Open The Pod Bay Doors

Darren Miller is the CEO of Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) - whose purpose it is to support the transition to net zero emissions by accelerating the pace of pre-commercial innovation.Darren is deeply committed to net zero and improving our chances on planet earth. He believes we have all the technologies we need between now and 2030 - from solar, wind, lithium batteries, electric vehicles, rooftop solar, and household energy management - and if we can deploy these things at scale quickly in the economy, we’ll overshoot what we need to do by 2030 in order to reach net zero.ARENA does this by utilising federal funding to invest and support renewable energy startups and projects for the Australian economy. ARENA and Innovation Bay have teamed up for the third year running for the ARENA Renewable Energy Founder Forum on 28 July. The event showcases Australia's most exciting early stage renewable technology startups and pairs them with Australia's leading venture capitalists and angel investors - to su

Anthony Zaccaria is the Co-Founder of Linktree which is essentially a category creator for link in bio tools and a one-stop place to house entire online link ecosystems. In just 6 years, Linktree has gathered a massive global following with a user base of 24 million people - or the population of Australia (!!) - generating 1.2 billion Linktree visits per month. Earlier this year, Linktree reached unicorn status, with a $1.3 billion USD valuation following a $110 million USD raise.Anthony co-founded Linktree with his brother Alex Zacarria and mutual mate Nick Humphries in 2016. The company now employs 265 people across 12 countries and is growing rapidly. The model for Linktree is simple - in fact the prototype was built in 6 hours - the idea originating from their marketing business Bolster. While running marketing campaigns they thought there had to be a better way to consolidate all client links (think website, social media, Spotify etc) in one place. Linktree has since become a website replacement for many

Dale Brett is the Co-Founder & CEO at Fl0 - a low code platform for software engineers. Founded just a year ago (in 2021), Fl0 raised $11.5 million in its seed round with funding from the likes of Blackbird, Skip Capital and Jelix. Fl0’s vision is to empower software developers and engineers to be 20 times faster and more efficient.Prior to Fl0, Dale founded payment startup, Tapify, which, after only 12 months, received acquisition offers too good to refuse. As a part of Tapify’s acquisition, they were able to found Willow, a digital twin company that integrates real assets like stadiums and rail networks, analysing their data to help them optimise and run more efficiently. Dale has exited in the running of the business but continues to sit on the board for Willow.Fl0 is a remote first company, employing 22 staff across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Colorado, Vancouver and Europe. The company has been named “Canva for software engineers”. Its low code platform offers building blocks and tools to empower en

Laura is the CEO and Founder of SafeStack Academy, a community-centric online education platform on a mission to give software developers, analysts and architects all of the skills they need to build secure internet software.Laura entered the workforce at 16 after telling quite a few lies to become an apprentice software developer for EDS. She put herself through her qualifications to get to university and night school and then went back to do her degree in her early 20s. During 2005/2006 she took a year out to work for Cern in Geneva before taking up a post for British Intelligence. After a number of years working in counterterrorism and counter online harm, Laura took a trip to NZ for 6 weeks and never left - 11 years later, she holds a passport and has 2 small kiwi children.Fascinated with how fast software was being built, Laura found a niche seeing that security wasn't adapting to this speed. With a newborn in tow, she took a leap and after winning a couple of high growth NZ clients, began her startup at

Allegra Spender, currently running as an independent candidate for the Senate seat of Wentworth in Sydney’s east, is daughter to Italian immigrant parents - her father a barrister, politician and diplomat, her mother a renowned Australian fashion designer, the late Carla Zampatti.Allegra was Head Girl at Ascham School graduating with a HR score of 99.95 and went on to study Economics at the University of Cambridge in England. Her first job out of uni was as a consultant with McKinsey which she reflects was a great place to learn the trade of consulting and to think about business strategically, but Allegra wanted to use these tools for good and apply them to the social sector. Her ambition saw her work for the UK Treasury, in Kenya for a not-for-profit and as part of a huge teaching hospital.Upon returning to Australia in 2007, “the time was right” and Allegra was named Managing Director of Carla Zampatti, where she was able to apply her learned skills to this point back into the family business. Allegra succ

