Open the Pod Bay Doors

Cath Rogers is a Partner at Antler, a global fund with 900 portfolio companies, have dealt with 5,600 founders, with $4 billion in total portfolio value, working across 27 locations. Cath’s career trajectory showcases an interesting and diverse path into the venture capital industry.    Starting in a Goldman Sachs venture-backed startup in London in the very early 2000’s during the original dot-com boom, bubble and bust. She later worked in investment banking and strategy consulting before moving into venture capital. Cath spent three years in Abu Dhabi, working in a sovereign wealth fund focused on global cleantech VC - her foray into VC investing.    Upon returning to Australia in 2011/2012, Cath had a stint in Private Equity. After leaving to start her own business, she crossed paths with Daniel Petre and was offered to join him at a fund he was starting up - Airtree. Here she gained valuable mentorship and firsthand experience in early-stage VC before taking a period of time to raise her children - after which she joined Antler, the world’s day zero fund. Antler’s approach to due diligence is unique whereby they observe founders over a 12-week period. The VC firm aims to institutionalise early-stage venture capital and provide founders with a near-term path to capital.   Among so much more, Ian and Cath discuss, how the path to becoming a VC is now incredibly diverse, how the fundraising environment for VC funds has become more challenging, how investors are more cautious and have higher expectations in terms of risk appetite and exits, that quality funds and founders can still find capital, and how VC funds offer attractive returns compared to traditional investments.   Quickfire:  Book: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace Podcast: Pivot - Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway, Serial  News Source: Axios, Capital Brief  App: Blinkist Productivity App: Tactic, Calendly, Motion, Asana  Favourite CEO: Warren Buffett, Kate Morris (Adore Beauty)  TV Show: The Bureau (SBS)  TEDTalk Topic: What children learn at school and how that positions them for creativity, innovation and adaptation to the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s podcast episode features our special guest harrison.ai, CEO and Co-Founder, Aengus Tran.   harrison.ai started with the problem statement of healthcare capacity. According to Aengus, one of the biggest problems of our time is how to look after such a huge population with increased health needs. harrison.ai is looking to scale the global capacity of healthcare by building automation with AI systems and providing clinicians with superpowers of scale. Aengus says, "of all the things being done in in healthcare, scale will be the solution of quality healthcare globally."   After moving to Australia from Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, Aengus was one of very few Vietnamese students at an English-speaking Australian school so quite quickly had to learn the English language. After school Aengus went on to study medicine at university after advice from none other than Paul Ramsay of Ramsay Healthcare - a company that has gone on to invest in harrison.ai.   While working through his medical degree, Aengus realised how much in terms of scale was missing from medicine. During his final years of training, Aengus was involved in a research project building technology along with Vertex Health to select human embryo; opening his eyes to the capabilities of AI systems and how they can scale.   After starting out in Australia and New Zealand, harrison.ai’s radiology arm is regulated with FDA clearance in 38 countries with 1 million live touches and one in four radiologists using their technology in Australia alone. Their north star is to touch 1 million lives per day with their technology. harrison.ai has gone on to raise $US120M in series A and series B with investments from Skip Capital, Blackbird, Horizon Ventures and specialist, strategic, corporate investors Sonic Healthcare and Ramsay Healthcare.   Quickfire Round: Book: Prediction Machines, The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence, Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, Avi Goldfarb Podcast: Lex Fridman on YouTube News Source: Medium, mainstream news App: VS Code, Rise Productivity Tool: very basic reminders app and keeping notes, Slack Favourite CEO: Mark Zuckerberg TV Show: House TEDTalk Topic: The health equality and impact that is possible through the scalability of AI   harrison.ai are continuously hiring in their AI teams. If you'd like to learn more or are you're curious about the tool, reach out to harrison.ai. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest this week is Max Cunningham, CEO of FCX. FCX is Australia’s only end-to-end registry, capital raising and trading platform for private companies whose aim is to make owning and transacting private company shares simpler.    Max is an industry veteran. From his early career experiences to the development of a groundbreaking technology platform, Max's story is one of passion, expertise, and innovation. His LinkedIn profile is short, though his tenures have been long held - spending approximately 10 years each at Macquarie, Goldman Sachs, and the ASX before developing and launching FCX.    Max takes us on a journey through the realms of public and private markets, shedding light on the fundamental differences and the rapid growth of private markets in Australia. He explains how FCX was born out of the need for simplifying ownership of private company shares and the revolutionary concept of regularly trading private company shares.   