This special bonus episode was recorded live at Fishburners as part of the Spark Festival in October 2022, to celebrate the launch of The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem documentary. The event included a panel of eight guests, each representing a different...

Steve Grace explores how covid has altered the ways companies do business Steve Grace is CEO and founder of The Nudge Group, which works with startups and scale-ups to support them through various stages of business growth. Based in Australia, The Nudge Group has...

Peter Tippett discusses the future evolution of company ownership and management Peter Tippett is a serial entrepreneur with decades of experience working in startups both in Australia and around the world. He is currently working on three ventures, all of which he...

John Allsopp discusses the startup ecosystem's evolution from a “community” to an “industry” John Allsopp is an author, web developer and conference organiser who’s been working in Australia’s startup ecosystem for nearly three decades. In 2006 he co-founded Web...

Ric Richardson discusses the contrasting skills required to invent and run a company Ric Richardson is an Australian inventor who first came to prominence as a result of his invention of Software Activation, a technique used in software anti-piracy. Ric founded the...

Lars Rasmussen discusses the key ingredients for successful founders Lars Rasmussen is a Danish computer scientist and tech angel investor with a long history of working within the startup ecosystem both within Australia and internationally, including as co-founder of...

Brad Parsons talks about the risk tolerances of different startup ecosystems Brad Parsons is CEO and founder of Movus, a company that provides monitoring tools for industrial equipment with the mission of preserving the earth’s resources by improving the efficiency...

Eloise Hall and Isobel Marshall discuss how social enterprises fit within the startup community Eloise Hall and Isobel Marshall are the founders of Taboo, a social enterprise that sell organic cotton pads and tampons, with all profits going towards eradicating period...

Joshua Flannery discusses the key differences between Australia and Japan's startup ecosystems Joshua Flannery is the Founder and CEO of Innovation Dojo, an organisation active in both Australia and Japan which was founded in 2016 to support startups and...

Markus Kahlbetzer explores support opportunities for government and universities Markus Kahlbetzer is CEO and founder of BridgeLane, which labels itself an “alternative investment company” and aims to bring innovation to more traditional industries including...

Pauline Fetaui discusses the difference between the corporate and startup worlds Pauline Fetaui is General Manager at River City Labs, a startup community hub in Brisbane, as well as founder of CheeHoo, a personal assistant app designed to help busy people get things...

Kim Heras relives the major milestones he witnessed during the growth of the ecosystem Kim Heras is Partner at 25Fifteen, a “startup studio” which as Kim describes in the episode is a model of startup support similar but distinct from accelerators and incubators. Kim...

Darryl Lyons believes Australia has an opportunity to lead the world in Agri-tech Darryl Lyons is the Entrepreneur in Residence at both James Cook University in Cairns, Queensland, and at Farmers2Founders, a national Agri-tech organisation that helps aspiring...

Emily Casey discusses the importance of visibility of the startup ecosystem Emily Casey is the founder and director of What The Health, a health media company and community that aims to fuel the next generation of health innovation in Australia. Emily initially...

Alex Scandurra discusses the Australian startup ecosystem's exceptional growth Alex Scandurra is the founding CEO of Stone & Chalk, a not-for-profit organisation which aims to support Australian startups, scaleups, corporations and governments at every stage of...

Yolanda Redrup discusses some of the catalysts for the huge growth the startup ecosystem has seen Yolanda Redrup is a senior journalist with The Australian Financial Review, with a focus on technology and healthcare. Yolanda first began covering Australia’s startup...

Megan Sebben believes there is still work to be done in improving access for underrepresented groups Dr Megan Sebben is the Program Manager at CSIRO’s Kick-Start Program, an initiative designed to help innovative Australian startups and small businesses develop their...

Dharmica Mistry discusses the distinction between deep tech startups and other startups Dr Dharmica Mistry is Director of Diagnostics and Industry Engagement at MTP Connect, a not-for-profit organisation focused on growing the MedTech, BioTech and pharmaceutical...

Phil Ireland discusses how he sees mission-driven companies as fitting into Australia’s startup ecosystem Phil Ireland is Co-Founder and CEO of Hone Carbon, a mission-driven business with the objective of unlocking the potential for carbon storage in Australia’s...

