AI Consulting Melbourne: Stop Drowning in Work That AI Should Be Doing
We find the tasks costing you time, leads, and money — then build AI systems that handle them. No buzzwords. Just measurable results from Melbourne's specialist AI consultancy.
Synap AI is a Melbourne-based, 100% Australian-owned AI consulting firm. We help Australian businesses identify, build, and run AI systems that pay for themselves. Our core work is AI consulting (a free discovery call, the AI Readiness Assessment at $950, and Fractional AI Advisor retainers) and custom software development (from $1,200, typically 2-6 weeks). There is also a free AI Playbook PDF. Managed AI products are listed on the services page. Founded by Hamish Mackellar (25 years senior engineering). Best for Australian businesses with up to 200 staff. All client data hosted in Australia.
Sound familiar?
Buried in repetitive tasks
Data entry, invoice processing, email triage, report generation — your team spends hours on work that doesn't need a human touch.
Losing leads and customers
Enquiries slip through the cracks. Follow-ups happen too late. Potential customers go elsewhere because nobody responded in time.
AI not working? Staff given up?
You invested in AI tools, but adoption stalled. Staff lost trust, the results never landed, and the workflows quietly reverted to the old way of doing things.
Custom software just got dramatically cheaper
The economics of building software have collapsed. Projects that wouldn't have made the budget last year are suddenly within reach — without compromising on quality, security, or maintainability.
Internal tools and platforms that used to take a quarter to ship now land in a few weeks.
Custom integrations, bespoke automation, internal dashboards — the long tail of useful software is finally affordable.
Same engineering rigour, same security review, same Australian data sovereignty — just delivered for a fraction of the cost.
How Synap Works
Discover
Find the best-in-class AI tools for your specific needs, or get expert consulting to identify opportunities.
Build
Create custom AI agents, automate workflows, or work with our team to develop bespoke solutions.
Grow
Measure real business results, optimise processes, and scale your operations with AI.
Client Projects
From custom AI document automation for Dragonfly Remedial to Fablewinds, a personalised AI storytelling platform built end to end, the Plumbline Report daily opinion tracker, a grounded product assistant for Maison Health and a live business automation platform for Full Support, Synap builds and deploys real AI solutions for Australian businesses.
View client projects & case studies →AI Consulting Services in Melbourne & Australia
As a leading AI consulting company in Australia, we help businesses automate operations using AI tools such as LLMs, workflow automation, and intelligent systems. From AI business consulting and strategy to implementation, our AI consultants deliver real results.
AI Consulting & Strategy
Know where AI fits in your business. As a specialist AI consultancy, our Melbourne-based AI consultants analyse your operations, identify high-impact opportunities, and create actionable roadmaps tailored to your goals. Our artificial intelligence consulting covers everything from strategy to deployment.
- AI Readiness Assessment
- Process automation opportunities
- Implementation roadmap & ROI projections
Intelligent Automation
Stop doing busy work. Synap automates the repetitive, high-volume tasks that slow your business down. Unlike standard automation tools that follow rigid rules, our AI Agents can make decisions, read unstructured data, and adapt to changing inputs.
- Automate invoice processing and data entry.
- Intelligent email triage and customer routing.
- 24/7 workflow monitoring and anomaly detection.
Private Chat Wrappers
Your data is your competitive advantage. Don't feed it to public models. Synap builds custom "GPT Wrappers" that sit securely on top of your proprietary data. You get the chat interface you love, with the security of a private vault.
- Zero Data Leakage: Your documents are never used to train public AI models.
- Grounded Answers: Agents cite your specific documents, reducing hallucinations.
- Custom Personality: Tailor the tone and expertise to fit your brand.
Custom Software Development
Fill the gaps. When off-the-shelf solutions don't cut it, our development team builds bespoke software tailored to your unique requirements. Platforms, integrations, and tools designed for your workflows, delivered through AI assisted software development with a senior engineer accountable for every release.
