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Samantha Finnegan

Founder at Madebox

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Samantha Finnegan

About Samantha Finnegan

Samantha Finnegan is the founder of Madebox, which curates corporate gift boxes filled with products from small-batch Australian producers. She started the business in 2020, after the summer bushfires and during the COVID-19 lockdowns, to find new customers for regional producers who had lost tourism trade, and Madebox tells the stories of the makers behind its products. The business also runs MadeMart, an online marketplace for small-batch Australian makers built on a profit-sharing model.

Finnegan started Madebox after more than 20 years working on brands, partnerships and commercial deals. She has appeared twice on Day One: in The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem interview series, where she described the software tools behind Madebox, and in the documentary's fifth episode on how the pandemic hit small businesses.

Talks about
Startup Lessons

In conversation.

2 episodes

Start hereSamantha Finnegan shares the various software tools and platforms she utilizesHer own interview: why she started Madebox in the 2020 lockdowns and the tools she runs it on. In the documentary episode she appears only briefly.

Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem

The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem - Part 5

With Mark Pesce, Steve Grace, Eloise Hall, Isobel Marshall, Darryl Lyons, Megan Sebben, Phil Ireland, Wayne Gerard, Sam Jockel, Arthur Sinodinos, Peter Devine, Tim Fung, Peter Tippett, Trevor Folsom, Dean McEvoy, Moira Were, Kate Jones, Daniel Flynn, Mick Liubinskas, Peter Bradd, Rachael Neumann, Chad Renando, Annie Parker, Aaron Birkby, Rachel Yang, Melissa Widner, Sarah Pearson, Colin Kinner, Lauren Capelin, Bruce Tulloch, Matt Barrie, Kate Cornick, Cheryl Mack, Andrea Gardiner, Niki Scevak

Go straight to the good bits.

Key moments from Samantha Finnegan shares the various software tools and platforms she utilizes.

  1. 0:31Meet Samantha Finnegan
  2. 1:04Motivation Behind Starting Madebox
  3. 1:49Impact of COVID on Small Businesses
  4. 2:00Samantha's Background in Regional Victoria
  5. 3:17The Importance of Regional Producers
  6. 4:05The Impetus to Start Madebox
  7. 4:41Samantha's Previous Career
  8. 6:05Curated Gift Boxes Concept
  9. 7:22The Element of Discovery in Gift Boxes
  10. 8:27Supporting Small-Batch Producers

In their own words.

“Cash flow is the number one priority. Cash is king. If you don't have cash flow, you're out of business.”
Samantha Finnegan — Samantha Finnegan shares the various software tools and platforms she utilizesThe History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series · 16 August 2022

Madebox on Day One

Madebox is an Australian corporate gifting business that curates gift boxes and hampers from small-batch Australian producers.

1 person · 2 episodes
Madebox

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Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026

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