Business

Startmate’s Michael Batko sells his side hustle, Startup Striders, thanks to a LinkedIn call out

- November 20, 2025 3 MIN READ

Currents, the Gold Coast startup community-building group backed by Torus Ventures, has acquired Michael Batko’s Startup Striders. The purchase price was undisclosed, and the deal was completed entirely in cash. Startup Striders began in 2023 as a Saturday morning run and coffee meetup in Sydney. Since then it has become a large community with more than… Read more »

Michael Batko
Events

Startmate CEO Michael Batko’s side hustle, Puddle Pod, is diving into courses in AI, Marketing and B2B sales

- August 19, 2024 2 MIN READ

Puddle Pod started four years ago as a weekend side hustle of Startmate CEO Michael Batko. But since then it’s grown into a thriving community of learners committed to improving their professional lives featuring courses for people in startups to ramp up the talents they need to succeed. Puddle Pod has become the go-to productivity… Read more »