For the past 14 years, Tech23 has showcased and amplified the emerging deeptech talent coming out of Australia that have the potential to create new industries and smarter solutions. Tech23 is a national forum whereby 23 early stage companies are chosen to tell their story and speak about their innovation on stage to an audience of industry leaders, investors, potential enterprise customers and other up and coming founders.At the 2021 badge in November last year, Innovation Bay attended and flagged five of our favourites. In episode 133 of Open The Pod Bay Doors, we have invited these five companies to come onto the podcasts to tell us a bit about their business, their technology and what their future plans look like.The episode begins with Rachel Slattery, the mastermind behind Tech23, who explains a little about the forum’s history and purpose. We then go on to meet the incredible humans behind our chosen five companies from last year’s event.Josh Ismin is Co-Founder & CEO of Psylo - a psychedelic biote

Duncan Anderson, along with his two friends Jeremy Cox and Ben Sze, is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of EdTech company Edrolo. After some time working at Google, Duncan and his two business partners met while working at Goulburn and Sacs some 10 years ago. The original idea for Edrolo was as a two-sided marketplace - tutors on one side and students on the other - but quickly evolved into it’s earliest incarnation as somewhat of a YouTube for learning for VCE students.Fast forward to now, Edrolo employs approximately 200 staff, is in 1200 schools and services around 30,000 students across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland and is backed by some of Australia’s biggest VC’s such as Airtree and Blackbird. It is a fully vertically integrated company - meaning they create all their own content, do all tech stack, sales and customer support in house.Duncan is driven by trying to make the world a better place through education. A self-confessed learning machine, Duncan’s mind ticks at a million miles an hour, soaki

Ben Thompson is the Founder and CEO of Employment Hero. The company is Australia’s newest unicorn, recently announcing a funding round of $181 million, valuing the firm at $1.25 billion. Ben grew up in Frenchs Forrest in Sydney and finished his schooling in Armidale, rural NSW. After finishing law and economics at uni, Ben took up a number of tenures in Australia including with Sydney Futures Exchange and Perpetual before jumping on a flight to London where he was employed by Interactive Investor International and ran theirs and lastminute.com’s IPO and then by UK’s largest property portal, Right Move. After a number of years in London working and playing hard in the excitement of the dot-com boom, Ben and his (now) wife married and moved back to Sydney to raise their family. Simultaneously, Ben decided he never wanted to work for anyone again and so started his own business. Employment Hero currently services 80,000 SME customers, managing 750,000 thousand employees. With 52% of the world’s GDP spent on wage

Rebecca Schot-Guppy is the Director of Investment Leverage and Portfolio Management at IAG Firemark Ventures. Previously, Rebecca was the CEO of FinTech Australia, where she made a significant impact on the ecosystem. Prior to Fintech Australia, she worked as a Community Manager at Stone & Chalk. Rebecca found her way into the world of venture through her background in law and biomed. She is a passionate and knowledgeable member of the startup ecosystem with many insights to share.Ian & Rebecca discuss…- Rebecca’s path into the startup world- Why Rebecca chose to work on the venture side of the startup ecosystem- Rebecca’s role and impact at FinTech Australia- Australia as a Fintech powerhouse- IAG Firemark Venture’s thematic investments- The growth of the the VC sector in Australia- The Firemark Collective and its teams..and more!Quickfire Recommendations- Book: Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi and Yotam Ottolenghi- Podcast: 7am Podcast- News Source: AFR & The Guardian- App: Superhero- Produc

Ian sits down with Hugo Bieber, Partner at Think & Grow, and Jacqui Tucker, Head of Employment, Taxes & Reward, Enterprise, KPMG, to discuss the 2021-2022 Australian Startup Salary Guide by Think & Grow and KPMG High Growth Ventures. Supported by Tech Council of Australia, the guide was produced with 20 leading VCs, surveying over 3,000 positions across 140 companies and is designed for startups looking to recruit and retain the best talent in the ecosystem. The panel discusses a variety of topics around recruiting, attracting, paying, rewarding, and motivating talent.Ian and panel discuss the guide in detail, including…The need for the salary benchmarking guide within the startup ecosystemDifference in salary ranges between early stage startups and later stage startupsThe importance of transparency within the marketHow ESOPs can be used for attraction and retentionThe great resignation and what it means for Australian companiesThe trend toward flexible work arrangements...and more!Download the 20

