Aussie Founders

In 2001, after working as an architect for many years, Jonas co-founded his first company, O-pen, after inventing a novel optical touch screen technology. After receiving €6 million of investment, and bringing in an international CEO, Jonas was ousted from his own company in 2005 and left the company officially in 2007. Now, O-pen is called FlatFrog and has partnerships with major companies such a...

Shooby launched his first creative agency, Mude , during his second year of university, working on major projects with clients like Amazon Music and the Australian Government . Now he’s at the helm of What Works Global , a consultancy focused on marketing, tech and digital innovation, exploring ventures in cutting-edge fields like AI and blockchain. Shooby shares his unfiltered journey from 10+ ye...

At 24, Craig Benson led a squadron of aircraft and 100 personnel for the RAAF. Today, he’s co-founder of Skykraft — delivering the world’s first space-based VHF communication system for air traffic management, especially in remote and oceanic regions. With $100M+ in funding and a bold partnership between Australia and India, Skykraft is proving that world-first innovation can be built in Canberra...

On September 10, 2001, Dr Daniel Shaddock signed on with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, where he worked on LISA, the revolutionary space-based gravitational wave detector. Over a decade later, he co-founded Liquid Instruments, a cutting-edge startup transforming test and measurement — now backed by top international and government investors. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to pitch yourself to inve...

After graduating from the Australian National University, Michelle (Chelle) got a job at a tech start-up and never looked back. In the early 2000s, she co-founded Intelledox, a software company which was acquired in 2019 for an estimated $105M ( MergerLinks ).  Expect insights into the early days of the internet, advice on how to hire amazing people and inspiring a culture of excellence. Powered b...

After getting his PhD at Cambridge University, Craig worked in Defence before cofounding TakeABreak, an online holiday home rental company (similar to Airbnb), back in 2003. After selling the company into what eventually became Stayz, Craig has mentored thousands of start-ups through his work at the Canberra Innovation Network. Episode 1 of the Move Fast Break Things Podcast Powered by the ANU Ent...