- Custom web applications & platforms
- API development & system integrations
- Database design & data pipelines
Ways to work with Synap
Start with a free conversation, then go as far as you need: a readiness assessment, an ongoing advisory retainer, or a custom build. Transparent pricing, all client data hosted in Australia.
AI Consulting
Free 30-min Discovery Call
A 30-minute call with Hamish to identify the repetitive tasks, missed leads, and manual processes costing your business — and exactly how AI can fix them. No sales pitch, just an action plan.
Book Free Consultation →AI Playbook
Free PDF download
20-page founder's briefing on where AI actually pays off in 2026. Practical prompts, system prompt fundamentals, and a 4-question self-audit you can run on your business this afternoon.
Download Free PDF →AI Readiness Assessment
$950 · included free with 3+ months consulting
Multi-department analysis of where AI fits in your business. Written report tailored to your operations, prioritised implementation roadmap with ROI projections, plus a 2-hour walkthrough with Hamish.
Take the Assessment →Custom Software Development
$1,200 – $50,000+ · 2–6 weeks
AI-augmented custom software for SMBs. Internal tools, customer portals, API integrations, custom CRMs, AI-powered features — built 4–10x cheaper than traditional agencies for the same scope.
Learn More →Looking for a managed AI product such as content marketing, an AI phone receptionist or a personal AI agent? See all services →
Your Data Stays Here.
100% Australian Owned, Operated, and Hosted from Melbourne.
We are a proudly Australian company headquartered in Melbourne CBD. Unlike global AI platforms, we guarantee that all your data is stored and processed exclusively on Australian soil. Your private information never leaves the country, ensuring full compliance with local data sovereignty and privacy laws.
Security built to recognised standards
Synap is built to the control frameworks behind SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and we apply the same standards across every product we build — advisory, custom builds and managed products alike.
In practice that means data encrypted in transit, least-privilege and audited access, secure secrets management, signature-verified integrations and continuous monitoring — combined with Australian-only hosting. These are the controls that underpin SOC 2 and ISO 27001; we build to those frameworks rather than claiming formal certification.
Who runs Synap AI
Every Synap engagement is led personally by the founder — no junior account managers, no offshore handoffs.
Hamish Mackellar
Founder & Lead Engineer, Synap AI · Melbourne CBD
25 years of senior engineering experience. Background includes Australian health-tech (compliance-grade clinical platforms), cloud architecture across Google Cloud and AWS, and high-demand consumer platforms with thousands of concurrent users. Founder of Synap AI, headquartered at Level 8, 805/220 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD.
Personally runs every Discovery Call and architects every custom software build — clients deal directly with the senior engineer designing their solution. Reachable on hamish@synap.au.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? We've got answers.
Synap AI is a Melbourne-based, Australian-owned AI consulting company and platform. As a trusted AI consultancy, we help businesses automate workflows, build intelligent AI agents, and develop AI strategies—all with data that stays in Australia. Our AI consulting services span the entire country.
Yes. Synap is 100% Australian owned and operated. All data is stored and processed exclusively on Australian servers, ensuring full compliance with local data sovereignty and privacy laws. Your documents are never used to train public AI models.
An AI Readiness Assessment is a comprehensive analysis of your business's current systems, processes, and technology. We identify where AI and automation can have the biggest impact, creating a prioritised roadmap with ROI projections tailored to your goals. Learn more about our consulting services →
Yes! Synap AI is based in Melbourne CBD at 220 Collins Street. As a leading AI consulting company, we offer comprehensive AI consulting services including AI Readiness Assessments, strategy development, custom AI agent development, workflow automation, and custom software development. Our AI business consulting extends to businesses across Melbourne, Victoria, and all of Australia. Request a free consultation →
An AI consultant analyses your business operations, identifies where artificial intelligence consulting can deliver the biggest impact, and creates an actionable implementation roadmap. At Synap, our Melbourne-based AI consultants specialise in AI readiness assessments, custom AI agent development, process automation, and AI strategy—helping businesses adopt AI with confidence through expert AI consulting services. Book a free AI consultation →
The first 30-minute conversation is free. The AI Readiness Assessment is $950. Fractional AI Advisor retainers run from $1,200 to $15,500 per month plus GST, depending on your size and the hours you need (see the pricing table). Custom software starts from $1,200, with most business platforms landing between $20,000 and $50,000. Managed AI products are priced on the services page.
