Sydney startup organisation Fishburners has added investor and tech M&A lawyer Jason Maletic and fintech entrepreneur Paul Umbrazunas as Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), taking its board to five.
The move comes follows a recent changing of the guard with Majella Campbell takes on the CEO role in February.
Chair Bilyana Smith said they join the board “as we embark on a bold new chapter”.
“Jason and Paul bring not only deep expertise across venture capital, commercial law and global finance, but also a shared passion for innovation, startups and continuous transformation,” she said.
“Their appointment will further enhance Fishburners’ strategic capability and enable us to seize the opportunities ahead while strengthening our position as a cornerstone of the Australian startup ecosystem.”
Jason Maletic has advised founders, leading VC funds and ASX20 companies through capital raises, M&A, IPOs, and corporate venturing deals and has served as a NED on several boards, as well as having strong networks in the Australian startup and investor community, alongside expertise in private capital transactions and growth strategy.
“Fishburners is one of the most important and influential organisations within the Sydney Tech entrepreneur ecosystem,” he said.
” I look forward to working with the team to help Fishburners—and our founder community—scale to new heights.”
Paul Umbrazunas, executive chairman of fintech platform Goodstack Australia has a background in capital markets, risk management and portfolio management with global investment banks including as MD of Credit Suisse Australia and Deutsche Bank London. He’s led major digital transformation projects, overseen complex risk management and governance initiatives, and advised startups and others on funding, growth and innovation strategies and is a fan of the Fishburners way of doing business.
“Having attended a number of Fishburners events over the years, I was captivated by the vibrancy and drive of its community, team and everyone involved,” he said.
“I am delighted and excited to join the board and bring my skills and experiences to help Fishburners achieve their ambitious goals.”
Founded in 2011, Fishburners has supported more than 45,000 entrepreneurs and over 5,000 startups, which have gone on to raise more than $2 billion in capital. Sme of its notable alumni include Koala, HyperAnna, MadPaws, Jayride, and Car Next Door. It’s a founding partner of the Sydney Startup Hub and is awaiting the NSW government’s decision on the new location in Tech Central later this year.
CEO Majella Campbell said the move we be a defining moment for the organisation and Maletic and Umbrazunas join at a pivotal time as Fishburners broadens its programs, grows its founder community, and diversifies its partnerships across industry, government, and education.
“As we reimagine what startup support looks like in Australia, we need bold thinkers who understand both the scale of the opportunity and the pace required to meet it,” she said.
“They bring the kind of insight, experience and edge that will help shape not just the future of Fishburners, but the conditions founders build in across the country.”
The Fishburners board’s existing directors are Samantha Martin-Williams and Taryn Williams.
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