The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem: Interview Series

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 sectors. Prior to this she was the Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of BCAL Diagnostics, where the team’s research discovered a potential new way to screen for breast cancer, which BCAL Diagnostics is working on developing into...

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 mining companies. Wayne is also Queensland’s Chief Entrepreneur, a role in which he advises the state government on its startup and innovation strategy. In his conversation with guest host Will Tjo, Wayne discusses wha...

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 innovation support program that provides facilities, assistance and resources for startups and high growth technology based businesses in Western Sydney. Don is also Senior Vice President of Western Sydney Business Connection, a...

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 to realise their potential on a global scale. Trevor is also Entrepreneur In Residence at UNSW, and formerly was Chairman of Car Next Door, an Australian peer-to-peer vehicle rental platform, which was sold to Uber...

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 Business (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) program. Prior to this role he was the Senior Lecturer at the Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Centre at the University of Adela...

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 Residence at The University of Queensland. Before entering the startup world, Sam was a serial entrepreneur, starting several businesses including Biddy Bags, a profit-for-purpose company producing handcrafte...

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 draws on Alex’s experience, as well as that of many mentors within Australia’s startup ecosystem, to support entrepreneurs. Before starting The Guild of Entrepreneurs, Alex founded half a dozen companies, including Citrus WA, a hospitalit...

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 profile. While working as a junior doctor in a hospital shortly after finishing a medical degree, James turned his attention to startups, went through the iLabs Accelerator program and founded Audeara. In his con...

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 with Adam, Hayden discusses the evolution that MYOB are going through currently, in which they are working towards becoming a platform which small businesses and startups can use to manage their business in a more...

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 affected by floods, droughts, bush fires and the pandemic. Samantha launched Madebox during covid lockdown, out of a need to support regional producers whose livelihoods relied heavily on the tourism industry. I...

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 digital businesses, including Managing Director of Commercial Product and Platforms at News Corp Australia. In her conversation with Adam, Emma discusses the trap of “tech spaghetti” whi...

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 plant. Vicki’s father first started growing jojoba plants, which are native to the United States, after attending a farmers expo where the Department of Agriculture and the CSIRO encouraged Australia...

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 1995 Evan Thornley and his wife Tracey Ellery Founded LookSmart, which in 1999 had 500 employees and was the twelfth most visited website worldwide with 10 million users. Since leaving LookSmart E...

Andrew Nunn is the co-founder, Chairman and Executive Director of JBS&G, one of Australia’s largest privately owned environmental consulting companies. Andrew also holds the position of Chief Entrepreneur of South Australia, a role in which he is tasked with providing advice to the South Australian Cabinet and the business community to enable entrepreneurialism across the state. In his convers...

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 connect with partners for mutual benefit. Lana first entered the startup world when she joined the accelerator BlueChilli as Marketing Manager in 2018, a role in which she learned a great deal about the Au...

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 Prime Minister John Howard from 1997 to 2007, and was a Senator for New South Wales from 2011 to 2019, becoming a minister in the Abbott and Turnbull Governments. In his conversation with Adam, Arthur discusses what he...

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 Czech Republic, first entered the startup ecosystem in 2008, working as one of the co-founders of a consulting company in Prague, and has since spent time working in a variety of roles in the startup ecosystems of New...

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 environmentalism at its core, Ashley had the idea for Monty Compost Co after learning that composting could be part of the solution for various environmental problems, and that there was little innovation happening...

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 been with Uniseed since 2003, and additionally in his long career has served as Chair or Non-Executive Director for more than twenty organisations, including many technology and biotechnology sta...

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 Labs, a tech startup co-working space in Sydney. In his conversation with Adam, Tim discusses how people work from co-working spaces for a sense of community, not just desk space, as well as why he believes...

 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 previously Associate Editor of Business Insider Australia as well as a range of other roles in journalism and publishing. In his conversation with Adam, Simon discusses how during his time working on a jour...

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 ecosystem in 2013 when he founded StageLabel, a crowdfunding platform for the fashion industry. Since then he has also had the roles of Community and Events Manager at Startup Victoria, and Startup Business Development...

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 Australian branch of the global educational organisation founded in France, which provides tuition free IT training that aims to be open to anyone regardless of background. In her conversation with Adam, Louise discusses how he...

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 mobile devices in bite sized chunks which EdApp calls “microlessons”. Prior to EdApp, Darren founded a digital agency that specialised in building mobile apps for large brands, and it was during his time running the agenc...

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 in startups, including as co-founder of Sqribbles and Looplabs, and currently acting as Senior Advisor in Australia for the Global Entrepreneurship Network. In his conversation with...