With a firm belief in the FCX ecosystem, Max outlines the platform's unique features and its ability to provide instant atomic settlement, granting companies immediate access to capital. He delves into FCX's vision of creating a secondary market for privately listed tech companies, offering liquidity to staff, early investors, and shareholders.   Plus so much more…    Quickfire Round  Book: Arafat: The Biography, by Andrew Gowers and Tony Walker Podcast: Unholy: Two Jews on the News News Source: New York Times App: RunKeeper Productivity Tool: Empiraa CEO: Yuval Rooz, Digital Asset  TV Show: Succession TEDTalk Topic: Tokenisation of capital markets   Check out FCX https://fcx.com.au/  And get in touch with max@fcx.com.au or josh@fcx.com.au to find out more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s special guest is Silvija Martincevic, CEO & Board Director of Deputy. Silvija is a passionate advocate for purpose-driven companies and brings a wealth of experience to Deputy from her background in socially responsible investing and previous roles at Groupon.   Deputy, founded over a decade ago, is a leading company specialising in smart scheduling and workforce management. Their software solution is used by over 1.3 million shift workers in more than 100 countries, empowering 330,000 businesses with tools for compliance and communication.   Silvija's journey from Croatia to the United States, combined with her experience in socially responsible investing, has shaped her leadership approach. She aims to take Deputy to new heights by creating a more flexible and transparent workplace for hourly workers.   Deputy's mission is to become a global platform for hourly workers, providing technology solutions to increase productivity and engagement. Despite the significant number of hourly workers in the world, there is a lack of tailored technology tools for them. Deputy is addressing this gap, currently serving over 1.5 million hourly workers and 330,000 workplaces.   Silvija's insights on responsible scaling, company culture, and bridging the gap between employers and hourly workers are valuable for understanding Deputy's approach. Their focus on diversity and exploration of AI to improve workforce management and customer support are also noteworthy.   Quickfire Round: Book: Leading Lightly by Jody Michael Podcast: Pivot with tech journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway News Source: Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Fortune, CNN, Buzzfeed, The Australian  App: Spotify  CEO: Alison Deans Productivity Tool: WhatsApp  TV Show: Working: What We Do All Day (Barack Obama)  TEDTalk Topic: Resilience and grit   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s very special episode was recorded at our recent full community event. The Globe, hosted by Macquarie, brought together our four communities of early and later stage founders and CEOs, VCs and angel investors, to connect, learn, discuss and shape the future of our industry. Ian sat down with five of our incredible members for this all star line up featuring: Yash Varma, Founder & Partner, Empress Capital (Aurora & Horizon member) Phil Morle, Partner, Main Sequence (Aurora member) Georgia Barkell, Managing Partner, Sprint Ventures (Aurora member) Lisa Vincent, CEO & Founder, HowToo (Summit member) Alon Greenspan, Partner, Mind Ventures (Aurora member) Cameron Webb, SVP of Member Experience and Managing Partner, Innovation Bay (Innovation Bay team) With the taste of celebratory champagne at our cocktail party on their lips, Ian and our members discuss (among plenty more): Their own background, progressions and evolution in the ecosystem Some of the recent challenges they’ve faced Their pulse on the current market and focuses in their respective roles Their experiences and takeaways from this year’s incredible The Globe event The benefits and why being a part of the Innovation Bay community is awesome For more information on our events, or to apply for membership, visit innovationbay.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

E163 - Clément Aglietta, Co-Founder & CEO, Edda    Our guest this week is Clément Aglietta, Co-Founder & CEO of Edda, a collaborative tool for private equity investors. Edda is an all-in-one solution for deal flow, portfolio management, and LP’s relationship management. The tool is designed to be user-centric and integrates with external databases and other tools. Edda has recently launched into the ANZ market via a partnership with Innovation Bay’s VC community, Aurora.    Clément began his career at CERN, the biggest physics laboratory in Europe, where he learned about quantum physics. He then went on to study design. This gave him the opportunity to join the dots between physics and design and discover a new method of solving problems - a passion that led to the creation of Edda.    Clément’s desire to be an entrepreneur led him to attend conferences and meet investors. He worked at Rebag, a luxury handbag marketplace, and was later invited to join LG Labs as a VC. As a designer turned VC, he noticed the lack of advanced technology in the industry and decided to create Edda. Edda raised the first funding round after building a team and creating the first version of the product.    Edda helps investors manage their deals and portfolio companies by capturing information from emails, synchronizing data, and providing collaboration tools. It provides statistics and creates profiles for companies, while allowing users visibility on the true value of investments and the impact they create, in real time. With a team of 33 (growing to 40 imminently), Edda now has 130 clients in 26 countries and manages around $30 billion in assets across the private and public equity markets. With lofty ambitions to be the global industry leader, and a passion to make a positive impact on people, society and the planet, Edda has big plans for the future.    