Wayne Gerard says attracting talent into the startup ecosystem is “mission critical” Wayne Gerard is co-founder of RedEye, a tech company which manages engineering information for large, complex asset owners such as councils, hospitals, power and water utilities and...

Don Wright believes the various startup ecosystems within Australia should work cooperatively Don Wright is the Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Western Sydney University, as well as co-founder of Western Sydney University Launch Pad, a business and...

Trevor Folsom discusses the challenge of securing talent for Australian startups Trevor Folsom is Co-Founder and Chairman at Investible, an early-stage investment group that aims to connect ground-breaking companies with the capital, expertise and networks they need...

Allan O'Connor discusses the viability of startup careers Allan O’Connor is Co-Executive Director for the Centre for Enterprise Dynamics in Global Economies at the University of South Australia, as well as a researcher and teacher for for the undergraduate Bachelor of...

Sam Jockel shares her story and why it is so important to trust yourself Sam Jockel is the founder of ParentTV, which offers hundreds of on-demand videos and courses to support the parenting and care of children from birth to teens. Sam is also the Entrepreneur In...

Alex Carpenter sees Australia's startup ecosystem as radically more collaborative than corporate settings Alex Carpenter is the founder (or as he puts it, the “Initial Nudger, Steward and Groundskeeper”) of The Guild of Entrepreneurs, an independent organisation that...

James Fielding shares his belief that Australia's talent pool is world class Dr James Fielding is the Founder and Managing Director of Audeara, a hearing health technology company that produces headphones designed to deliver sound suited to an individual’s hearing...

Samantha Finnegan shares the various software tools and platforms she utilizes Samantha Finnegan is the founder of Madebox, a company which provides customers with gift boxes of curated goods from small regional producers, in particular focusing on supporting regions...

Hayden Williams discusses the future of cryptocurrency across many industries Hayden Williams is Senior Product Manager for Existing Customers at MYOB, a cloud-based business management platform fit for Enterprise, SME & startup businesses. In his conversation...

Vicki Engsall shares the benefits of growing your digital presence Vicki Engsall is the co-founder of The Jojoba Company, an Australian skincare company which produces a range of products which use jojoba oil, a liquid wax ester extracted from the seeds of the jojoba...

Emma Fawcett discusses the trap of "tech spaghetti" Emma Fawcett is General Manager, SME at MYOB, a cloud-based business management platform fit for Enterprise, SME & startup businesses. Prior to working at MYOB, Emma has worked in a variety of roles in B2B and...

Evan Thornley discusses the evolution of the startup ecosystem Evan Thornley is a serial entrepreneur with decades of experience founding and leading tech startups, including Australia’s first to be listed on the NASDAQ and reach a more than $1 billion valuation. In...

Andrew Nunn believes Australian states and territories should work cooperatively rather than competitively Andrew Nunn is the co-founder, Chairman and Executive Director of JBS&G, one of Australia’s largest privately owned environmental consulting companies....

Arthur Sinodinos discusses the positive attributes Australia could learn from the US Arthur Sinodinos is an Australian diplomat and former Liberal Party politician who has served as Ambassador to the United States since February 2020. He served as Chief of Staff to...

Lana Weal highlights the mental health challenges faced by founders Lana Weal is the founder of Market Mindfully, a marketing consultancy company that aims to support impact-driven startups in Australia and New Zealand to tell their stories, make more impact and...

Petr Adámek sees the benefits of greater cohesion of the national startup ecosystem Petr Adámek is the CEO of the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN), a not for profit with the mission of empowering entrepreneurs to create positive change. Peter, originally from the...

Ashley Baxter discusses how UQ Ventures was invaluable for her startup Ashley Baxter is the founder of Monty Compost Co, a clean-tech startup building hardware and software technology for monitoring and managing organic waste recycling. With a passion for...

Peter Devine discusses his move to research commercialisation Peter Devine is CEO of Uniseed, Australia’s longest running venture fund which works with researchers, businesses and industry to provide the best pathway to commercialise cutting-edge research. Peter has...

