What a way to end the season! Amanda Price is one person I have been dying to connect with for such a long time. To my absolute delight she shared so much of her journey and importantly herself, one I think so many in this space will resonate with and perhaps share her lived experience. Amanda’s background as a startup operator put her at the forefront of the nascent Australian startup world back in the 2000s. Amanda was the CEO of AirWORKS Media in 2003, before relocating to Los Angeles to become EYE Corp’s Vice President of Business Development, Partner Relations and Operations.Amanda then founded Ausemerge in 2010 representing Australian-based ventures, working with 80 high growth technology-enabled companies to accelerate their entry into the US.Along with Advance, Amanda developed the elevate61accelerator and ran it for 3 years before joining KPMG as the Head of High Growth Ventures in late 2016, a role she continues to hold today. Amanda not only shares so much of herself in this episode but also some fantastic tips on the importance of self awareness, working with people NOT like you, coaching and the icebox concept on staying focused.If you loved this season and our Connect to Capital podcast, let us know and send an email to ceo@scaleinvestors.com.au on who you want to hear from in 2024. If there is enough interest, we will run season 3. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tracey Warren has busted into the startup scene like a lotus flower, currently flourishing at significant speed! If you didn’t know, Tracey is the CEO at F5 Collective, the newest women focused fund to enter the Aussie market. Her energy is infectious and I vibed her passion and conviction on backing women founders. F5 Collective invests in women building high-growth tech ventures at early stage from Seed through to Series A. There on a mission to catalyse change for 1 BILLION women across the Asia Pacific region.Trace talks to me about her recent trip to India for Startup20 in Delhi. Completing an Executive private equity and venture capital course dominated by men at Harvard business school and the work she is doing across the ecosystem including the Female Founder Circle a partnership with The Startup Network. As well as her lived experience as a Founder. The alignment with Scale Investors is electric as is the conversation. We always say picking apart early stage businesses is easy, building conviction however, is, what sets apart the best in the biz. Tracey's institutional grade business development background really shines through in her articulate high conviction in women founders and I loved every single moment! Links and ResourcesF5 CollectiveInterested in learning more about Scale? Head to our website to find learn more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We, and by we I mean my business partners co-CEO Chelsea Newell and CIO Roo Harris always say, if we could clone Phil Dolan we would do it in a heartbeat. He is our number one advocate and supporter. Phil Dolan’s list of credentials are akin to the super long list of credits at the end of a great movie. He has played a multitude of roles over his illustrious career and is at the cutting edge of how the latest tech can permanently and fundamentally shift ways of working. This is particularly evident in his current role as Executive Director of the Institute for the Future of Business at The University of Melbourne. Phil begun his foray into academia after running the research team at Macquarie for 15 years, an extremely prestigious role in the world of finance. He then transitioned into Professor life, starting in the role of Professor at Macquarie University. He completed his PhD from Stanford University under Bill Sharp, was the Dean at The University of Western Australia and adjunct Professor at both Monash and La Trobe Universities. Phil talks to me about some of extensive angel portfolio of Scale companies and why he invested in them. Phil is also a member of our inaugural Investment Committee for our new fund, The Scaling Women’s Fund. We couldn’t be more honoured to have him. I am sure you will find this conversation as intriguing and insightful as I always find my conversations with Phil. Thank you Phil for being our number one fan and most loyal advocate. Carol would be so proud.Resources and LinksPhil Dolan on LinkedInPersuasion by Robert Cialdini Noise by Daniel KahnemanGulliver's Travels by Jonathan Shift The Rest is History Interested in learning more about Scale? Head to our website to find learn more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jodie is the co-CEO and co-founder at Tractor Ventures, I was really looking forward to learning more about Jodie to better understand how she got to where she is today. I find Jodie one of the most interesting people in the startup ecosystem, she has a humility about her and a voice I could listen to all day! Jodie’s passion for helping businesses start and grow is evident throughout our conversation. Before founding Tractor Ventures with Matt and Aprill Allen she was the General Manager at SBE Australia, she also set up the Innovation Bay community in Melbourne and is an advisor to multiple startups and mentor at Statemate. Jodie also has experience as a founder of Occasional Butler, a two-sided marketplace that was acquired by rival Airtasker, and founded depo8 a coworking