Episode Summary:
Pete Cooper is a serial founder and mentor who has worked in a wide variety of roles in the technology startup space. He is Director of Cooper & Co, an early stage investment firm, founder of The Start Society, a grassroots industry body for Australian tech startup entrepreneurs, and has served as a mentor for many startup organisations including Muru-D, Startmate, and Founder Institute. In his conversation with Adam, he discusses his very first experience learning about building a technology product by helping his father build a pharmacy system for his dad’s business, and what he sees as gaps in the Australian startup ecosystem.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Day One Podcast
00:24 Meet Pete Cooper
00:31 Early Contributions to the Australian Startup Ecosystem
01:21 Pete's Early Experiences with Programming
02:17 The Role of Universities in the Startup Ecosystem
03:01 Importance of Independent Accelerators and Mentoring Groups
03:23 Groundwork for Cultural Change in Universities
04:37 The Influence of Major Players like Startmate
06:09 The History of Financial Technology in Australia
07:30 The Emergence of the Australian Startup Ecosystem
08:10 The Concept of the Aussie Mafia
09:47 Contributions of Women in the Ecosystem
10:11 Unpopular Opinions on Current Changes Needed
15:11 The Role of Lobbyists in the Startup Agenda
16:06 The Importance of Open Data
17:44 Gaps in Investment Strategies for Tech Startups
19:19 Encouraging Tech Creation Among Youth
20:00 The Future of Innovation and Global Trends
21:19 Closing Thoughts and Values of the Australian Ecosystem
