Episode Summary:
Kim Heras is Partner at 25Fifteen, a “startup studio” which as Kim describes in the episode is a model of startup support similar but distinct from accelerators and incubators. Kim has contributed to the growth of startup communities in Australia through many roles, including as Director of Fishburners, as Co-Founder of Pushstart, and as Chairman & co-founder of TechSydney, all of which are organisations that have aimed to support and advocate for startup founders. In his conversation with Adam, Kim discusses the genesis of Fishburners and Startmate, as well as other major milestones he’s witnessed during the growth of the Australian startup ecosystem.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Day One Podcast
00:19 Special Interview Series on Australian Start-ups
00:31 Meet Kim Heras
00:49 Difference Between Start-up Studios and Incubators
02:01 Kim's Journey as a Founder
03:43 The Origin of 25Fifteen
04:30 The History of the Australian Start-up Ecosystem
06:12 Early Community Building in Sydney
08:43 Growth of the Start-up Community (2006-2015)
11:24 Importance of Fishburners in Community Building
15:14 The Role of Co-working Spaces
17:08 The Genesis of PushStart
22:43 Modern Challenges in the Start-up Ecosystem
27:04 The Role of TechSydney
31:38 Advice for New Founders
36:30 Closing Thoughts on Building Successful Tech Businesses in Australia