AI-augmented engineering has collapsed the cost and timeline of building custom software. Projects that once required a development team for six months on a six-figure budget can now be delivered by a small AI-augmented team in 2–6 weeks. Synap delivers engagements that would historically have been quoted at $150,000–$300,000 for $20,000–$50,000, without compromising on quality, security, or maintainability. Internal tools, automation systems, and bespoke integrations that wouldn't have made the budget last year are suddenly viable. Read more about how we do it →
We work across all industries including professional services, legal, finance, healthcare, education, retail, manufacturing, and government. Our platform and consulting services are designed to be flexible and adaptable to any business context.
Absolutely. Our consulting practice includes custom software development to fill gaps identified in your AI assessment. This includes web applications, API integrations, database design, and platform development—all tailored to your specific workflows. Book a time to discuss your project →
Synap AI's core work is AI consulting and custom software development: (1) a free 30-minute discovery call with Hamish Mackellar; (2) the AI Readiness Assessment, a $950 multi-department analysis with a written roadmap, included free with 3+ months consulting; (3) Fractional AI Advisor retainers from $1,200 per month; (4) custom software development from $1,200, typically delivered in 2–6 weeks. There is also a free AI Playbook PDF. Managed AI products (content marketing, phone receptionist and personal AI agents) are on the services page.
Yes — businesses with up to 200 staff are Synap AI's primary client base. Smaller teams (5–25 staff) typically engage Synap for internal tools, custom dashboards, single-system integrations, or workflow automation that pays for itself in 3–12 months. We've shipped projects for NDIS assessment providers, allied health groups, pharmacies, building remedial firms, and real estate agencies in this size range.
Synap AI was founded by Hamish Mackellar, a Melbourne-based engineer with 25 years of senior engineering experience across Australian health-tech (compliance-grade clinical platforms), cloud architecture on Google Cloud and AWS, and high-demand consumer platforms. Hamish personally runs every Synap Discovery Call and architects every custom build — clients work directly with the senior engineer, not a junior account manager or offshore handoff.
Yes. Synap AI is headquartered in Melbourne CBD at Level 8, 805/220 Collins Street, and works with businesses across every Australian state — Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, regional Victoria, regional NSW, and regional Queensland. Discovery calls run via video; build phases are fully remote with weekly video demos. We've also worked with Australian businesses operating internationally.
Two recent examples: Full Support Pty Ltd (a Melbourne-based NDIS budget assessment provider) saved 8 hours of admin time every single week after Synap built them a custom platform that auto-allocates assessment jobs from CSV uploads, dispatches SMS to assessors, and uses AI to process government remittance PDFs — with 554 assessment jobs auto-created from 3 CSV uploads. Maison Health now has years of clinical content across three websites unified into a single grounded AI reference tool for healthcare practitioners — 387 grounded queries answered in 3 weeks with zero recorded hallucinations.
Solutions for Your Industry
School / University
Empower students and faculty with AI agents that can summarise lecture notes, assist with research, and provide 24/7 campus support.
Customer Service
Automate ticket responses, analyse customer sentiment, and provide instant support by training an AI agent on your help documents.
Legal
Quickly summarise case law, draft contracts, and find precedents by training an AI agent on your private legal library.
Medical
Assist practitioners by summarising patient histories, analysing medical journals, and providing decision support based on the latest research.
Products, pricing, and case studies on this page current for 2026 · Last updated 20 May 2026 · Synap AI · Level 8, 805/220 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD