Australian Startup Building a Homegrown ChatGPT Alternative
Stake co-founder Ed Craven has funded Melbourne-based AI startup MainCode to develop Australia’s first sovereign large language model (LLM).
A New LLM for Australia
While the U.S. backs OpenAI and Anthropic, and China pushes forward with DeepSeek, Australia is placing its bet on a locally built, sovereign AI solution.
MainCode, founded in Melbourne, is led by Dave Lemphers — an engineer and entrepreneur with experience at Microsoft and PwC in the United States.
The company aims to launch Australia’s first homegrown LLM by the end of 2025. Every component — from hardware to the model itself — is being developed within Australia, with no reliance on foreign APIs or infrastructure.
Why Sovereignty Matters
Dave Lemphers emphasizes: if you don’t own the main code, you don’t control the system — a principle that inspired the company’s name.
Unlike most LLMs built on external APIs, MainCode is developing its stack from the ground up to ensure transparency, security, and legal independence.
Infrastructure and Team
MainCode is building dedicated data centers across Australia, including GPU clusters, storage systems, and training pipelines. The team includes top-tier experts:
- Dr. Amanda Bonn — PhD, former researcher at Google and the Allen Institute for AI
- Dr. Fabian Vaszkóvszki — University of Melbourne
- Dr. Lukas Wesemann — University of Melbourne
- Dr. Sara E. Rodriguez Gomez — RMIT
Except for one member, the entire team is based in Melbourne.
Who’s Funding It
The project is backed by billionaire Ed Craven, co-founder of EasyGo, the parent company of Stake and Kick. He is the lead investor and a strong supporter of building national tech capabilities.
While the exact investment is undisclosed, it’s described as a multi-million dollar funding round. The capital supports not only model development but also creating career pathways for Australian AI professionals.
Table: MainCode at a Glance
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | MainCode |
| Location | Melbourne, Australia |
| Founder | Dave Lemphers |
| Funding | Ed Craven |
| Mission | To build a sovereign Australian LLM |
| Expected Launch | By the end of 2025 |
A Choice for Australian Businesses
Lemphers argues that with growing volumes of sensitive data being processed by foreign platforms like ChatGPT, it’s essential to offer a local alternative. MainCode aims to deliver a solution that aligns with Australian data privacy regulations and compliance standards.
He also warns about the risks of “invisible model contamination” — where biased or toxic training data could influence outcomes without user awareness. A sovereign model mitigates those risks.
Conclusion
MainCode isn’t just building an LLM — it’s laying the foundation for an entire AI ecosystem within Australia. It’s a strategic move toward tech independence and data protection as generative AI continues to grow in influence.