Simon Thomsen saw technology alter the news and publishing landscape Simon Thomsen is editor of Startup Daily and host of the Startup Daily show which airs on the business streaming service AusBiz.com.au. He is also an investor in early stage startups, and was...

Tim Fung explains why Australia is a great market to test startup ideas Tim Fung is founder of Airtasker, a local services marketplace connecting people and businesses who need work done with people wanting to work. He is also co-founder and Director of Tank Stream...

Rohit Bhargava discusses the benefits of reshaping wholesale investor requirements Rohit Bhargava runs the podcast The Startup Playbook Podcast, where each week he interviews successful entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts. Rohit first entered the startup...

Louise Nobes: Australian startup ecosystem needs to be brave enough to “think untraditionally” Louise Nobes is the founder and CEO of KIK Innovation, an organisation that aims to end youth unemployment through enterprise. Louise is also the founder of 42 Adelaide, an...

Darren Winterford believes Australian Entrepreneurs would benefit from more networking Darren Winterford is the founder and CEO of EdApp, a mobile focused LMS (learning management system) which allows its users to create learning experiences that can be accessed on...

Serina Bird discusses her inspiration from Taiwan's startup ecosystem Serina Bird is the author of The Joyful Frugalista, a personal finance guide, and runs online courses on money and finance. She also founded The Joyful Business Club which aims to support women...

Moira Were discusses what metrics companies can use to measure "good" Moira Were has been involved in many endeavors in the Australian startup ecosystem throughout her long career, with a focus on projects striving for social good. Moira is the founder of the Hen...

Tim Boyle sees a bias towards digital technologies in the ecosystem Tim Boyle is Director of Innovation & Commercialisation at ANSTO, Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. Tim is also the director and founder of Nandin Innovation Centre, ANSTO’s...

Bill Tai highlights the key similarities and differences between Silicon Valley and Australia Bill Tai is a global venture capitalist who is based in Silicon Valley and spends part of the year in Perth. Bill has been funding startups as a Venture Capitalist since...

Craig Swann fears complacency may slow innovation Craig Swann is the Event Director for SouthStart, Australia’s first innovation impact festival which brings together entrepreneurs, technologists, creatives, and founders from around Australia. Craig has a long history...

Kate Jones explains why the Tech Council of Australia was founded Kate Jones is the former Minister for Innovation in the Queensland government, and has spent the last 20 years of her life working in politics. Currently she is an executive director with the Tech...

Mick Liubinskas: Australia's startup ecosystem would be stronger with a single city leading it Mick Liubinskas is the founder of Climate Salad, an organisation that aims to boost climate tech companies in Australia and New Zealand by providing tools, programs and...

Rohan McDougall highlights the current risks to Western Australia's economy Rohan McDougall is the director of commercialisation at Curtin University, where his team work to identify business opportunities for new products and services that arise research conducted at...

Pete Lead: "You have permission to be awesome and complete freedom to fail" Pete Lead is former Head of Programs at tech startup accelerator BlueChilli, the author of the The Startup Guide, a toolkit designed for startup founders, and GM of Learning and Growth at...

Matt Bullock discusses the challenges for startups in 1998 and the evolution since Matt Bullock is the CEO and founder of Spinify, a gamification platform that aims to help motivate staff of an organisation through visibility of data. The idea for Spinify had its...

Kylie Frazer discusses some common causes co-founders separate Kylie Frazer is co-founder and partner of Flying Fox Ventures, an Australian investment firm with a focus on early stage tech companies. Flying Fox is notable for being a rolling fund, a business model...

Pete Horsley explains why diversity is so important in the ecosystem Pete Horsley is the founder of Remarkable, a tech accelerator for early stage startups in the disability tech space. Starting his career as a landscape architect, Pete now has more than 10 years’...

Alan Noble discusses the contrast between Silicon Valley and Australia in the 2000's Alan Noble is the founder of AusOcean, a not-for-profit organisation with the mission of helping the world’s oceans through technology. Alan also worked for 11 years as the...