space. In this chat you will hear about how knowing your strengths, trying something new and what you focus on expands are all mantras Jodie lives by, not to mention learning who inspires her most. Truly a humbling and super fun chat! Links and ResourcesJodie on LinkedInTractor VenturesInterested in learning more about Scale? Head to our website to find learn more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Born in South Africa and living in the Middle East in his formative years, instilled a level of risk management and always having a plan B. This alongside sailing and the philosophy of water clarity has translated into Neil’s investment style. Neil Stanford is a highly accomplished executive and currently the Executive Director of heading up the Venture Capital team at Breakthrough Victoria. A $2 billion initiative to invest in innovative startups that make a positive impact in Victoria. Neil’s impressive career spans across his role as the Head of Private Equity and Venture Capital at HostPlus, where he led a remarkable investment team. Over the past decade, Neil's team has provided backing and support to a greater number of Australian venture managers than any other group in the industry.Notably, Neil played a crucial role in introducing venture investing to Hostplus in 2014, initiating a wave of early-stage investments into superfund portfolios across the country. His visionary approach and unwavering support have been instrumental in driving the success of The Female Leaders Fund, a series A and B fund Scale investors has partnered with Artesian VC on with HostPlus serving as one of the cornerstone investors. Neil consistently seeks out untapped opportunities and unconventional strategies. His ability to identify overlooked prospects has been key to his track record of success. I am sure you will enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I did hearing it. Links and ResourcesAgainst the Odds: An AutobiographyInterested in learning more about Scale? Head to our website to find learn more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Michelle Deaker loves doing hard things. She has a first class honours degree in science, a masters majoring in physics and chemistry, a PHD in applied science and has represented her country in a super demanding sport.But Michelle is best known for her outstanding contribution to innovation that can make a real difference in people’s lives. Michelle co-founded OneVentures one of Australia's leading Venture Capital firms (with 600M in funds under management). Michelle brings unique insight to the healthcare and technology companies in which she invests, having herself built and successfully exited a global technology business in arguably the most difficult environment of the early 2000’s dot com bubble.Michelle’s passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, women in business, diversity and ethical leadership are clear in everything she does.Links and ResourcesPortfolio company - Vaxxas OneVentures Interested in learning more about Scale? Head to our website to find learn more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Yish Koh is the managing director at Kit, a smart money app for kids and their parents, which is part of x15ventures, CBA’s innovative corporate venture operation.Despite having 1st Class Honours and University Medal in Chemical engineering and commerce from Sydney University and being described by those she works with as an inspiring leader, Yish is a recovering insecure overachiever who has had to work hard to find balance.Her road to founder CEO took a circuitous path via management consulting, not for profit and venture investing. She is a passionate believer in the power of diversity and is a shining demonstration that it is possible to do well by doing good.Links and Resources Kit App Masters of Scale PodcastHappiness Lab Podcast X15 Ventures Academic Research In Your Hands Interested in learning more about Scale? Head to our website to find learn more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
After growing up in Texas, Hannah Parton Cyr studied chemical engineering and nanotechnology at the University of Southern California. Following that, she began her career in the Transportation sector in Australia where she worked across corporate strategy, safety and supply chain. After completing her Masters of International Economics and Finance from the University of Queensland, she joined the Black Sheep investment team. At Black Sheep, Hannah is involved in all parts of the investment life cycle, from taking first meetings with startups, progressing due diligence and post-investment engagement and bespoke project work with portfolio companies. She is an active member of the local Queensland ecosystem, organising the Women in VC SEQ events and conducting regular office hours with local startups. She has a love for all things early stage, particularly companies with an impact lens.LinksHannah’s profile on LinkedIn Black Sheep Llamalife Book an Artist The Gist (Podcast) Comments by Celebs (Podcast)Dune (novel) Victoria E SchwabInterested in learning more about Scale? Head to our website to find learn more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tracie Clark GAICD CPA is an active Angel investor and investment professional with over 25 years’ experience in investment management, financial