The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series Louise Nobes: Australian startup ecosystem needs to be brave enough to “think untraditionally”
Recorded as Founder and CEO, KIK Innovation
About Louise Nobes
Louise Nobes is Head of Education at WiseTech Global, where she works on practical routes into technology careers such as the company's Earn & Learn program. She is also founder and chief executive of KIK Innovation, the not-for-profit she set up in 2015, after a career in social work, to give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds entrepreneurship skills and pathways into work.
Through KIK she secured the Australian licence for the tuition-free 42 coding school network and launched 42 Adelaide in 2021. In November 2024 KIK took over Grok Academy, an online coding platform for schools, which a three-year WiseTech sponsorship announced in January 2026 keeps free for students in Australia and New Zealand.
On The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem interview series in 2022, she argued that Australia's startup ecosystem needs to be brave enough to think untraditionally.
- Talks about
- Leadership, Startup Lessons
In conversation.
1 episode
The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series Go straight to the good bits.
Key moments from Louise Nobes: Australian startup ecosystem needs to be brave enough to “think untraditionally”.
- 0:31Meet Louise Nobes
- 0:43Overview of Kick Innovation and 42 Adelaide
- 1:58Louise's Journey to Entrepreneurship
- 3:05Challenges in Transitioning from Social Work to Entrepreneurship
- 4:41The Startup Community in Adelaide in 2015
- 6:27Role as a Pracademic at Flinders New Ventures Institute
- 7:44Gaps in the Startup Ecosystem
- 9:41Strengths of the Community
- 10:57Bringing 42 to Market
- 11:07Discovering the 42 Education Model
In their own words.
“Think bigger, act braver. Don't hold yourself back. Yourself is your number one worst enemy, to be honest.”
The path so far.
- Now
Head of Education · WiseTech Global
- 2021–2024
Launched and operated (free IT school, part of KIK Innovation) · 42 Adelaide
- 2015–2024 · Startup
Founder & CEO · KIK Innovation
Sources: wisetechglobal.com
WiseTech Global on Day One
WiseTech Global develops CargoWise, logistics software used by supply-chain and freight-forwarding companies worldwide.
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Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026
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