Terry Hilsberg discusses the earliest days of the startup ecosystem Terry Hilsberg is a co-owner and partner in Fork Ventures, an investment firm that primarily focuses its investments in crypto projects. Terry is also a Venture Partner in InnoHub Capital, a global...

James Tynan shares his unpopular views on startup accelerators James Tynan is Principal at Square Peg, which is currently Australia’s largest independent Venture Capital firm with $1.6 billion under management and offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore and Tel Aviv....

Peter Bradd discusses the expectation-shattering progress the ecosystem has made Peter Bradd was the founding director and initial CEO of Fishburners, one of Australia’s first coworking spaces which has been home to a community of startups since its founding in 2011....

Anthony Ferrier offers his advice to startup founders Anthony Ferrier is an innovation and commercialisation specialist, primarily working within the intersection between startups and corporations. Anthony is the head of Innovation and Commercialisation at Swinburne...

Emily Rich explains why taking "smart money" is often a better path Emily Rich is a co-founder and partner at M8 Ventures, a venture fund that focuses on investing in tech startups during their “pre-seed” stage. Emily is also Director of Startups for APAC, where she...

Leslie Delaforce highlights the unique challenges facing Indigenous founders Leslie is the Indigenous Entrepreneurship Director at Minderoo Foundation, an Australian not-for-profit organisation seeking effective, scalable solutions to persistent problems. Leslie’s...

Zoe Piper wants to see more non-traditional career approaches Zoe Piper has been working at the intersection of industry, research and government for two decades, with a diverse and lengthy résumé. She is the founder of Ethitrade, Delmata and Allaran, cofounder of...

Phil Hayes-St Clair: "Take care of yourself" Phil Hayes-St Clair is co-founder and CEO of Drop Bio, a digital health company with a mission of accelerating the world’s transition to personalised health by increasing consumers and clinicians’ access to data. Phil is...

Colette Grgic explains why diversity is crucial Colette Grgic is Head of Startup Ecosystem in Australia and New Zealand at AWS (Amazon Web Service), a role which sees her leading a team that works to enable founders to start and successfully scale startups in...

Zrinka Tokic on the emergence of modern cloud tools Zrinka Tokic is the director of ThincLab, the University of Adelaide’s business incubator that has its headquarters in Adelaide but also has locations in Singapore and New Zealand. Zrinka is also director of the...

David Burt explains why startups are essential to our standard of living David Burt is the Director of Entrepreneurship at UNSW, where his team helps students, academics, staff and alumni turn their ideas into a startup. He also serves as Non-Executive Director for...

Rachael Neumann explores the effects of the pandemic on startups Rachael Neumann is one of the founding partners of Flying Fox Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm backing startups in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to this Rachael has played many roles in...

Pete Cooper discusses Universities' role in the ecosystem Pete Cooper is a serial founder and mentor who has worked in a wide variety of roles in the technology startup space. He is Director of Cooper & Co, an early stage investment firm, founder of The Start...

Chad Renando talks definitions of a strong ecosystem Chad Renando is director of Startup Status, a not-for-profit which aims to help organisations that support entrepreneurs by mapping and measuring the innovation ecosystem across Australia. He is also Managing...

Anna Wright: why "fail fast" is the greatest advice Anna Wright is the CEO and co-founder of BindiMaps, a smartphone app that helps anybody find their way around complicated indoor spaces such as shopping centres and hospitals. Their mission is to make every indoor...

Annie Parker finds inspiration working with startup founders Annie Parker is a startup investor and advisor with 20+ years of experience in the digital startup, technology and consulting sectors. Currently, Annie is the Executive Director for Tech Central, a community...

Lucinda Hartley discusses the barriers she overcame when starting out Lucinda Hartley is an urban strategist and serial entrepreneur. She is the co-founder of Neighbourlytics, a social analytics platform for neighbourhoods that aims to solve the human data gap for the...

Brendan Hill examines the war on talent in Australia Brendan Hill is an angel investor and startup mentor and advisor. He is Syndicate Lead at Logan and Wayne, a firm that invest in early stage tech startups. Before becoming an investor, Brendan founded and ran an...

