Have you ever taken a personality test? If you’re like me, you’ve consulted BuzzFeed and you know exactly which Taylor Swift song “perfectly matches your vibe.” It might be obvious that internet quizzes are not scientific, but many of the seemingly serious personality tests used to guide educational and career choices are also not supported… Read more »
One of the first big questions that many startup founders face is deciding what to offer a potential cofounder as compensation — cash, equity, or some mixture of both. This decision sets the tone for the entire relationship and can have long-lasting impacts on the success of your startup. While this might seem like a… Read more »
StartGiving, the not-for-profit organisation founded by tech investor Daniel Petre in 2022, is embarking on a new project in its mission to inspire a culture of giving in the tech community. Following last year’s podcast series featuring Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Canva cofounder Cliff Obrecht, StartGiving is partnering with academics from the Centre for… Read more »
In entrepreneur Jamie Pride’s book, Unicorn Tears, he states that the failure rate of startups is 92% – alarmingly high, but there are things that founders can do to improve these odds. Based on my own experiences in founding and leading software companies, I discovered a way to steward SMEs. I call this way ‘succession… Read more »
On RUOK Day I want to pose a question outside of the typical clarion calls. Since RUOK was launched in 2009 by adman Gavin Larkin Australians are au fait with the crusade to check in with colleagues and friends mental health. Larkin who passed away in 2011 launched the movement after his father’s suicide and… Read more »
In November 2021, one week before I was going to sign investment docs for our first investment round for Orkestra, I woke up having a panic attack. It was the second attack in two weeks, but I’d never experienced them before and haven’t experienced them since. That morning, my wife had to ring my cofounder,… Read more »
The moment an entrepreneur decides to take the plunge and launch a unique value proposition, it often feels like a solitary journey. This decision is personal, driven by a deep desire to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Analysing this moment reveals a singular experience—one person, one opportunity, one launch. It’s a scenario that can easily be… Read more »
Psychosocial health and safety is a hot topic right now, but what does is actually mean for startups and small businesses? If you’re scratching your head wondering “WTF are psychosocial hazards?” you’re not alone. Let’s break it down. What is a psychosocial hazard? Psychosocial hazards are elements within the workplace that can negatively impact an… Read more »
AgriFutures is on the hunt for the next generation of agrifood innovators with applications opening for the evokeAG. Groundbreakers program. The annual leadership mentoring event has rebranded from Future Young Leaders to the 2025 evokeAG. Groundbreakers Program. It will give five innovators the chance to present their ideas or research to an international audience at… Read more »
I am lucky enough to attend a forum of chairs and directors from deep tech startup companies. Each month we extract from our collective som new ideas to improve our practice. Here are some recent ideas on board pack refinement. #1 – Consider a written narrative instead of slides. Like Amazon’s now-famous six page memos,… Read more »
Spring has come early for Australia’s startup industry. Signs of life are now starting to return to the industry, with funding levels starting to show signs of normalising. According to the latest Cut Through Venture data, funding is up 30% from the previous year, albeit with fewer, larger deals. It has us, as well as… Read more »
We are living in a world where each day delivers depressing news cycles and social media posts of trauma, crime, wars, death, health crises and violence locally and globally. The words and narratives we read, speak and write matter more so now than ever. The impact of constructive language to mobilise, inspire and reimagine is… Read more »
As commencement speeches go, tennis great Roger Federer had a straight sets victory at Dartmouth College on the weekend. The 20-time Grand Slam champion confessed it was just the second time he’d visited a university campus and one of the reasons why he was there was because his longtime agent and business partner Tony Godsick’s… Read more »
Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of any innovative economy. New business creation has been shown to have a significant and positive impact on economic growth, innovation and job creation. But it isn’t easy, and most new businesses fail. When someone starts a business, they usually aren’t doing it alone – their whole family forms part of… Read more »
No founder achieves greatness without getting spooked along the way. So the challenge is how you vanquish those demons, with the right ghostbusters by your side, that makes all the difference. Funding and customer growth may be the loudest concerns we hear from startups, but there’s a lot more happening beneath the surface that should… Read more »
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