Kirstin Hunter
CEO, Birchal; co-founder, Future Super at Birchal · Co-founder at Future Super
Kirstin Hunter is chief executive of Birchal, Australia's largest crowdsourced equity platform, which has facilitated more than $218 million in investment across over 300 offers for a community of 318,000-plus members. She took the role in March 2025, succeeding co-founder Matt Vitale. She previously co-founded and led Future Super as chief executive, and was managing director for New South Wales at Techstars, with earlier roles at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills and venture firms Blackbird and Startmate. On Day One's Life After Launch, Hunter discussed the co-founder fork and Australia's startup funding gap.
Career
- Now CEO, Birchal; co-founder, Future Super · Birchal
- 2017–2021 · Startup Co-founder, Director & CEO · Future Super
- From 2023 Managing Director, NSW · Techstars (Tech Central Sydney Accelerator)
- Earlier · Scale-up Chief People, Risk and Legal Officer · Brighte
- Earlier · Startup Chief of Staff · Human
- Earlier Director & Accelerator Mentor · Startmate
- Earlier Management consultant (Australia and Canada) · Bain & Company
- Earlier Lawyer · Freehills
Sources: startupdaily.net, ellerstoncapital.com
Key moments
Jump straight to the part of Kirstin Hunter – The Trinkets, the Co-Founder Fork, and Fixing Australia's 98% Funding Gap you want.
- 0:00 Cold open + welcome to Life After Launch
- 1:14 Introducing Kirstin Hunter
- 2:16 From junk mail in Tweed Heads to running a $20M student union at 23
- 9:16 Consulting, "the trinkets," and the leap to Future Super
- 15:48 Becoming a co-founder and building Australia's fossil-fuel-free super fund
- 20:39 The co-founder breakdown, and why she walked away
- 24:54 Techstars, the funding gap for diverse founders, and Funding the Balance
- 42:27 Landing at Birchal, and the case for crowdfunding
- 48:06 Closing thoughts + outro
Connections
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