Mark Pesce discusses the organic growth of our ecosystem Mark Pesce is the host of This Week In Startups Australia (TWISTA), a podcast which has charted the growth and maturity of Australia’s startup ecosystem since 2014. Born in the US, Mark first worked for a...

Malcolm Turnbull discusses innovation in the political sphere Malcolm Turnbull was the 29th Prime Minister of Australia between 2015 - 2018, in which time he launched the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA), which aimed to drive innovation and Australia’s...

Baden U'Ren on the importance of teaching our youth entrepreneurship Baden U’Ren is an entrepreneurship educator and innovation professional who has worked in a variety of roles within the Australian startup ecosystem. He is the co-founder of both The Unconventional...

Daniel Flynn explains why leaders are learners Daniel Flynn is co-founder of Thankyou, a social enterprise that was founded in 2008 and sells consumer products to help end extreme poverty. In 2015 Daniel’s book, Chapter One, became a bestseller and generated $1.4...

Aaron Birkby discusses the gaps in the Australian startup ecosystem Aaron Birkby is the co-founder of The Unconventional Group, and has over two decades experience working as a founder, advisor, board member, investor and facilitator in the Australian startup...

Jodie Fox highlights the contrasts between the Australian and US Ecosystems Jodie Fox co-founded Shoes of Prey, an innovative shoe retail company which at its peak was a global business, with more than 200 staff, six million shoes designed and US $27 million in...

James Alexander shares his thoughts on Governments' roles in startups James Alexander is the co-founder of Galileo Ventures, which focuses on investing in young, first time startup founders. Prior to this, James founded Incubate, an accelerator program run out of the...

Susan Oliver discusses what investors look for in a founder An Angel Investor and co-founder of multiple startup ventures, Susan Oliver has also served as a board member on over a dozen organisations in her long and rich career, including The Wheeler Centre,...

Phil Morle explains the struggles that incubators often face Phil Morle is a Partner at Main Sequence Ventures, a venture capital firm founded by the CSIRO which invests in early stage technology companies with science at their core. Prior to this role Phil co-founded...

Silvia Pfeiffer discusses her first startup and the lessons it taught her Dr Silvia Pfeiffer is CEO of Coviu, a video telehealth company which provides software to healthcare providers. Originally from Germany, Silvia moved to Australia and worked for CSIRO exploring...

Murray Hurps discusses the barriers to growth in the startup ecosystem Murray Hurps is the Director of Entrepeneurship at UTS, tasked with growing the number of student-founded startups coming out of the university. With a long list of credentials in the Australian...

Dean McEvoy on egos and startups Dean McEvoy is a seasoned startup founder and angel investor, having founded three startups including Spreets.com, Australia’s first group buying site, which launched in February 2010 and sold only 11 months later for around $40...

Rachel Yang explores diversity and social issues With a background in management consulting and corporate finance, Rachel Yang is a partner at Giant Leap, Australia’s first venture capital fund which exclusively backs founders using business as a force for good in the...

Ian Gardiner discusses his passion for nurturing startup communities Ian Gardiner is an Investment Partner at Jelix Ventures, a firm which invests in early stage tech startups in Australia and New Zealand, and a co-founder of Innovation Bay, which works to create and...

Nicole O'Brien: The startup ecosystem is overwhelmingly positive Nicole O’Brien is CEO of Fishburners, a not-for-profit co-working space and community hub for tech startup founders with a rich history of supporting Australian tech companies since its inception in...

Georgie Turner discusses the next steps for Australia's ecosystem Georgie Turner is Principal at Tidal Ventures, a seed-stage focused venture capital investment firm which is based in Australia and has an office in the US. Tidal Ventures invest primarily in B2B...

Colin Kinner discusses the key missteps first time founders often make Colin Kinner is founder and CEO of Startup Onramp, a training and mentoring program for first time startup founders. With a long history of entrepreneurship, Colin has supported countless startups...

Alan Jones: Can we talk about smartphones? With experience founding and co-founding tech startups since 1995, Alan Jones is a veteran of Australia’s startup ecosystem. An angel investor and advisor, Alan has supported Australian startups independently and through...

