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Lars Rasmussen

Angel investor and adviser · Mentor at Panathēnea

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Lars Rasmussen

About Lars Rasmussen

Lars Rasmussen is an angel investor and adviser to early-stage companies, based in Athens, where he is also a mentor at the Panathēnea tech and culture festival. He is best known as a co-founder of Google Maps.

A computer scientist with a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, he co-founded Where 2 Technologies in Sydney in 2003. Google bought the company in 2004 and its technology became Google Maps, which he went on to lead; he also co-created Google Wave. From 2010 to 2015 he was an engineering director at Facebook in London, in charge of Graph Search, and he then co-founded Weav Music, whose app closed in 2023. His investments include Canva.

On Day One's History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem series, he discussed what successful founders have in common.

In conversation.

2 episodes

Start hereLars Rasmussen discusses the key ingredients for successful foundersHis full interview on what successful founders have in common, drawing on Google Maps, Facebook and Weav.

Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 3

With Michael Batko, Wayne Gerard, Petr Adámek, Peter Devine, Rohit Bhargava, Terry Hilsberg, Peter Bradd, Zrinka Tokic, Rachael Neumann, Zoe Piper, Susan Oliver, Silvia Pfeiffer, Murray Hurps, Rachel Yang, Yolanda Redrup, Peta Ellis, Sarah Pearson, Niki Scevak, Colin Kinner, Mark Pesce, Colette Grgic, Ian Gardiner, Lauren Capelin, Matt Barrie, Melissa Widner, Cameron Adams, Georgie Turner, Baden U'Ren, Evan Thornley, Alan Noble, Kate Jones, Kate Cornick, James Alexander, Dharmica Mistry, Emily Rich

Go straight to the good bits.

Key moments from Lars Rasmussen discusses the key ingredients for successful founders.

  1. 0:32Meet Lars Rasmussen
  2. 1:25Lars' Background and Journey to Entrepreneurship
  3. 2:28Founding Google Maps
  4. 3:36Choosing Sydney as a Base
  5. 4:27The Startup Ecosystem in Sydney Post Dot-Com Bubble
  6. 8:01The Vibrant Community of Sydney
  7. 10:51Misconceptions About Australians and Work Ethic
  8. 12:31Growth of the Startup Ecosystem in Australia
  9. 15:15Opportunities for Improvement in Australian Startups
  10. 16:45The Role of Crisis in Startup Success

In their own words.

“You have to have this undying bordering on irrational belief that of course you can, because then it turns out that you actually can.”
Lars Rasmussen — Lars Rasmussen discusses the key ingredients for successful foundersThe History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 22 November 2022

The path so far.

  1. Now

    Angel investor and adviser

  2. 2015–2023 · Startup

    Co-founder · Weav Music

  3. 2010–2015 · Scale-up

    Engineering Director, Graph Search · Facebook

  4. 2004–2010 · Scale-up

    Head of Google Maps; co-creator, Google Wave · Google

  5. 2003–2004 · Startup

    Co-founder · Where 2 Technologies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Across the network.

Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026

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