Open the Pod Bay Doors

Guinevere CapitalOn today's pod we're talking all things esports with Dave Harris founder of .What are esports we hear you say? Esports refers to organised competitive gaming among professional players, the most popular games are generally team-based multi-player games. Just a bunch of dudes playing video games? Think again, the esports industry has grown at a tremendous pace over the past few years. According to Newzoo, total eSports revenue jumped from $493 million in 2016 to an estimated $900 million in 2018!Dave is the founder and Managing Director of Guinevere Capital, which owns and operates many of Australia's biggest esports teams. Hailing from a background of commercial success in "traditional" sports like Rugby League, Dave has brought a huge degree of professionalism to the emerging world of esports.Guinevere owns several teams such as the LG Dire Wolves (League of Legends), the Sydney Drop Bears (Overwatch) and Supa-Stellar (a female Counter Strike team). Recently Guinevere completed a deal to acquire Excel, a UK-based League of Legends team, along with a coveted slot in the League of Legends European Championships. Are you still with us?Thus is a fascinating look into a fascinating industry. As anyone with teenagers in their life will attest, the rise of esports as a mainstream pastime (and indeed industry) is unprecedented in terms of its participation and overall growth rate. Dave brings a unique, insiders perspective to this, and helps unpack the goings on in this strange new world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the latest Ep of Open The Pod Bay Doors, Phaedon spoke with the brilliant Aussie entrepreneur, Geoff McQueen, co-founder of Accelo, and Executive Director of the Aussie Founder Network based in Silicon Valley. Geoff is one of those founder’s that truly knows how to grow a business. In this episode, Geoff gives us some fantastic insights into capital raising in the US, and what it takes to make it in Silicon Valley.Born and raised in Wollongong, Geoff dropped out of the University of Wollongong to focus on running his first business in 2000, a full spectrum digital agency called Internetrix. Within in this field, Geoff saw a problem around SMEs and their internal business management, and after performing lots of customer development around an idea, Accelo was born in 2009. In May 2011, Geoff was invited to exhibit at Google IO - Google's annual developers conference, and in July that same year, decided to take the plunge to move and launch Accelo in the US without any capital, and running on a little bit of revenue.From here, Geoff talked to us about how he managed to raise capital from investors in Silicon Valley and New York, built offices in SF and Denver, and grew their base team in Wollongong, plus manage the team of over 100 globally, with his three other co-founders.Geoff is also one of the founding members of the Aussie Founder Network, a community of Australian founders, investors and industry advisors, based out of Silicon Valley. Their mission is to support, build and elevate the role and impact of the Aussie tech community, globally.This is great conversation and we are thrilled to have had Geoff as our guest on the pod!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Keighran is an intelligent and down-to-earth founder, advisor and investor, who knows all about growing a great business and what it takes to make it in Silicon Valley. Phaedon Opened the Pod Bay Doors to Ben so we could talk about Caffeine, a social broadcasting platform for gaming, sport and entertainment, which Ben co-founded in 2016. We also deep-dived into Ben's perennial entrepreneurial career. He moved from Sydney to San Francisco in 2007 where he raised $US6.5 for his social media company, BluePulse, and founded the app discovery/search engine service, Chomp, which became acquired by Apple for $50M. In this Ep, Ben offers valuable advice about raising money in Silicon Valley, having recently closed a huge $146m in VC funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners and Lachlan Murdoch's 21st Century Fox. Ben epitomises the word entrepreneur and is an overall fantastic guest to learn from. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have trouble understanding Quantum Physics? Don’t worry - it's hard to get a grasp on the theory. This week on the pod however, we spoke with an incredibly fascinating guest who articulately explained quantum mechanics in layman's terms, and described how his product is disrupting the future of quantum computers.We #OTPBD to Professor, Michael J. Biercuk: quantum physicist and technologist at the University of Sydney, Chief Investigator in the Australian Research Council and founder & CEO of Q-CTRL. Q-CTRL is an intuitive cloud platform that uses quantum control theory to solve the hardest problems facing quantum technology, improving hardware performance and accelerating pathways to useful quantum computers and other technologies. Utilising professionally developed tools, Q-CTRL puts deep expertise in quantum control into individuals hands.Michael’s research as a Quantum Physicist has been recognised with accolades including the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Young Researcher (2015), selection as one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s 100 Most influential people and award of the Australian Government’s [National Measurement Institute] NMI Prize for Excellence in Measurement Science. He was part of an international team whose work developing a new quantum-powered technology was described as the #8 “World-changing” experiment by BBC Focus. His team’s achievements have been featured in The Economist, The New York Times, Forbes, Wired, and a host of other major media outlets.Deep-dive into a great discussion on the future of a new generation of quantum technology, and how it will disrupt industries worldwide.