Bx Networking was founded by entrepreneur Matt Alderton, who had spent almost two decades building businesses across technology, retail, hospitality and professional development. After seeing both the power and the limitations of traditional business networking, Matt believed there was a better way to help small business owners connect, collaborate and grow. Bx launched its networking arm in 2016 with just nine groups and has since grown into an international business community.
The idea was to make networking less transactional. Rather than walking into a room trying to sell to the person in front of you, Bx encourages members to build relationships with ideal referral and marketing partners: businesses that serve similar customers without directly competing. Those relationships can lead to introductions, joint ventures, referrals and opportunities far beyond the people sitting in the room.
That approach immediately resonated with Dale. Having spent years helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses, he had seen firsthand how powerful the right relationships could be. In 2020, Dale came on board as an investor and Global Partner, supporting Matt’s vision of building a modern networking organisation that made it easier for business owners to form meaningful commercial relationships.
Bx meetings are deliberately fast-paced, structured and social. Members and guests introduce their businesses, ask for specific connections, hear from other business owners and take part in one-to-one conversations designed to get relationships moving quickly. At the same time, Bx avoids many of the rigid rules associated with traditional networking organisations: members can attend different locations, meet businesses from the same industry and participate both in person and online.
From its beginnings in Australia, Bx expanded through Australia and New Zealand before moving into markets including the United States and Canada, with further international expansion now extending into regions such as India. Today, the network connects thousands of business owners, runs thousands of events, and has more than 50 locations across Australia and New Zealand alone, alongside its growing international footprint.
Bx has also grown into much more than fortnightly networking meetings. Members can access online events, business education, training programs, conferences, dinners and other experiences designed to help them build stronger relationships and become better business owners. The company has now won dozens of industry awards, including Business of the Year on multiple occasions.
For Dale, the investment in Bx was ultimately about supporting something he already believed strongly in: business grows faster when the right people know, trust and help each other. Matt created a fresh approach to networking built around collaboration rather than pressure, and Dale has been proud to support that vision as Bx has grown from an Australian network into an increasingly global community of entrepreneurs.
