Open the Pod Bay Doors

Welcome to another edition of the OTPBD News Special, our fortnightly series analysing the news that matters for Australian and Kiwi startups.Meet this week's panel...Colette Grgic, AWSSteve Fanale, DriveYellowSimon Cant, ReinventureTopics we discuss:In this edition, we discuss local startup funding news, including raises by Fast, DesignCrowd and Adatree and NAB's acquisition of Neobank 86 400. The panel also dives deep on cryptocurrency, the GameStop fiasco, what's happening in fintech and the future of work.If you are an Aussie startup founder keen to network with investors from around the country, be sure to apply to pitch at the _SOUTHSTART x Innovation Bay Startup Showcase in Adelaide this May. We will be selecting the top 16 startups to present. Apply here: https://bit.ly/southstart_showcase__________________Innovation Bay is holding AI and health tech-focused pitch events this May for Horizon, our community of experienced angel investors. If you are the founder of an AI or health tech startup looking to network with angels who can offer advice, connections and capital, apply to pitch here: https://bit.ly/PitchHorizonMayWomen-led startups in Victoria, apply to connect with Horizon: https://bit.ly/VictorianFemaleFoundersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suse Reynolds is a pillar of the New Zealand startup ecosystem and a passionate believer in the power of angel investment. She is the Executive Chair of Angel Association New Zealand and sits on the board of Angel HQ, the Wellington region's angel network which she founded in 2006. Since its founding, AngelHQ has invested over $30m in 100+ New Zealand companies.In this chat with Phaedon, Suse shares...-Her personal angel investing philosophy-How she sources and evaluates deals-Her advice for founders seeking angel investment-What gets her excited to invest-Why she's focused on founder wellbeingQuickfire Round Recommendations-Book: Stalin's Wine Cellar and Upside of Stress-Podcast: Dare to Lead Brené Brown episode with Barack Obama-News Source: Newsroom, Business Desk, New York Times, BBC-Holiday Location: Palau and Tonga-Favorite Founder: Ben Gleisner (CoGo)-Productivity Tool: Spend 10 minutes everyday setting 3 goals-Ted Talk Topic: Why Open Borders Are a Good Thing__________________Innovation Bay is holding AI and health tech-focused pitch events this May for Horizon, our community of experienced angel investors. If you are the founder of an AI or health tech startup looking to network with angels who can offer advice, connections and capital, apply to pitch here: https://bit.ly/PitchHorizonMayWomen-led startups in Victoria, apply to connect with Horizon: https://bit.ly/VictorianFemaleFoundersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About DanDan Krasnostein is an Investment Partner at Square Peg Capital. A Melbourne native, Dan spent the early days of his career working in strategy at Seek before joining Square Peg in 2012 as the first non-founder hire. He spent a few years working for Square Peg in Melbourne before relocating to Tel Aviv where he spent 6 years growing Square Peg's business in Israel. Square Peg has deployed over $140M in Israel across 13 companies, including Fiverr, Aidoc, Feedvisor and Puresec.In this chat with Phaedon, Dan shares...His advice for entrepreneurs - work hard building your network and never stop talking about your ideaKey differences between the startup ecosystem in Israel vs. AustraliaHow the fear of failure is holding Aussie founders backWhy speed in shipping product, hiring, executing, following up and more is such a big advantage in a competitive worldWhat can be learned from Israeli startups that are global from day 1Why arguments are healthy but grudges are notRecommendationsBook: Breath: The New Science of a Lost ArtPodcast: Invest Like the BestNews Source: LinkedInBest Holiday Location: Frasier Island & ItalyFavourite Founder/CEO: Brian Chesky of AirbnbProductivity Tool: KrispTed Talk Topic: Managing hotel quarantine with three kids__________________Innovation Bay is holding AI and health tech-focused pitch events this May for Horizon, our community of experienced angel investors. If you are the founder of an AI or health tech startup looking to network with angels who can offer advice, connections and capital, apply to pitch here: https://bit.ly/PitchHorizonMayWomen-led startups in Victoria, apply to connect with Horizon: https://bit.ly/VictorianFemaleFoundersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a brief holiday hiatus, we're back with another edition of the OTPBD News Special, our fortnightly series analysing the news that matters for Australian and Kiwi startups.Meet this week's panel...Marisa Warren, ALIAVIA VenturesAndy McKeon, SafetyCultureFrancis Vierboom, Propeller AeroTopics we discuss:In this edition, we discuss local startup news such as the tech stocks set to list on the ASX in 2021, Afterpay's $42B valuation and recent raises by AgriWebb and Vow. There is also lots of global news to cover, including a boom in Bitcoin, the impeachment of Trump, the inauguration of Biden, and Elon Musk's new spot atop the world rich list.