Alex Scandurra discusses the Australian startup ecosystem’s exceptional growth

Alex Scandurra discusses the Australian startup ecosystem’s exceptional growth

Alex Scandurra discusses the Australian startup ecosystem’s exceptional growth

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Alex Scandurra is the founding CEO of Stone & Chalk, a not-for-profit organisation which aims to support Australian startups, scaleups, corporations and governments at every stage of their innovation journey. Alex is also Co-Founder and Director of Spark Festival, a two week program of events covering all things startup, innovation and entrepreneurship. In his conversation with guest host Will Tjo, Alex discusses the aspects of Australia’s start ecosystem growth that have exceeded his expectations, as well as some of the areas he thinks we could be improving.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Day One Podcast

00:33 Meet Alex Scandurra

00:44 Alex's Current Projects: Stone & Chalk and Spark Festival

02:11 Alex's Journey to Entrepreneurship

03:22 First Impressions of the Startup Ecosystem

04:49 Transition from Corporate to Startup

06:11 Reasons for Returning to Australia

07:26 Differences Between London and Australian Startup Ecosystems

09:44 Growth of FinTech in Australia

10:54 Catalysts Driving Growth in the Australian Startup Ecosystem

12:36 Importance of Global Perspective for Founders

15:35 Opportunities for Collaboration in the Ecosystem

17:03 Suggestions for Improving Commercialization

20:42 Key Takeaways for Policymakers and Corporates

22:23 Advice for New Founders

23:50 Closing Remarks

Resources

Stone & Chalk: https://www.stoneandchalk.com.au/Spark Festival: https://sparkfestival.co/Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-scandurra-b52a4b/

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Day One® is a registered trademark of W2D1 Media Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. © 2026 W2D1 Media Pty Ltd.