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're pleased to welcome Kevin Baum and Justin Webb, cofounders of AgriWebb on this week's episode of Open The Pod Bay Doors.AgriWebb is Australia's market leader of software for livestock farmers, designed to “digitise the notebooks that sat in the top pockets of Australian farmers". The platform digitises record-keeping and takes audit and compliance data to help farmers make better decisions and improve productivity.Justin Webb and Kevin Baum, along with their other cofounder John Fargher started the business in 2014, with a mission to fundamentally transform global cattle and sheep production with their farm management software that delivers profitability, provenance and sustainability across the supply chain in the face of an impending global food crisis.Globally, AgriWebb is now used on 2800 farms, 1700 of which are in Australia, and is also expanding rapidly into the UK and Brazil. The company has grown to around 40 employees split between Australia & UK, and they've successfully raised over $21M in funding, most recently raising $14 million from the UK-based agriculture investment company Wheatsheaf Group.Kevin has extensive experience in entrepreneurship, technical program management and is an expert in technology commercialisation, having worked around the world to develop innovative research into scalable opportunities. Kevin is a winner of numerous entrepreneurship awards including: IEEE President’s Change the World Foundation Prize, The Skoll Venture Award and The GSVC Intel Innovation Prize. Kevin earned a BA from Stanford in Biology and his MBA (Dean’s List), as well as a MA in Environmental Science from Oxford University.Justin’s family history in livestock production inspired the concept and foundation of AgriWebb. A serial entrepreneur in financial management, Justin has founded, built and sold 3 quantitative Hedge Funds with successful exits to Macquarie Bank, Citadel & Westpac. Justin also founded PacWealth Capital; a $4Bn asset advisory firm in the South Pacific. He also served as a Director and Head of Retail Client Business, Private Banks & Alternative Investments for the ANZ franchise of BlackRock Inc. Justin earned an AB (honours) in Economics and Applied Mathematics from Harvard University and holds an MBA with distinction in asset management from Oxford University where he was on the Dean’s List and the OBA Scholar.This is a great discussion that touches a number of difficulties startups are likely to face: tackling international expansion and understanding global markets; managing teams on opposite sides of the globe; & allocating funds after raising capital.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, we hosted a breakfast with Sarah Leary, the phenomenal founder of US-unicorn, Nextdoor, as they launched their social network for neighbourhood communities in Australia. For those not lucky enough to attend, fear not, Ian brought along his recording gear so we could capture Sarah’s amazing story and experience for building great communities and share with you.Nextdoor was launched in the US in 2011 as a social network for people to interact with others who live in their physical neighborhoods. Neighbourhoods across the US rely on the platform to engage with their community, and in the past year, the service became available in several countries across Europe.What many people don’t know, is that before Nextdoor’s success, Sarah and her co-founders Nirav Tolia, Prakash Janakiraman and David Wiesenhad already tried building a startup. It was called ‘Fanbase,’ a platform for sports fans to congregate and share information, and it was live for 2 years before Sarah realised that it didn’t have real potential for growth. Having raised money from investors already, they had to decide whether they would return the money or put it towards a new idea.In 2010, Sarah & her co-founders decided it was time to come up with new ideas. One of these ideas started with a pothole problem. Cofounder Nirav, had a pothole on his street, and he didn’t know how to get it fixed or where to start. This small problem, sparked an idea around creating more connectivity in communities, so the team created Nextdoor to tackle this problem in neighbourhoods.They dedicated time to validating the idea in San Francisco neighbourhoods and found that people really seemed to crave connection to other people & community, with the data showing that 21% of Americans couldn’t name their neighbours, and 27% didn’t know who actually lives next door. Since its launch, Nextdoor is now used by 84% of neighbourhoods across the US, over a range of 170k communities, and has recently launched in new markets in the Netherlands, UK, Germany and now Australia! Sarah emphasises that patience is required when building communities and how important constant customer validation is as you build a product that people want to use. She also stresses how vital it is to have investors aligned with your long term vision. This is a fascinating conversation with a truly exceptional leader building a global business with a purpose. If you haven't already signed up to Nextdoor do it now - https://au.nextdoor.