Manuri Gunawardena is the Founder and CEO of HealthMatch. HealthMatch was founded in 2017, after Manuri won TechnCrunch’s Startup Battlefield. It is a Medtech platform built to help patients connect with clinical trials. It operates as a marketplace, allowing patients to have access to the latest treatments and trials.Manuri is an ambitious founder with an extensive medical background. She is the winner of the 2021 Bold Future Award by Veuve Clicquot and has been named as one of The Australians top 100 innovators of 2021. As a former medical student turned entrepreneur, Manuri is passionate about combining her medical experience and technology to deliver better healthcare.Ian & Manuri discuss a variety of topics, including…The importance of patient accessibility to clinical trialsEmpowering patients as drivers in healthcareManuri’s journey from medical student to entrepreneurThe impact the Covid-19 vaccine development had on the medical worldThe consumer approach of HealthMatchHealthMatch’s recent expansi

Max Cunningham is currently the Group Executive of Listings at ASX. Previously, he was the Head of Equity Capital Markets at Goldman Sachs in New York and the Director of the Macquarie Group in London. Max has a wide array of global experience and provides unique insight into the state of the Australian market.Max and Ian discuss many topics, including…The emergence and growth of the tech sector in AustraliaTech becoming the largest sector for issuing secondary capitalWhy some US companies choose to list in AustraliaThe potential future of work in AustraliaMacro-trends that could positively impact the ecosystemThe importance of building community...and much more!Quickfire RecommendationsBook: Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs by Walter IsaacsonPodcast: The Ideas Exchange Podcast, Conversations with People Who Hate MeNews Source: The New York TimesApp: PhysiAppProductivity Tool: “My wife”Favourite Tech CEO: Richard White, WiseTechFavourite TV Show: Ozark, FaudaTed Talk Topic: “The confluence of

Welcome to another edition of the OTPBD News Special, our series which analyses the news that matters for Australian and Kiwi startups. This week, we’re focusing on news stories centred around climate tech and renewable energy.Meet this week's panel…Mick Liubinskas, Climate SaladAli Cluines-Ross, ArtesianTopics we discuss: Australia's goal of net zero emissions by 2050, The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Grok Ventures becoming Australia’s first $1b VC fund to invest in climate tech, Loam Bio raising a $40m Series A with backing from Marc Benioff (TIME Ventures) and Mike Cannon-Brookes (Grok Ventures), Australian energy company Woodside partnering with US-based solar startup Heliogen, Square Peg backing waste reduction startup Zero Co in $6m raise, Bitcoin mining coming to Byron Bay with a data centre powered by renewable energy, and Atlassan’s new 40-storey HQ which will operate on renewable energy.Additional information can be found below:https://www.climatesalad.com/https://events.humanitix.

Steve Fanale is the CEO and Founder of DriveYello, a company that helps businesses provide last mile delivery service to their customers. DriveYello’s mission is becoming the smartest gig economy management platform. Steve has been an active member of the startup ecosystem since the early 2000s, before it was fully established in Australia. Steve’s story of founding and building DriveYello is one of tenacity, resilience, talent, and leadership. He is an open and passionate founder, who shares a variety of insights around his experience.Steve and Ian discuss...What Steve learned during his time as a professional sportsmanSteve’s varied career history and how it led him to where he is todayHow the idea of DriveYello came to be in 2014The gig economy in Australia and how gig economy businesses operate and scaleHow DriveYello was able to enable businesses to survive during Covid-19 lockdownsSteve’s experience as a Summit member and how it has provided him supportWhat is next for DriveYello...and much more!Quickfi

Nicky Jackson is the founder and CEO of RangeMe, a product discovery and sourcing platform that allows retailers and suppliers to connect. RangeMe owns and dominates within the United States market, where they currently have 200,000 active suppliers and 10,000 retail buyers in their network. RangeMe works with over 75% of leading US-based retailers.Nicky has spent several years working for large multinational companies, bringing brands to market. RangeMe was founded in 2013 after Nicky developed her own skincare range and found it difficult to get a foot in the door at major retailers. She recognised this pain point and sought to create a platform that could seamlessly connect retailers and brands to one another. Nicky’s story is an amazing one of tenacity, hustle, product focus, and team culture.Ian and Nicky discussed a broad range of topics, including…The challenge of securing funding for RangeMe prior to the existence of a thriving startup ecosystemThe story of RangeMe’s acquisition and why they decided t

