abagnale; and former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, Zbigniew Brzezinski. His achievements have been featured in numerous television shows and publications, including Time Magazine, Newsweek, Sky News, and Forbes, and he was also named the Pearcey Foundation “Entrepreneur of the Year”, Business Journal “40 under 40” list of accomplished business leaders, and Ernst and Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist.

Matt is currently the CEO of Complexica, a provider of Artificial Intelligence software that helps large organisations make better decisions in sales, marketing, & supply chain operations. Matt’s more notable achievements at Complexica include raising almost $35 million in venture capital, being named the 2018 Australian Innovator of the Year, and winning several global tenders against competitors that were more than 100 times larger. Complexica employs more than a hundred staff across four offices and has many well-known customers, such as Dulux, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Metcash, Asahi, Pernod Ricard, Woolworths, and Arnott’s among others.

Prior to Complexica, Matt was the co-founder and CEO of SolveIT Software, a company he grew from scratch to 180 employees and more than $20 million in revenue before selling the business to Schneider Electric in 2012. SolveIT Software provided Artificial Intelligence systems for the mining industry to optimise their planning and scheduling processes, and was named the 3rd fastest-growing company in Australia in 2012 with global customers such as Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Viterra, Glencore, and Xstrata.

From 1999 - 2003, Matt was the co-founder and CEO of NuTech Solutions in the USA, where he raised almost US$20 million in venture capital and grew the business to almost 200 employees in 6 international offices. NuTech Solutions provided Artificial Intelligence-based software to the banking, defence, and manufacturing sectors, with customers such as General Motors, Unilever, Beiersdorf, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Air Liquide, NSA, U.S. Department of Defense, and Ford Motor Company among others. NuTech Solutions was acquired by Netezza Corporation, which was subsequently acquired by IBM Global Services.

From 1994 – 1999, Matt was the founder and operator of Fitness Forever, a personal training business, and later, the co-founder of CFG Investments, a money management and financial planning company with more than $150 million under management.

Matt is also a Limited Partner in Blackbird Ventures, an Australian early-stage venture capital fund, and from 2005 - 2016 he held the position of Visiting Fellow at the University of Adelaide where he lectured on the subject of technology commercialisation for graduate students.

Expertise

Talking Points

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: What it Means for You and Your Industry?

Few terms have captured our imagination in recent times like “Artificial Intelligence,” and it now seems that everyone “knows” about AI; everyone has an opinion. And yet, few people understand what Artificial Intelligence really is and isn’t, where the field came from and where it’s heading, and how the technology can be harnessed to generate commercial outcomes.

Having written several books on Artificial Intelligence and run AI/ML companies since 1999 across Europe, North America, and Australasia, Matt Michalewicz has seen the evolution of the field first-hand. In this educational and visually impactful keynote, he will explain what Artificial Intelligence
is and the reasons behind its recent rise, where the field stands today and where it's heading, as well as practical examples of applications in today’s business landscape. Topics covered include:

• The four major disciplines of Artificial Intelligence: Robotics, Vision, NLP, and Cognitive Systems
• Using AI/ML for prediction and optimisation within businesses to improve margin and revenue performance
• Generative AI and its future development
• Application of AI/ML in consumer devices, security, driverless cars, defence, health, FMCG, and other industries
• How AL attempts to “mimic” nature, and where current state-of-the-art research stands
• Practical advice for initiating projects and realising value (data, scope, change management, integration to source systems, and more)
• The future of Artificial Intelligence: risks, ethics, challenges

Engaging and educational, this session will draw on facts, case studies, as well as technology examples to explain each concept.

Disruption & Innovation

Although the world is rapidly changing, with technology re-writing the face of countless industries across the globe, few people realise the speed of this change is accelerating. Rapid change is not just a “phase” - rapid change is the new “norm”. According to a new Innosight study, the average lifespan of an S&P 500 company has fallen from 61 years in 1958 to just 18 years today, and new business models may only have a lifespan of 5 years or less given the speed of change.

