Episode Summary:
Steve Grace is CEO and founder of The Nudge Group, which works with startups and scale-ups to support them through various stages of business growth. Based in Australia, The Nudge Group has expanded globally with offices in the UK and Singapore. Steve also hosts the Give It A Nudge podcast, and is director of YBF Ventures. In his conversation with host Will Tjo, Steve discusses his belief that Australian companies put too much focus into the US and UK markets and too little in neighbouring Asian markets, as well as some of the ways covid has altered the ways companies do business in Australia and globally.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Day One Podcast
00:32 Introduction to Steve Grace
00:44 Background on The Nudge Group and Balance the Grind
01:12 Early Entrepreneurial Experiences
02:08 Expectations vs. Reality of Entrepreneurship
02:34 First Formal Business: Fingerprint
03:16 The Evolution of the Startup Ecosystem in Australia
06:00 Impact of COVID on the Startup Culture
09:03 Opportunities and Challenges in the Ecosystem
10:30 Visa and Talent Shortages
11:30 Importance of Early Stage Company Support
12:15 Equity and Employee Ownership Issues
16:14 The Need for Greater Collaboration
17:22 Strengths of the Australian Ecosystem
20:02 Unpacking the Funding Landscape
22:01 The Importance of Supporting Early Stage Startups
23:30 The Role of Accelerators
25:19 Encouraging More Founders in the Ecosystem
27:51 Advice for Future Entrepreneurs
28:59 Conclusion and Future Directions