services, accounting and business strategy.After early roles in accounting and investment banking she founded two successful financial services companies. She is heavily involved in Perth’s startup community and has a passion for supporting innovation and mentoring future entrepreneurs. In addition to investment, Tracie brings invaluable tools for financial discipline but she is all about delivering benefit not creating bureaucracy. At Scale we are delighted that Tracie will be an inaugural member of the Scaling Women’s Fund Investment Committee.Links and ResourcesTracie Clark on LinkedInInterested in learning more about Scale? Head to our website to find learn more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Melissa Widner is the CEO of Lighter Capital, the pioneer and leading provider of revenue based financing to SAAS companies. She has a deep understanding of the entrepreneur's journey and the importance of growth capital.Previously, she was the Managing Director of NAB Ventures, the venture capital arm of National Australia Bank, where she invested in and served as a director for several global fintech companies. This was preceded by her role as a general partner at SeaPoint ventures, a US based venture capital firm focused on mobile technologies and SaaS enterprise software solutions. She is an active angel investor who served on the board of US based Alliance of Angels, one of the longest running and most active angel groups in the world. She was a lecturer in the subjects of Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship at University of Washington’s MBA program.Melissa is a classic example of founder turned funder, having led two companies to successful acquisitions that provided over a 10X return to investors, including enterprise software company, 7Software (acquired by Nasdaq listed Concur Technologies.Melissa has helped transform the Australian startup sector since her relocation here with her Australian husband in 2009. Passionate about female entrepreneurship, Melissa co-founded and now chairs of Heads Over Heels, an organization that works with women entrepreneurs leading high growth companies. And at Scale investors, we are thrilled that she has recently joined our investment committee.Links/Resources/CompaniesWave to be acquired by H&R Block for $537 millionClarisonicCar Next Door acquired by Uber IivyBooksSmall Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of BigPodcastWhat Fuels YouInterested in learning more about Scale? Head to our website to find learn more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ben Armstrong is a co-founder of Archangel, an early stage venture fund and investment syndicate. He and his partners work with great technology founders to build game changing companies together. They are industry agnostic and have backed over a dozen companies including Bardee, Fresh Equities, Pearler, Sendle and Shipeezi.Ben seems to have the perfect background for venture with degrees in both computer science and law and deep experience working with other talented people to change industries including SaaS, e-commerce, health care and fintech. He has been a product manager, strategist, people leader, investor and board director, in addition to spending 6 years at Telstra Ventures. While Ben has enjoyed lots of success launching new businesses, bringing new products to market, built new $100M+ business units, he has the humility to admit that he has also learnt a lot from what didn't work and dealt with the consequences of failed initiatives including his own start up.Links and resourcesBen at ArchangelPodcastsThe Twenty Minute VCCompaniesBardeeFresh EquitiesPearlerShipeeziFor more information about Scale:Scale InvestorsScale Educated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Marisa Warren has more than 20 years experience in tech as a venture capital investor, advisor and operator working for companies like SAP, Microsoft and Workday. After an award studded career, Marisa left big corporate in 2015 to pursue her passion for early-stage businesses. Whilst living in New York, Marisa founded ELEVACAO a global pre-accelerator for women tech founders. Fast forward to today and ELEVACAO has empowered over 175 women across the U.S. and Australia to raise significant capital and achieve 3 successful Exits.In 2020 Marisa turned her first hand understanding of the difficulty women founders face raising capital into an opportunity, co-founding ALIAVIA Ventures with previous podcast guest Kate Vale. Based in LA, ALIAVIA invests early stage venture capital in female founders who are building world-changing enterprise and consumer tech businesses. Together Marisa and Kate have amassed angel investments with a valuation of $1.2 billion including investments in Vurbl, HowToo, Wakefully, Requipper and Eugene.While very much at home in Silicon Valley, Marisa still sometimes longs for an Australian coffee!Links and resourcesMarisa Warren on LinkedInBooksGood to GreatPodcastsTechcrunch Equity PodcastCompanies mentioned in the episode:WakefullyVurblHow TooRequipperFor more information about Scale:Scale InvestorsScale Educated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Daniel Madhavan is passionately curious about how business and finance can be utilised as tools for building a sustainable and equitable future. Through his business Ecotone Partners he looks for ways