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to episode 52 of Open The Pod Bay Doors. This week we dive into career and experience of Michelle Deaker, Managing Parter at OneVentures. The firm has $330M in funds under management. Michelle serves on the investment committee of OneVentures three main Funds, leads the technology practice within the firm and is responsible for investor relations managing the supervisory boards of OneVentures funds.As well as being a VC, Michelle is also a scientist who double majored in Physics and Chemistry. Michelle has always had a passion for science, holding a Bachelor of Science (Honours 1st class), Master of Science a PhD (Applied Science), and her first role was in mineral physics at CSIRO. For Michelle, science teaches you how to learn.In the late nineties Michelle built an e-commerce store called Giftvouchers.com, which she started by owning every gift voucher domain name before turning it into one of the first Australian Fintech companies. Michelle raised $6.5M from HNW's to fund the venture, as they pivoted to B2B to manage 700M retailer gift cards across Australia. They sold the business in 2005 which was then acquired by a publicly listed UK company.Michelle spent the next year travelling back and forth to the UK and it was hear she got her first taste of angel investing, with UK business MyPay. This would lead her to launch the venture firm, OneVentures in 2006, a time when raising a fund was almost impossible. The firm has invested in 17 companies; recent investments include a nanopatch company, Vaxxas, that could be a game changer as it replaces needles for vaccinations and Smart Sparrow, which allows for adaptive lessons and rich media. It is now used by more than 200 institutions and has created hundreds of jobs. They’ve also currently achieved 3 exits with a couple more coming through in the pipeline.OneVentures is currently raising a $100m for Australia’s first venture debt fund and this year, will complete about 5 deals averaging a check size of $5-10m.Michelle is a trailblazer, being the first female founder of a venture fund in Australia, in fact according to Larry Marshall (CSIRO) she was at one point the only female founding venture partner in the southern hemisphere! Thankfully more women are entering the VC community. We really enjoyed our conversation with Michelle, one of Australia's great tech pioneers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AgriDigitalThis week on the pod we are joined by cofounder and CEO of , Emma Weston.Former lawyer and experienced grain farmer Emma Weston co-founded AgriDigital in 2015, with the goal to solve the current problems facing the agricultural supply chains with blockchain technology.Emma experienced first hand the inefficiencies within the agricultural supply chain and is passionate about ensuring wheat farmers get paid fast and fairly. The solution, a platform that uses the blockchain to provide transparency around transactions to all participants in the supply chain and builds end-to-end transactional management from farmer to consumer.The company has rapidly grown in a few short years; from the cofounders (Emma, Bob McKay, and Ben Reid) and one engineer, to a team of almost 50 people, they launched the platform in 2017, have over 1800 user, and have processed around 3 million tonnes of grain through the platform.In early 2018, Square Peg Capital invested $5.5 million Series A funding round to help expansion plans into North America. Emma share her experience and top tips when pitching to investors.In 2017, Emma was recognised as the Female Fintech Leader of the Year in Australia and was also named a Top 25 Fintech Influencer by Finder.com.au. She is passionate about how agtech and fintech converge and ensuring democratic access to technology.On this episode Emma shares practical advice for entrepreneurs and start-ups on building a company to scale. She also shares the organisational and management strategies she uses when tackling big projects with her team. Emma is an incredible founder - open, honest, passionate, and focused on building a global Australian agtech business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're back with our second ‘Sunrise Island’ special of Open The Pod Bay Doors. A few weeks ago, the Innovation Bay team along with over 1000 founders, investors, students & enthusiasts, set-sail for the infamous Cockatoo Island, also known as, Sunrise Island.Blackbird Ventures annual conference was back, bigger and better than ever. The day long event featured inspiring keynote speakers, an abundance of workshops (powered by Zambesi), mentor sessions with Startmate, and plenty of opportunities to network. You could feel a real buzz on the island as the best of #startupaus caught up with old and new faces in the ecosystem.Sunrise is the celebration of Australian startup founders. Sunrise organiser and Blackbird Head of Community, Joel Connolly said it best. “It’s time to start celebrating startup founders in the same way we celebrate artists, sports heroes, and politicians.”In that same vein, these two episode strive to highlight and share the successes and learnings of founders and others within the vibrant community. And so, with mics-in-hand, Ian and Phaedon set out to speak with as many people as they could, interviewing the keynote speakers of the day and chatting with a bunch of Sunrise Island dwellers.In this episode we talked to main stage speakers:Sam Scilia: HostPlusPhaedon caught up with Sam Sicilia Chief Investment Officer at Super fund, Hostplus. Hostplus is Australia's biggest tech VC backer, Sam has almost deployed $1Billion into Australian venture capital, including Blackbird