__________________Innovation Bay is holding AI and health tech-focused pitch events this May in Sydney and Melbourne for Horizon, our community of experienced angel investors. If you are the founder of an AI or health tech startup looking to network with angels who can offer advice, connections and capital, apply to pitch here: https://bit.ly/PitchHorizonMayWomen-led startups in Victoria, apply to connect with Horizon: https://bit.ly/VictorianFemaleFoundersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Angus Hervey is a political economist and a journalist specialising in the impact of disruptive technologies on society. Angus is a champion of "intelligent optimism" and co-founder of Future Crunch, a Melbourne-based think tank of sorts dedicated to informed, optimistic thinking about tech and the opportunities that it presents. Before co-founding Future Crunch, Angus was the founding community manager of Random Hacks of Kindness and was the first editorial manager for Global Policy, one of the world's leading international policy journals. He also holds a PhD in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics.In this wide-ranging chat with Phaedon, Angus discusses the three pillars of intelligent optimism, why he considers social media a drug, what the emergence of "the passion economy" means for online businesses, and why the media can't portray what life is like for the average person. Angus also talks about the key transformative technologies he thinks will drive the next industrial revolution, diving into topics like the distinction between machine learning and artificial intelligence, the valley of death that exists for Australian biotech and the barriers and opportunities for clean energy technologies.For a regular dose of science, tech and intelligent optimism, subscribe to the weekly Future Crunch newsletter here.Quickfire Recommendations-Book: The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova-Podcast: a16z-News source: Reddit and The Whippet newsletter by McKinley Valentine-Favourite holiday: Anywhere in South Africa-Productivity tool: Cold Turkey (it's a powerful website blocker)-Favourite founder/CEO: The founders of Tritium and Conflux Technology-Ted Talk topic: "It's Never as Bad or as Good as You Think It Is"__________________Innovation Bay is holding AI and health tech-focused pitch events this May in Sydney and Melbourne for Horizon, our community of experienced angel investors. If you are the founder of an AI or health tech startup looking to network with angels who can offer advice, connections and capital, apply to pitch here: https://bit.ly/PitchHorizonMayWomen-led startups in Victoria, apply to connect with Horizon: https://bit.ly/VictorianFemaleFoundersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Power is a talented, passionate, resilient founder who has co-founded and created some of the world's largest education communities including the World Education Games, World Maths Day, Mathletics and ClickView. He is currently the cofounder and CEO of Inquisitive, the Sydney-based education startup on a mission to simplify access to quality lessons for teachers.In this conversation with Ian, Tim talks about why he made the switch from being a lawyer to being an entrepreneur, the highlights of growing Mathletics, how he transformed the insights he collected observing teachers in classrooms into Inquisitive, and the progress Inquisitive has made since its founding in 2016. Tim also dives deeper into how Inquisitive improves learning outcomes and saves teachers valuable time, why building community has accelerated the growth of the company and Inquisitive's fundraising journey.Quickfire Recommendations-Book: A Fortunate Life-Podcast: Conversations with Richard Fidler and The Mojo Sessions-News Source: The Guardian and The Australian (Tim reckons the truth is somewhere in between)-Favourite Tech CEO: Steve Jobs-App: Spotify-Productivity Tool: Slack-TV Show: Game of Thrones-Ted Talk Topic: Solving Big Problems in Education and Schools__________________Innovation Bay is holding AI and health tech-focused pitch events this May in Sydney and Melbourne for Horizon, our community of experienced angel investors. If you are the founder of an AI or health tech startup looking to network with angels who can offer advice, connections and capital, apply to pitch here: https://bit.ly/PitchHorizonMayWomen-led startups in Victoria, apply to connect with Horizon: https://bit.ly/VictorianFemaleFoundersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode features one of Australia's best and most prolific angel investors, Matt Allen. Matt's portfolio includes companies like BuildKite, Practice Ignition, Spaceship, Kasada, Donesafe, Pin and Goterra. At one point or another Matt has been a software developer, founder, technical recruiter, investor and now, a CEO. Most recently, Matt launched Tractor Ventures, a new vehicle for investing that offers founders revenue-based financing. Matt and his team at Tractor Ventures are grounded in the belief that secure founders make better business decisions; venture capital money simply isn't the right fit for every business, so Tractor Ventures is filling a funding gap for ambitious founders who want to grow their businesses at a pace that suits them.In this chat with Ian, Matt talks a lot about his journey as an investor and his approach to angel investing. He explains how making a pretty big bet on Xero got him started with investing, how he collaborates with his wife Aprill on investments and the importance of trust when backing a founder. Matt goes on to share advice for people who want to start angel investing, discussing the what the right check size looks like, the value of syndicates and how to find the sweet spot between individual expertise and interest when building a portfolio. Matt also discusses why his team started Tractor Ventures and how the business works, his experiences working with Startmate, why he never answers emails about