that capital can play a significant positive role in shaping the future for people and the planet.Before Ecotone Partners, Dan was CEO of Impact Investment Group, one of Australia’s largest impact fund managers, with a special love of venture investing. Dan joined IIG following three years as the inaugural CEO of Impact Investing Australia. Dan began his career at Goldman Sachs JBWere across numerous finance and investment roles, culminating in his appointment as chief operating officer and then Acting CEO.Despite all the success of his career, Dan admits that he has been in a constant war with self-doubt. Dan’s ability to extend and grow both personally and professionally is a reflection of his very deliberate practice of collecting ideas and then using extended annual reflection to determine what he wants to embrace and what he wants to leave behind. I think there is something for all of us in Dan’s very thoughtful approach to life.Links and resources:Dan Madhavan at Ecotone PartnersCompanies mentioned in the episode:FlowhiveAbility MadeBooks mentioned in the episode:Chasing the Scream by Johann HariThe Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard FlanaganFor more information about Scale:Scale InvestorsScale Educated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kate Vale founded ALIAVIA Ventures in 2020 with Marisa Warren, on a mission to invest in the highest potential female founders in Australia and the US, and help them achieve outsized success. And Kate knows plenty about fast paced scaling, having established Google in Australia and New Zealand, growing revenues from zero to more than $500 million over a six year period. She then moved on to head up Spotify in the region, being their first Australian employee and managing all aspects of the business.After years of angel investing, Kate brings her wealth of experience as an operator and investor to the ALIAVIA portfolio companies, with a unique vantage point from her home in California to help Australian startups tackle the highly prized US market.Links and resourcesALIAVIAThe CMO PodcastFor more information about Scale: Scale Investors Scale Educated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our guest this week is Nick Crocker who is a General Partner at Blackbird Ventures, one of Australia’s largest and most successful venture firms.He is an investor in a string of flourishing startups including Culture Amp, Applied, Eucalyptus, Dovetail, and Beyond Ag.Nick knows the world of venture capital well, having co-founded one of the first companies that Blackbird funded called Sessions. As co-founder and CEO of Sessions, Nick was dedicated to creating technology to help people live better, healthier lives. Sessions was acquired by MyFitnessPal 2013 which itself was acquired by Under Armour in 2015, with Nick proceeding into the role of Chief of Staff for their entire Connected Fitness business.On the side, Nick co-founded We Are Hunted which was acquired by Twitter in 2013. Returning to Australia from Silicon Valley, Nick was the inaugural CEO of accelerator Startmate before handing the CEO baton to our previous podcast guest Michael Batko. Nick is endlessly curious and while studying Political Science and Law at the University of Queensland, he worked as a journalist with News Ltd. His love of writing if evident in his fascinating substack newsletter and while he knows lots about integrated hardware/software products, he never wants to limit the types of founders he connects with in case he misses the next one who absolutely inspires him. And somehow, he manages to do all this while being a role model as a husband and father.Links and resourcesNick Crocker's SubstackFor more information about Scale:Scale InvestorsScale Educated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Catherine Robson speaks with Michael Batko and the word she would use to describe him is prolific. Not only is Michael the CEO of Startmate, the accelerator whose aim is to be the epicentre of startup ambition across Australia and New Zealand, he speaks multiple languages, creates incredible weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual content, and is so captivated by the energy of startups that rather than confine himself to working with just one, he wants to cultivate as many as he can.Michael has Polish heritage but grew up in Austria and calls Australia home.He had the chance to follow the traditional path into consulting and corporate life with jobs at Amex, PwC, and KPMG but he fell in love with the startup world. He more than doubling the team at Madpaws and was then part of the five-fold increase at expert360.com, including the $13M Series B capital raise.In this episode Michael’s advice for founders who are thinking about raising capital might just be the best I have ever heard and his enthusiasm about building a city dedicated to startups is infectious.There is no doubt he loves what he does and is always happy to help!Links and resourcesEverything you could want from the world of Michael Batko including his thoughts from Twitter, his newsletter on substack, resources, book and podcast summaries. The Australian 100 Innovators 2021 The Courage to be Disliked: The Japanese phenomenon that shows you how to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happiness by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga Follow Michael