Ventures, Brandon Capital Carthona Capital, Main Sequence Ventures, and Square Peg Capital. Sam has developed a reputation as forward-thinking advocate focusing on tech-led innovation for the future prosperity of the Australian economy. Sam was kind enough to share Hostplus' ethos, his predictions for the market, particularly how we should expect to see more Super funds allocating funds to venture capital, as well as what Aussie startups are exciting him. On behalf of #startupaus we'd like to say thank you to Sam for the vote of confidence and for backing the industry!Tobi Pearce, SweatNow this is an incredible founder story. Ian grabbed Tobi Pearce before he hit the main stage to share his founder journey. Tobi and his fiancée Kayla Itsines are the founders of Sweat, a women's health and fitness content company. Tobi and Kayla were both personal trainers in Adelaide but they wanted to reach a larger audience all around the world. They have over 30 million dedicated users worldwide, have raised no external capital, over 100 employees, and are on track for $100 million in annual revenue! Tobi tells us about the tech systems they've built to help scale the business, how they are managing a much larger team, and the challenges of moving from 'hands-on founder' to strategic CEO. An amazing founder and business.Katherine McConnell, BrightKatherine is the founder and CEO of Brighte, Australia's leading on the spot finance platform for solar, batteries & your next home improvement. Brighte's growth and Katherine journey over the past 3 years is impressive, earlier in the year they announced a Series B funding round raised $18.5 million which included high profile investors AirTree, Grok Ventures and Skip Capital. Katherine talks candidly about the highs and lows of being a startup founder, does and don'ts when hiring, and how success changes as a business grows.We also stopped to chat familiar faces in the #startupaus community:Alex McCauley - StartupAusAndrea Gardiner - Jelix VenturesRhett Sampson - GT SystemsAdrian Mullen - NorbyWe hope you enjoy these special episodes from Sunrise Island. Thanks for having us Sunrise and we can't wait to return next year!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is the first of two ‘Sunrise Island’ special episodes of Open The Pod Bay Doors. A few weeks ago, the Innovation Bay team along with over 1000 founders, investors, students & enthusiasts, set-sail for the infamous Cockatoo Island, also known as, Sunrise Island.Blackbird Ventures annual conference was back, bigger and better than ever. The day long event featured inspiring keynote speakers, an abundance of workshops (powered by Zambesi), mentor sessions with Startmate, and plenty of opportunities to network. You could feel a real buzz on the island as the best of #startupaus caught up with old and new faces in the ecosystem.Sunrise is the celebration of Australian startup founders. Sunrise organiser and Blackbird Head of Community, Joel Connolly said it best. “It’s time to start celebrating startup founders in the same way we celebrate artists, sports heroes, and politicians.”In that same vein, in the next two episodes we strive to highlight and share the successes and learnings of founders and others within the vibrant community. And so, with mics-in-hand, Ian and Phaedon set out to speak with as many people as they could, interviewing the keynote speakers of the day and chatting with a bunch of Sunrise Island dwellers.In this episode we talked to main stage speakers:Laurie Yoler, Zoox:Phaedon caught up with Laurie (and the seagulls!) just before she hit the main stage. All the way from US, Laurie talked about how she became involved with Zoox, eventually joining their board of directors. She also discussed how she served as a founding board member of Tesla Motors, what it was like working with Elon, and shares some advice for founders on how to select their own board members. And most importantly tells us what makes a great founder.Cedar Anderson, FlowHive:With a unique solution to extracting honey, Cedar chatted with Phaedon about their one-of-a-kind beehive and how they’ve tackled their exponential growth and demand. Initially, Flowhive launched a campaign hoping to raise $70,000 for a custom injection mould. Instead, they ended up raising over $12 million and received nearly 25,000 orders from over 130 countries, and have already raised $14+ million for Flowhive 2. Cedar was kind enough to sit down with us for 20 minutes before he hit the main stage and share his amazing story and passion. Niki Scevak, Blackbird Ventures/Startmate:Ian chats with Niki Scevak, partner at Blackbird Ventures, the organisers of Sunrise Island. Blackbird invests in Australians with big ideas who want to be the best in the world. They provide equity capital for Seed, Series A and later stage. No cheque is too early. Hear from Niki how Sunrise is bigger and bolder than ever before, how the Startmate accelerator program was formed, and how the ecosystem is maturing. As well as great advice to all founders “The grander your ambition, the more likelier you are to succeed”.We also stopped to chat with a few favourites in the community:Joel Connolly - Blackbird VenturesRuby Jones - KPMG High Growth VenturesAndrew (teacher) - Mitchell High SchoolAndy Tsao - Silicon Valley BankNicola Farrell - muru-DKarthi Sepulohniam - Partners for GrowthMonica Wulf - Startup MusterJamie Pride - The Founder LabRohan Sood - ReinventureWe hope you enjoy this first episode of our Sunrise Island two-part special. Tune in for more next week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.