The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem: Interview Series

Episode SummaryIn the Blink of AI: Conversations with AI Innovators Join Georgie Healy on 'In the Blink of AI', your weekly guide to the dynamic world of artificial intelligence. Each episode features interviews with the founders of top AI startups, creative product builders, and industry leaders. With 20 years in engineering and technology, Georgie aims to distill complex AI concepts into engaging stories. The show covers business building, cutting-edge AI technology, and guests' approaches to developing AI products, finishing with rapid-fire questions for quick insights. Connect with Georgie on LinkedIn, Instagram, or via email to share your thoughts and suggestions for future guests. Timestamps00:00 Introduction to In the Blink of AI 00:10 Meet Your Host: Georgie Healy 00:56 Podcast Format and Content 01:11 Engage with UsIn The Blink of A.I. is is part of Day One.Day One helps founders and startup operators make better business decisions more often.To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new In The Blink of AI episodes and upcoming shows. Sponsors:In The Blink of A.I. is supported by our wonderful sponsors:Rocking Horse: Rocking Horse helps startups access their R&D tax rebate early. Get up to $3M in non-dilutive finance, solve cash flow challenges, and accelerate growth. Easy application, fast approval. Smart investment for innovative startups. https://dayone.fm/rockinghorse Mentioned in this episode:PMB TrailerPMB Trailer

SummaryCheryl Mack and Maxine Minter reflect on the year 2023 and discuss the challenges and trends in the startup ecosystem. They talk about the tough environment for founders and investors, with many companies struggling to raise funds and facing down rounds. However, they also highlight the resilience and determination of founders who were able to survive and even thrive in the face of adversity.The hosts discuss the increase in funding for female founders, although there is still a long way to go in achieving gender parity in the industry. They also touch on the growth of climate tech and AI as key areas of investment, with these sectors propping up the funding ecosystem.Cheryl and Maxine express cautious optimism for the year 2024, noting the need for continued creativity and resilience in the face of challenges. They also highlight the importance of addressing issues of behaviour and inclusivity in the startup ecosystem.Key TakeawaysChallenges in the Startup Ecosystem (2023): The year was marked by difficulties for many companies in raising funds, with instances of down rounds reflecting a challenging environment for the startup ecosystem.Resilience of Founders: Success in these tough times was often attributed to the resilience and determination of founders, who demonstrated the ability to navigate through the demanding market conditions effectively.Funding for Female Founders: While there was a notable increase in funding for female founders, reaching a historical high, the conversation acknowledges that more efforts are necessary to achieve gender parity in funding.Growth of Climate Tech and AI: Both climate tech and AI emerged as standout sectors, drawing significant investments and spearheading innovation despite the broader economic challenges.Outlook for 2024: The year ahead is approached with cautious optimism. The emphasis is on the necessity for ongoing creativity and resilience to address and overcome upcoming challenges.Quotes- "I think ingenuity was a real theme. I'm excited to dive in today, obviously. Tis the season to be reflecting." - Cheryl Mack- "The founders that survive this are the ones that we are so excited to back as investors." - Maxine Minter- "I think optimism and holding on to a sense of optimism won this year. Pairing it with creativity, also really effective." - Maxine Minter- "I think 2024 is looking cautiously optimistic. Cautiously optimistic." - Maxine MinterChapters00:05 - Introduction to the podcast00:25 - Reflecting on the year and the challenges faced02:02 - Difficulty of raising funds and the resilience of founders04:32 - Founders' determination to survive and adapt05:08 - Employment Hero becoming a unicorn06:31 - Tentative re-entry of international investors into the Australian ecosystem07:38 - Gap between top founders and average deals narrowing08:49 - Overpaying in the early stages of funding09:05 - Australian tech facing criticism from the media10:46 - Turning point in sentiment with SVB collapse and Milk Run11:18 - Discussion about the impact of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried's sentencing12:13 - AI and climate tech propping up the funding industry in 202313:56 - AI adoption curve and its impact on the legal tech industry15:01 - Tight capital environment in Q1 and Q2 of 202315:32 - Increase in interest and funding for climate tech17:10 - Rise of climate tech-focused funds in Australia18:19 - Lack of AI-focused funds in Australia20:06 - Creativity in funding and rise of professionalized fund management21:30 - Optimism about more fund raising in 202421:52 - Increase in funding for female founders, but still low overall22:33 - Matching population demographics22:48 - Lack of data on women-led...

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ episode. Yaniv and Chris are fired up about bad VC investors, and they can't hold it in any longer!Good Venture Capitalists help founders make the impossible, possible. They are the fuel that allows rocketships to defy gravity.But bad VC investors will take a founder's dream and grind it into dust.In this episode, Chris and Yaniv share the ways in which bad investors often undermine a founder's ability to pursue their vision. They then share tips how as a founder to look out for and defend against this type of "dumb money" investor, and how to show traction that is beyond just revenue.The PactHonour The Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:Follow, rate, and review us in your listening appFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg. Do it right now! It takes less than a minute.Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media followingKey linksThe Startup Podcast is sponsored by UntilNow, a next-generation agency and venture studio https://www.untilnow.com.au/Follow us on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGgGet your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2AThe Startup Podcast website: https://tsp.showLearn more about Chris and YanivWork 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/Mentioned in this episode:This episode is sponsored by NTPThis episode is sponsored by NTP NTP is the technology recruitment company that values community and who are invested in seeing the growth of Australia's local tech community. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacyPodder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policy

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 corner of the startup ecosystem: - Malcolm Turnbull, former Prime Minister - Michelle Deaker, Founding Partner of OneVentures  - Larry Marshall, CEO of CSIRO  - Marina Wu, Co-founder of Earlywork  - Niki Scevak, Co-founder of Blackbird - Cheryl Mack, CEO of Aussie Angels  - Preethi Mohan, Founder of Niceto  - Alan Jones, General Partner at M8 Ventures - Panel host: Simon Thomsen, editor of Startup DailyThe episode also includes a short panel with members of the Day One.FM team, Adam Spencer, Andy Jones and William Tjo, in which they discuss the creation of the documentary. Mentioned in this episode:NTP Technology Recruitment CompanyNTP is the technology recruitment company that values community and who are invested in seeing the growth of Australia's local tech community. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacyPodder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policy

What will the new economy look like? As startups become the new way of life, Australia must become more open and less restrictive to encourage innovation. Hear entrepreneurs' firsthand accounts of their journey and learn what that has meant to the startup world. This podcast will give you a great insight into Australia’s innovation ecosystem by tracing its history and future. If you're curious as to how it all started, who were the innovators that helped transform it, and how this ecosystem interacts with others both domestically and around the world- this is a must-listen! This 6-part audio documentary and its accompanying 150+ interviews is a deep dive into the startup scene, both past and present and takes an exciting look at the future of Australia’s technological and economic transformation. Join us on this exciting journey, celebrating what has been accomplished and asking hard questions about where we’re heading and whether we’re on the right track. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policy