Australian Startup History Explorer

Search the people who built the ecosystem.

Search 115 approved interviews and documentary episodes. Results link to the exact passage. They show what each person said; they do not treat interview opinions as independently verified facts.

Evidence-led guides

From community to industry: how Australia's startup ecosystem took shape

A sourced account of the turning points remembered by people who helped build Australia's startup ecosystem — and the limits and disagreements their recollections reveal.

Read the sourced guide →

The pilot corpus

Browse 108 episodes with Day One pages

The searchable release also includes 7 approved archive items without a Day One episode page.

Search the people who built the ecosystem.

From community to industry: how Australia's startup ecosystem took shape

Browse 108 episodes with Day One pages

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 1

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 2

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 3

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 4

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 5

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 6

Phil Hayes-St Clair: “Take care of yourself”

Rachael Neumann explores the effects of the pandemic on startups

Pete Cooper discusses Universities’ role in the ecosystem

Anna Wright: why “fail fast” is the greatest advice

Chad Renando talks definitions of a strong ecosystem

Brendan Hill examines the war on talent in Australia

Lucinda Hartley discusses the barriers she overcame when starting out

Baden U’Ren on the importance of teaching our youth entrepreneurship

Daniel Flynn explains why leaders are learners

Aaron Birkby discusses the gaps in the Australian startup ecosystem

Malcolm Turnbull discusses innovation in the political sphere

Jodie Fox highlights the contrasts between the Australian and US Ecosystems

James Alexander shares his thoughts on Governments’ roles in startups

Susan Oliver discusses what investors look for in a founder

Phil Morle explains the struggles that incubators often face

Silvia Pfeiffer discusses her first startup and the lessons it taught her

Murray Hurps discusses the barriers to growth in the startup ecosystem

Rachel Yang explores diversity and social issues

Nicole O’Brien: The startup ecosystem is overwhelmingly positive

Dean McEvoy on egos and startups

Georgie Turner discusses the next steps for Australia’s ecosystem

Colin Kinner discusses the key missteps first time founders often make

Alan Jones: Can we talk about smartphones?

Paul Bassat examines the evolution of the ecosystem

Melissa Widner discusses the huge progress of startups

Hamish Hawthorn discusses the evolution of the ecosystem

Peta Ellis on the importance of innovation

Alfred Lo compares startup ecosystems in different nations

Sarah Pearson on the importance of cooperation and competition

Michael Batko discusses the four prevalent business models of accelerators

Julie Trell discusses the importance of diversity

Peter Davison: All it takes is guts and a vision

Maxine Sherrin discusses the importance of building a community of innovators

Cameron Adams on the importance of community and connection

Lauren Capelin and the importance of nurturing diversity

Bruce Tulloch on some of the key challenges the Australian startup ecosystem faces

Cheryl Mack on building communities and her passion for supporting founders

Kate Cornick on ways to support Australians to begin their startup journey

Niki Scevak is optimistic about Australia’s future

Alan Noble discusses the contrast between Silicon Valley and Australia in the 2000’s

Alex Carpenter sees Australia’s startup ecosystem as radically more collaborative than corporate settings

Alex Scandurra discusses the Australian startup ecosystem’s exceptional growth

Allan O’Connor discusses the viability of startup careers

Andrew Nunn believes Australian states and territories should work cooperatively rather than competitively

Anthony Ferrier offers his advice to startup founders

Arthur Sinodinos discusses the positive attributes Australia could learn from the US

Ashley Baxter discusses how UQ Ventures was invaluable for her startup

Bill Tai highlights the key similarities and differences between Silicon Valley and Australia

Brad Parsons talks about the risk tolerances of different startup ecosystems

Colette Grgic explains why diversity is crucial

Craig Swann fears complacency may slow innovation

Darren Winterford believes Australian Entrepreneurs would benefit from more networking

Darryl Lyons believes Australia has an opportunity to lead the world in Agri-tech

David Burt explains why startups are essential to our standard of living

Dharmica Mistry discusses the distinction between deep tech startups and other startups

Don Wright believes the various startup ecosystems within Australia should work cooperatively

Eloise Hall and Isobel Marshall discuss how social enterprises fit within the startup community

Emily Casey discusses the importance of visibility of the startup ecosystem

Emily Rich explains why taking “smart money” is often a better path

Emma Fawcett discusses the trap of “tech spaghetti”

Evan Thornley discusses the evolution of the startup ecosystem

Hayden Williams discusses the future of cryptocurrency across many industries

James Fielding shares his belief that Australia’s talent pool is world class

James Tynan shares his unpopular views on startup accelerators

John Allsopp discusses the startup ecosystem’s evolution from a “community” to an “industry”

Joshua Flannery discusses the key differences between Australia and Japan’s startup ecosystems

Kate Jones explains why the Tech Council of Australia was founded

Kim Heras relives the major milestones he witnessed during the growth of the ecosystem

Kylie Frazer discusses some common causes co-founders separate

Lana Weal highlights the mental health challenges faced by founders

Lars Rasmussen discusses the key ingredients for successful founders