Melissa Widner discusses the huge progress of startups Melissa Widner is the CEO of Lighter Capital, an investment firm that is based in the US and launched in Australia in 2020. Their novel model involves lending to early stage startups and linking repayments to...

Paul Bassat examines the evolution of the ecosystem After practicing as a lawyer for six years, Paul Bassat co-founded Seek with his brother Andrew in 1997, which in 2005 was floated on the Australian Securities Exchange with a market cap of $587 million. Paul moved...

Peta Ellis on the importance of innovation Peta Ellis is the founder of EverydayEntrepreneur365.com.au, and an entrepreneur who’d founded 4 companies before 30, and has gone on to spend much of her career in a community building and mentor role. She has supporting...

Hamish Hawthorn discusses the evolution of the ecosystem Hamish Hawthorn has been deeply involved in the development of the Australian startup ecosystem. A qualified mechanical engineer with postgraduate training in business and technology, Hamish is particularly...

Sarah Pearson on the importance of cooperation and competition Dr Sarah Pearson has a wealth of experience from a wide variety of roles within the science, technology and startup sector. Previously Global Head of Open Innovation at Cadbury, founding CEO of the...

Michael Batko discusses the four prevalent business models of accelerators Michael Batko is the CEO of Startmate, an accelerator that has invested in 170+ startups across Australia and New Zealand with a collective portfolio value of two billion dollars. Originally...

Alfred Lo compares startup ecosystems in different nations Alfred Lo is co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Harvest B, a tech startup developing a plant-based meat ingredient system. Previously Chief Investment Officer at Cicada Innovations, an incubator for...

Julie Trell discusses the importance of diversity Julie Trell is an American woman who moved to Australia in 2017 to pursue two opportunities in the Australian startup ecosystem: working as head of the now defunct accelerator Muru-D, and to bring SheEO to Australia....

Peter Davison: All it takes is guts and a vision With no experience but a lot of guts and vision, Peter Davison moved to Silicon Valley and started a Venture Capital firm with a friend in 1998. They had several early successes, most famously as early investors in...

Maxine Sherrin discusses the importance of building a community of innovators Maxine Sherrin is the Program Director of Spark Festival, a not-for-profit festival that aims to grow entrepreneurship in Australia by bringing together people from all corners of the...

Lauren Capelin and the importance of nurturing diversity Lauren Capelin is a community strategist and disruptive innovation specialist passionate about the development and application of new business models, corporate social innovation, impact investment and fostering...

Cameron Adams on the importance of community and connection Cameron Adams is a co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Canva, an online design platform with over 20 million users. After starting his own design agency and then working for Google, Cameron founded Fluent...

Steve Baxter on what the Australian Government could be doing to help the startup ecosystem In 1994, before the terms "startup" or "bootstrapping" were in common use, Steve Baxter started a successful internet service provider, SE Net, from the spare room of his...

Bruce Tulloch on some of the key challenges the Australian startup ecosystem faces Bruce Tulloch is the co-founder and managing director of BitScope Designs, which creates IOT (Internet of Things) and cloud computing tools for industrial and educational use. Bruce is...

Kate Cornick on ways to support Australians to begin their startup journey Kate Cornick is the CEO of LaunchVic, the Victorian Government’s initiative to accelerate startups and create new jobs in Victoria. Before taking this position, Kate worked in a variety of...

Niki Scevak is optimistic about Australia's future Niki Scevak has a long and diverse background in the Australian startup ecosystem. From his entrepreneurial beginnings co-founding two software companies, Niki would go on to co-found Blackbird, a venture capital firm...

Matt Barrie on the evolution of the startup ecosystem from a unique vantage point As CEO of Freelance Limited, Matt Barrie overseas the management of both freelancer.com, a service through which 54 million freelancers offer every type of service you can possibly...

Cheryl Mack on building communities and her passion for supporting founders Cheryl Mack is passionate about supporting founders and has done so in a variety of roles over the years: as a mentor for programs including Startmate and Founder Institute, as CEO of...

Andrea Gardiner says disruptive, scalable tech startups are critical Andrea Gardiner is the founder of Jelix, an investment firm which focuses on early stage technology startups in Australia and New Zealand. In her conversation with Adam, she shares her conviction...