Welcome to another edition of the OTPBD News Special, our fortnightly series which analyses the news that matters for Australian and Kiwi startups.Meet this week's panel...Matt Allen, Tractor VenturesAndrea Kowalski, Tidal VenturesTopics we discuss: The Global Startup Genome Report, Clearco tapping into the Australian e-commerce boom, early stage venture capital fund Tidal Ventures launching Tidal’s Expert Network, new Sydney VC fund Black Nova, the Iconic teaming up with circular economy provider Airrobe, Lawpath’s recent $7.5m raise, Kate Morris & Justin Ryan joining together in a new private equity venture: Glow Capital Partners, and several recent raises in Fintech.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to another edition of the OTPBD News Special, our fortnightly series which analyses the news that matters for Australian and Kiwi startups.Meet this week's panel...John Henderson, AirTree VenturesStew Glynn, TEN13Topics we discuss: Christian Porter resigning as Industry Minister, Immutable securing $82 million in funding, Canva raising $200 million at a $40 billion valuation, Microsoft acquiring Brisbane-based Clipchamp, BNPL platform Scalapay becoming a unicorn, Delegate Connect’s $10 million seed round, Insurtech Open raising $31 million in a series B, and Startmate proposing a change to startup investment rules.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex McCauley is the Founder and Executive Director of Tech Council of Australia. Previously, he was the Founding CEO of StartupAUS, which recently morphed into Tech Council of Australia. Prior to joining StartupAUS, Alex worked as a Diplomat for the Australian government in Israel. Alex is an intelligent and dynamic founder who is passionate about technology and the startup ecosystem. He has a wide range of knowledge on policy, technology, innovation, advocacy, and more!Ian & Alex discussed several topics including…The growth of the Australian startup sectorAlex’s experience over the past 6 years as CEO of StartupAUSWhy StartupAUS is becoming Tech Council of AustraliaThe process of establishing the Tech Council teamThe release of The Crossroads ReportAlex’s experience at Stanford and how it will benefit him going forwardWhat Alex hopes Tech Council will achieve...and more!Quickfire RecommendationsBook: Masters of Rome Series by Colleen McCulloughPodcast: Reply AllNews Source: The EconomistProductivity To

Welcome to another edition of the OTPBD News Special, our fortnightly series which analyses the news that matters for Australian and Kiwi startups.Meet this week's panel...Lauren Capelin, StartmateMichael Batko, StartmateAlex Scandurra, ex-Stone & ChalkTopics we discuss: Alex Scandurra stepping down as CEO at Stone & Chalk, Startmate's plan to build an "Innovation City," we get the inside line from our host Ian about Jelix Ventures doing their first $17m close, AfterWork Ventures closing a $10m fund, Canva ranking #3 in the Forbes Cloud 100, the transition of StartupAUS to the Tech Council, Bendigo acquiring Melbourne-based fintech Ferocia for $116m, Latitude acquiring lending fintech Symple for $200m, the 2021 Mid-Year Global CVC Report, & Kevin Rudd joining the advisory board of Crimson Education.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Pfisterer is the CEO and Co-Founder of Zeller, an alternative to business banking. Prior to founding Zeller, Ben was the country manager for Square in Australia. Zeller was founded in early 2020 and has seen massive growth since then, with several rounds of capital raises and a team of 100. Zeller is just getting started, with sights on becoming a multigenerational business that changes the landscape of the Australian payments industry and expands globally. Ben is an ambitious, fast-moving, and highly capable founder with many insights to share.Ian sits down with Ben to discuss…A high-level view of the payments industryHow Zeller raised a large amount of money in a short period of timeWhy each employee should be part-owner of the businessSquare’s recent acquisition of AfterpayThe growth of the Buy Now, Pay Later sectorHow resilience played a role in Ben’s journeyThe mental health pressures that many Founders experience...and much more!Quickfire RecommendationsBook: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by