As an international expert in disruption & innovation - having started, grown, and sold several Artificial Intelligence companies in Europe, North America, and Australasia over the past 25 years - Matthew Michalewicz delivers a succinct keynote applicable to large enterprises and small businesses alike. Topics covered:

• Why startups disrupt large organisations (and not the other way around, even though it’s the large organisations that are the ones with the resources, customers, and talent)
• What organisations are doing to accelerate innovation and protect themselves from disruption
• How innovation happens, and what role it plays in competitive advantage
• How small businesses compete against much larger organisations (and win)
• How large organisations change their culture and ways of working to become more innovative
• What major trends are driving innovation and disruption today
• How new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, 3-D printing, and quantum computing will re-shape and disrupt countless industries
• Implications for sales, marketing, and supply chain business functions

Engaging and educational, Matthew’s keynote draws on facts and studies, as well as first-hand case studies on the topics covered.

The Science of Success (Life in Half a Second)

The problem with success is that everybody has an opinion on how to achieve it. These opinions are usually based on personal experiences within a specific industry, time period, and geography, and can often be contradictory or irrelevant. In the 'Science of Success', Matthew presents the five fundamental drivers of success that are evidence-based and proven through thousands of studies and decades of scientific research. Free from opinion and bias, he explains the mechanics of each driver, why it works, and how it can be applied for attaining business, career, and personal goals. Matthew's talk is often included as a keynote presentation in conferences, corporate events, and professional development programs, and is based on his groundbreaking book Life in Half a Second.

Winning Sales

It's not the company with the best product or service that wins the day, it's the company with the best sales and marketing. Calling on his 20+ years of experience in both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) sales, Matthew Michalewicz will share the secrets that can transform an average sales organisation into best in class. Using case studies and research from the field of psychology and behavioural finance, he will present what the ideal sales process should look like and how to apply it. Participants will learn how to:

¢ Optimise their sales process for cost and conversion
¢ Sell the 'prize' versus the 'product'
¢ Apply 'emotional involvement'
¢ Become more customer-centric
¢ Increase their credibility to increase sales

Matthew has used these techniques to sell his way to success in a number of diverse settings, including:

¢ Winning the largest corporations in the world as customers such as BHP Billiton, General Motors, and Bank of America against competitors that were larger, more established, with better products
¢ Convincing internationally-renowned people to join his board of directors, such as the President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa; the Bank of America Chairman and CEO Hugh McColl Jr., and subject of Steven Spielberg's blockbuster 'Catch Me if You Can' Frank Abagnale
¢ Selling the businesses he built to multi-billion dollar corporations, such as IBM and Schneider Electric

Matthew Michalewicz can dramatically change the way your organisation sells its products and services.

From Starvation to Success: How to improve small business performance

Most small businesses are stuck in a perpetual state of 'survival', never quite able to achieve the financial success their products and services deserve. Matthew's presentation pulls focus on the critical factors that make the difference between starvation and success in any small business. Based on real-life examples and case studies, participants are provides with knowledge, insights, and action items to improve their top and bottom line performance, along with insights into Matthew's approach to fast-tracking business growth. Matthew has started, grown, and sold four companies during a 20-year period, with his last venture being ranked by Deloitte as the third fastest growing company in Australia in 2012.

Commercialising Tomorrow's Technology

Bringing new innovations to market is both exciting and potentially very rewarding. However, there is often a funding and knowledge gap that has to be overcome when bringing new technologies to market. Using case studies and real-world examples, Matthew explains what it takes to bridge these gaps. His presentation also provides practical guidance that all businesses can apply to maximise their chances of achieving successful commercialisation outcomes.

Topics

Business

Innovation

Motivational Speakers

Media

Video

Matt Michalewicz | Introduction | Saxton Speakers

In this compelling video, Matt shares how growing up immersed in cutting-edge conversations around AI—thanks to his academic parents, including a father lecturing on machine learning in the early 1980s—ignited a lifelong passion for technology. This foundation led him to a successful entrepreneurial journey, founding three AI-based software companies over 25 years. With real-world experience, deep expertise, and a passion for sharing knowledge, Matt inspires audiences with stories and strategies that sit at the intersection of these four pillars. Whether you're building a start-up or leading change, this video is a masterclass in what it takes to succeed.

Matt Michalewicz | Disruption & Innovation | Saxton Speakers

In this dynamic keynote, entrepreneur and innovation expert Matt Michalewicz explores the crucial difference between innovation and disruption and why understanding both is essential for long-term business success.

Matt Michalewicz | From Starvation to Success | Saxton Speakers

Business strategist Matt Michalewicz shares the hard truths about entrepreneurship, drawn from over 25 years of lived experience building successful companies across global markets. With sharp insights and practical advice, Matt breaks down what it takes to tip the odds in your favour, build trust in the market, and move from “just surviving” to truly thriving.

Matt Michalewicz | The Science of Success | Saxton Speakers

What really drives success in business, sport, creativity, or life? In this fascinating keynote, tech entrepreneur and author Matt Michalewicz shares what 20+ years of research, scientific study, and real-world experience have taught him about what truly separates high achievers from everyone else.

Matt Michalewicz | The Rise of Artificial Intelligence | Saxton Speakers

In this compelling keynote, Matt draws on over 40 years of experience and 25+ years of hands-on experience in founding AI-based tech companies. He cuts through the hype to deliver what most businesses get wrong about AI, and more importantly, what they can do to get it right.

Matt Michalewicz | Winning Sales | Saxton Speakers

In this high-impact keynote, Matt argues that sales is the prime mover in business; without it, nothing else happens. Drawing from his own entrepreneurial journey and experience working with thousands of businesses, Matt breaks down why sales competency is essential for every founder, leader, and team member. More importantly, he provides practical, proven sales techniques that anyone can implement immediately.

Matthew Michalewicz on the rise of Artificial Intelligence

With more than two decades of hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, innovation, and success psychology, Matt Michalewicz speaks about business success, goal setting and leadership. He's also an expert on artificial intelligence and disruption.

Matthew Michalewicz - Corporate speaker, innovator, success expert, and serial entrepreneur.

Matthew Michalewicz has 20 years of hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, innovation, and success psychology. He has established boards that include former heads of state, Nobel Peace Prize winners, and Fortune 500 CEOs, and has a track record of starting businesses from scratch and selling them for tens of millions of dollars. He is currently the CEO of Complexica, a provider of Artificial Intelligence software that helps large organisations increase revenue, margin, and customer engagement through automated analytics.

Matthew Michalewicz on 'Life in Half a Second', success, fear and desire on The Switzer Report

Business Agenda SA - Episode 4 feat. Matthew Michalewicz

Audio

Feedback

Matt was outstanding. His level of professionalism in both preparation and presentation is first class. Matt's message was hugely impactful to our audience. He is engaging and quickly con ... keep readingnects with the audience and his willingness to stay and talk further with the attendees over a coffee was greatly appreciated. ActionCOACH

After hearing Matthew speak, you gain an insight into what makes an entrepreneur tick, what drives him, and what motivates him as a Company Director to take an idea and turn it into a business. He speaks with passion and self belief, and above all, he is entertaining and very easy to listen to.

Australian Institute of Company Directors

Matthew is a fine, natural speaker and I have been delighted to engage his services for several important events. Drawing upon a variety of successful experiences, including leadership of several high-tech companies, Matthew is able to convey deep insights into issues such as the commercialisation process and work-life balance in a highly articulate and entertaining fashion.

University of Adelaide

At an event that drew over 300 people, Matthew spoke with great eloquence and conviction about the business and life journey that culminated in the writing of his first book. He is an accomplished speaker, but more than that, he presents with the utmost authority and credibility. He has an ability to gauge the mood and interest of the audience, and tailor his comments and presentation to suit. Matthew spoke from the heart, not from prescriptive notes, and had just the right blend of humour, hard fact and personal experience.

American Chamber of Commerce SA

I have now heard Matthew Michalewicz present several times. His presentations provide that rare mix of being both educational and entertaining. He makes the complex simple. With the use of plain language, examples and stories he is very easy to listen to and understand. Matthew leaves you with core messages and key take aways that can be used to value you add in your business or every day life. In summation clear, concise, fun, professional every step of the way. If you are looking to inspire creativity and entrepreneurship, or just a motivational boost, I would highly recommend Matthew as a speaker.

Macquarie Private Wealth