Engineering Your Exit: Carta x Airtree x KPMG High Growth Ventures
Join Carta, Airtree and KPMG High Growth Ventures for an exclusive breakfast session designed for late-stage founders and CFOs.
Engineering Your Exit is designed to help later-stage founders better prepare for successful exits, whether that’s through M&A, secondaries, or IPO. It’s an educational event that brings together experts across the full transaction lifecycle, including sell-side, buy-side, and legal, to unpack the key steps startups should take now to prepare for a successful liquidity event in the next 3 to 4 years.
📆 Date: Thursday, 3rd July 2025
⏰ Time: 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM
📍 Venue: Sydney
Speakers
Xavier Keary
Partner and Head of G+T Ventures | Gilbert + Tobin
Xavier Keary leads G+T Ventures at Gilbert + Tobin, where he advises startups, scaleups, and venture funds on fundraising, structuring, and exit pathways. His background in venture law and corporate M&A gives him a clear understanding of how legal frameworks can create real value at exit. Xavier regularly works with founders on setting up share structures, managing cap tables, and preparing for due diligence well ahead of a transaction or IPO. At this session, he’ll share the key issues that trip up exits, and how to anticipate and avoid them through proactive legal and structural planning.
Rob Paterson
Chief Financial Officer | Employment Hero
Rob Paterson is CFO at Employment Hero, where he has guided the company through more than A$650 million in capital raises, including one of the largest venture rounds in Australia's history. With over two decades of experience in SaaS and subscription-based tech businesses, Rob has built out the operational and financial infrastructure needed for rapid growth and long-term value creation. He works closely with founders and executive teams on everything from capital allocation and governance through to M&A readiness. Rob's perspective for this session comes from deeply lived experience scaling a company from startup to global expansion, while always keeping the next stage of growth in view.
Adam Cronin
Partner, NSW Mid-market Deals Lead | KPMG Australia
Adam Cronin helps founders and business owners prepare for what's ahead, whether it’s a strategic acquisition, expansion, or exit. He leads KPMG’s mid-market deals practice in New South Wales and brings over 20 years of experience navigating clients through the full M&A lifecycle. Adam’s focus lies in helping companies build toward an exit well before the transaction window opens. His insights span what acquirers look for, how to position for value, and the systems businesses need in place today to support a smooth deal process in the future.
At Airtree, we embrace a diverse range of ideas, perspectives and experiences and have zero tolerance for harmful language and behaviour. Anyone at our events who doesn’t align with our Code of Conduct will be asked to leave.