Quickfire Round: Book: Build by Tony Fidel, Civilizations by Laurent Binet Podcast: audio books News Source: VC news via LinkedIn Productivity App: Turning off phone notifications  Favourite CEO: Demis Hassabis from DeepMind  TV Show: n/a TEDTalk Topic: Financing impact Get in touch with Clèment via LinkedIn and learn more about Edda here https://edda.co/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest this week is Kate Pounder, CEO of the Tech Council of Australia. Launched in August 2021, the Tech Council’s mission is to be the peak body representing Australia’s tech ecosystem. The Tech Council addresses 3 key gaps - Research, Policy & Advocacy, and Engagement - across the industry, policy change makers, government and the media.    Launching the day prior to a snap lockdown in Canberra and with two primary school aged children, the last couple of years have been a ride for Kate, but overall a totally energising time. In just under 8 weeks the Tech Council grew from 24 to 100 members and went from 1 full time staffer to 15 in 18 months. With a board made up of some of the most impressive voices in the industry, they have lofty ambitions to reach 1.2 million tech jobs in Australian by 2023 - a goal backed by the federal government who have made it an official national policy.     The currently 160-strong Tech Council membership ranges from representatives from some of the biggest Australian companies (Atlassian, Canva, Seek), up and coming startups (Bryte, AirWallex, Envato), multinational companies (Google, IBM, Microsoft) as well as some of the country’s major employers (Wesfarmers, Woolworths, NBN Co, Commonwealth Bank, NAB). All of them share a common passion to have their seat at the table and be on the forefront of change in the industry, through addressing jobs and skill shortages, reforming migration systems, getting cyber security and privacy reform right, and making sure key tax settings are working effectively to incentivise innovation.    Quickfire Round  Book: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln Podcast: Planet Money  News Source: ABC, The Guardian, The Australian, AFR, The Economist  App: Outlook, LinkedIn, Teams, Slack  Productivity Tool: Trello  Fav Tech CEO: No Favourties but Robyn Denholm as Chair of Tech Council  TV Show: Wednesday, White Lotus  TEDTalk Topic: Diversity in the tech sector For more information on the Tech Council of Australia, visit https://techcouncil.com.au/.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alan Tsen, Head of fmX at IAG, brings a wealth of experience from his roles in fintech and law as well as a love for fine wine. He discusses the unique structure of fmX, which supports startups with invaluable resources and potential partnerships. The conversation delves into the challenges of fintech innovation amid regulatory changes and the hurdles startups face in a bear market. Tsen also shares insights on the evolving landscape of blockchain technology and highlights the importance of personal connections in fostering entrepreneurial success.

Anna Podolsky, Founder and CEO of Lyka, shares her inspiring journey from a management consultant to a leader in pet wellness. She reveals shocking pet health statistics, such as the high cancer rates in dogs. Anna discusses her mission to provide natural food options after tending to her own ailing dog, leading to the creation of Lyka. The conversation dives into building a purpose-led startup culture, innovative recruitment strategies, and the importance of community in enhancing pet nutrition. A must-listen for pet lovers!

Our guest this week is Anuj Goel, Head of Technology Sector and Executive Director at Macquarie Capital.    Anuj joined Macquarie’s Technology, Media, Entertainment and Telecommunications (TMET) team in 2006 following a short period working as an actuarial consultant.​   Today, Anuj focuses on helping Technology companies with M&A, IPO, trade sales, capital raising and other strategic priorities. In addition, Anuj is actively involved in Macquarie’s principal investing activities having been involved with companies such as Seek, oOh!media, PEXA and Temple & Webster. ​Leading a team of 22 staff across advisory and investment, some days Anuj will be solving complex problems with a large ASX company - the next - helping a Series A company think about their growth and investments.    Anuj and his team have a broad technology coverage across online businesses, classifieds, FinTech and software, and are building capabilities in emerging sectors like AgTech.   Ian and Anuj discuss a number of topics including:  Macroeconomics and a potential continuation of a flat economy Trends in the tech debt market and how corporates are going after growth  The difference between VC and PE and the relationship between them   Pre-planning for the IPO market  Investment opportunities in AI And so much more!    Quickfire Round:  Book: Total Recall - Arnold Schwarzenegger Biography  Podcast: Alan Watts on YouTube News Source: Letter of Intent, AFR  App: YouTube, Outlook  Tech CEO: all CEOs bring different things, Shemara Wikramanayake (Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Group) is inspirational.  Productivity App: n/a  TV: Carl Pilkington  Ted Talk: How do you find your purpose?    Learn more about Macquarie Capital HERE  Connect with Anuj Goel HERE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.