Episode Summary:
Alan Noble is the founder of AusOcean, a not-for-profit organisation with the mission of helping the world’s oceans through technology. Alan also worked for 11 years as the Engineering Director of Google Australia, during which time he oversaw the hiring of hundreds of engineers to Google Australia’s team and got to know many of the people working within Australia’s startup ecosystem. In his conversation with Adam, Alan discusses the contrast between Silicon Valley and Australia in the early 2000’s, and how the failure of Google’s service, Google Wave, played an important role in the growth of Australia’s startup ecosystem.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Day One Podcast
00:31 Meet Alan Noble
01:24 Alan's Involvement in the Australian Startup Ecosystem
02:10 Comparison Between Silicon Valley and Australia in 2002
03:53 Challenges in the Australian Startup Ecosystem
06:40 Changes in Venture Capital Practices
08:34 Founding of StartupAUS
09:31 Importance of StartupAUS
11:31 The Google Wave Experience
17:22 Impact of Google Wave on the Australian Tech Ecosystem
20:07 Evolution of the Startup Ecosystem from 2010 to Present
22:26 Transition from StartupAUS to the Tech Council of Australia
24:53 Strengths of the Australian Innovation Scene
26:37 Founding AusOcean and Balancing Roles
28:57 Advice for New Founders
30:15 Message for Entrepreneurs
32:06 Closing Thoughts