blockchain and the story behind his iconic blue cap.Reach Matt on Twitter @mattallen and check out Tractor Ventures.Quickfire Recommendations-Book: Turn the Ship Around!by L. David Marquet-Podcast: Out of Beta-News Source: AFR-Favourite Tech CEO: Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar-App: Slack, Mailplane-Productivity Tool: Summit-Ted Talk Topic: The balance between hungry and starving founders__________________Innovation Bay is holding AI and health tech-focused pitch events this May in Sydney and Melbourne for Horizon, our community of experienced angel investors. If you are the founder of an AI or health tech startup looking to network with angels who can offer advice, connections and capital, apply to pitch here: https://bit.ly/PitchHorizonMayWomen-led startups in Victoria, apply to connect with Horizon: https://bit.ly/VictorianFemaleFoundersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the latest edition of the OTPBD News Special, our fortnightly series analysing the news that matters for Australian and Kiwi startups.Meet this week's panel...Bex Eastwood, Ignition LaneNick Gainsley, OneVenturesElliot Smith, Maxwell PlusTopics we discuss:In this news special, we discuss local fundraising news including the announcement of new funds from Square Peg, OneVentures, EVP and Tractor Ventures, as well as funding rounds from Coviu and Healthmatch. We also cover global news and deals like Doordash and Airbnb IPOs, the acquisition of Slack by Salesforce, and Uber's sale of their autonomous driving unit.For weekly startup news, subscribe to Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap newsletter here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features Mike Kleine, the U.S. Consul General to Melbourne. Mike has spent over 20 years of his career working in the Foreign Service; he's been posted across the globe including in Laos, Vietnam, South Korea, and Kosovo. Mike has a deep-seated interest in entrepreneurship, a fascination with innovation, and a passion for the U.S.-Australia relationship. These passions converged and led to the creation of his podcast series, 37 Degrees Latitude.In his podcast, Mike meets the Australian founders and entrepreneurs who cut a path between 37˚ N & S (at 37˚S, you’ll find Melbourne, Australia; at 37˚N, you’ll find Silicon Valley!) and found capital, partners, markets and success in the United States. He interviews the likes of Didier Elzinga from Culture Amp, Nick Crocker from Blackbird and Kate Kendall from CloudPeeps. Season 2 of 37 Degrees Latitude will feature conversations with Aussie startup founders currently based in the U.S.In this chat with Phaedon, Mike starts off talking a bit about what he does in his role as Consul General including promoting trade, investment, and the U.S.-Australia relationship and how he stumbled into the startup ecosystem. He then covers the common themes he's observed across his conversations on 37 Degrees Latitude, such as the importance of networks, key differences between U.S. and Australian culture, like tall poppy syndrome and self-deprecation, and increasing the odds of serendipity. Mike then shares his tips for Aussie founders looking to expand in the U.S. such as the importance of setting up a U.S. office and the value of the E3 visa.Quickfire Round RecommendationsBook: Boys in the Boat by Daniel James BrownPodcast: The Daily, How I Built This, The Tim Ferriss ShowNews Source: Herald Sun, The Age, AFR, SBS, NPR, New York Times, Washington PostBest Holiday Destination: TasmaniaFavorite Founder/CEO: Brian Chesky, AirbnbProductivity Tool: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, HeadspaceTed Talk Topic: What Australia Taught Me About the Traditional Owners of My LandSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Phaedon is joined by Clare O'Neil MP, the Shadow Minister for Innovation, Technology and the Future of Work and Federal Member for Hotham, Victoria. We don't often feature politicians on the podcast but we believe that it is important to understand the view of government and how government policies impact the startup ecosystem. Clare speaks with candor and openness on the changes she wants to see in the future of politics.To start, Clare talks about her background, including her path to politics (starting when she joined the Labour party at 16!), what it was like growing up with entrepreneurial book publishing parents and how her experience working in the private sector shapes her outlook as the Shadow Minister for Innovation, Technology and the Future of Work. She also shares her views on the role of government and her advice for anyone considering a career in politics.After Clare covers her personal journey, the conversation shifts to the startup ecosystem. Phaedon and Clare discuss:Clare's ideas for nurturing the startup ecosystem, such as a more strategic approach to technology from government, amendments to the R&D Tax Incentive Program, and improved immigration and education programs to attract and nurture essential tech skillsHow to amp up Australian angel investingWhether the attitude towards failure is changing in AustraliaQuickfire Round RecommendationsBook: The New Class War by Michael LindPodcast: Here's the Thing with Alec BaldwinNews Source: New York TimesHoliday Location: South Coast NSWFavorite Founder/CEO: Didier Elzinga(Culture Amp)Productivity Tool: TrelloTedTalk Topic: Why We Care About Our Children but Don't Give Them a Voice in SocietyCheck out The Long View, Clare's podcast and her book Two Futures.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.