Episode Summary:
Pete Horsley is the founder of Remarkable, a tech accelerator for early stage startups in the disability tech space. Starting his career as a landscape architect, Pete now has more than 10 years’ experience working in the not-for-profit sector. In his conversation with Adam, Pete discusses how an idea for a solar powered wheelchair led to the founding of Remarkable, and why diversity within Australia’s startup ecosystem is so important.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Day One Podcast
00:30 Meet Pete Horsley
00:44 Pete's Background and Entry into Startups
01:40 The Change My World in One Minute Competition
03:00 Creating the Solar Powered Wheelchair
04:07 Hackathons and Their Outcomes
04:48 Funding from Telstra and Launching Remarkable
06:13 Support and Mentorship in the Ecosystem
08:30 Observations on Gaps in the Ecosystem
09:12 Early Stage Capital Challenges
10:42 Opportunities in Disability Tech
11:56 The Desire for Social Impact in Technology
12:47 The Generosity of the Australian Startup Community
14:10 The Startup Landscape in 2014
15:06 Monthly Meetups and Community Building
17:14 Involvement of People with Lived Experience of Disability
18:14 Advice for New Founders
20:03 Defining a Strong Startup Ecosystem
21:27 Contributions to the Australian Startup Ecosystem
22:08 The Need for Inclusion and Diversity
24:13 Government Policy and the Startup Ecosystem
24:22 Closing Remarks