on Medium - the list of books he has reviewed is incredible. The Ride of a Lifetime — Bob Iger’s story of becoming Disney’s CEO Let my people go surfing — all things Patagonia an environmental driven company Power of Moments — powerful moments in life Grit — power of passion & perseverance Leaders Eat Last — leadership qualities 15 Commitments for Conscious Leadership — leadership is binary Pre-suasion — behavioural psychology principles The Power of Habit — all things about habitsFor more information about Scale:Scale Investors - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/Scale Educated - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/scale-educated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Catherine Robson speaks with to Federica Nicolao. Known to just about everyone as Fed, she is a partner at The Foundry, a team of health and wellness brand experts who partner with motivated founders to accelerate the creation of enduring global brands.As a female leader, Fed is passionate about empowering women entrepreneurs. Having faced numerous roadblocks in her own career, Fed has developed successful strategies to transform hurdles into opportunities for career advancement and business success.Fed describes herself as a creative thinker, whose weakness is that she just can’t say no.Links and resourcesFed and the FoundryBooks Fed recommends:The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart TollePodcasts Fed recommends:Unfuck your brain by Kara LowentheilFor more information about Scale: Scale Investors - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/ Scale Educated - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/scale-educated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Catherine Robson speaks with Alister Coleman, the founder and Managing Partner of Folklore Ventures. Folklore is an Australian venture capital firm which invests over the full start up journey, right from the first cheque to later stage growth funding. A trajectory he knows well, he is a co-founder of ShippingEasy (acquired by Stamps.com).The first time Catherine met Alister, she was so impressed by the clarity and effectiveness of his mental frameworks. He seems to have a way of cutting through complexity by being able to structure information in a way that allows new connections to be made and insights to be gained. It was no surprise when Alister confirmed that he spends quite a lot of time thinking about how to think about things.Links and resourcesAlister at Folklore VCBooks Alister recommends:Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial SpeculationThe Universal Laws of Life and Death in Organisms, Cities and Companies by Geoffrey WestPoor Charlie's Almanack by Charlie Munger (Author), Bill Gates (Foreword), Warren Buffett (Introduction)Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are HighPodcasts Alister recommends:Capital Allocators with Ted SeidesThe Knowledge Project with Shane ParrishFor more information about Scale:Scale Investors - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/Scale Educated - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/scale-educated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Catherine Robson talks with Paul Naphtali who is the cofounder of Rampersand VC, the early stage Australian technology fund established in 2013 to help close the funding gap for Australian and NZ startup founders.Paul returned to Australia after working in Silicon Valley and the UK to sprinkle some of the magic he learned as a marketing and strategic communications guru for a number of highly successful venture-backed tech companies.Paul has had some fantastic investment wins, but is always looking for ways to make himself a better investor and the Australian ecosystem stronger.Links and resourcesPaul and Rampersand VCBooks Paul recommends:The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis which explores the close partnership of Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos TverskyMasters of Scale podcast with Reid Hoffman For more information about Scale:Scale Investors - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/Scale Educated - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/scale-educated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Catherine Robson talks with the amazing Rachel Yang. Rachel is a partner at Giant Leap, Australia's first 100% impact venture capital fund backing founders who are using business as a force for good. Rachel escaped the clutches of a traditional corporate path in management consulting and corporate finance, since then, her career in venture has flourished. She's admired across the startup sector for her integrity, intelligence and capacity to create value through collaboration, always ready to invest in making the ecosystem stronger. Rachel is the co-chair of Startup Victoria a nonprofit grassroots organization, which supports startup founders to thrive. And she's also a member of the Victorian State Governments innovation Task Force. Rachel is a fabulous person to spend some time with.Links and resourcesScale Investors - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/Scale Educated - https://scaleinvestors.com.au/scale-educatedGiant Leap - https://www.giantleapfund.vc/Start Up Victoria - https://startupvictoria.com.au/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.