Episode Summary:
Ian Gardiner is an Investment Partner at Jelix Ventures, a firm which invests in early stage tech startups in Australia and New Zealand, and a co-founder of Innovation Bay, which works to create and nurture supportive communities for investors and founders. Originally from Scotland, Ian previously founded and acted as CEO in his own startup, Viocorp, for over a decade, before taking the role of Head of Startups for Amazon Web Service (AWS) Australia and New Zealand where he was responsible for establishing and managing AWS’s relationship with the startup communities in Australia and New Zealand. In his conversation with Adam, he discusses his time with AWS, and how he discovered his passion for growing and nurturing communities.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Day One Podcast
00:31 Meet Ian Gardiner
00:44 Overview of Jelix Ventures and Innovation Bay
01:30 Reasons for Moving to Australia
02:28 Starting a Startup in a New Country
03:38 Ian's Initial Job Search in Australia
04:45 Motivation Behind Starting Innovation Bay
05:33 The First Events of Innovation Bay
06:55 Bringing People Together
08:18 The Evolution of the Startup Ecosystem
09:25 The State of Startups in 2003-2011
10:36 Transition to Cloud Computing
12:31 Ian's Journey with AWS
14:22 Rise of New Investment Firms
15:48 Ian's Motivation for VC Investment
17:15 The Meaning Behind Jelix
18:44 Notable Changes in the Startup Ecosystem
20:19 Challenges Facing the Current Ecosystem
21:52 Insights from Other Global Ecosystems
23:40 Unique Aspects of the Australian Startup Scene
24:56 Unpopular Opinions on Government Policy
26:56 Advice for New Founders
27:56 Message for the Australian Startup Community
