Today, I’ve something exciting to share with you. You know how you get excited when a lost Beatle or Nirvana track is found, well the extraordinary Alexi Boyd uncovered the audio of a panel discussion from Sydney Xerocon PreXerocon 2023. I honestly thought I’d never hear it again, and then mid March she sent me a copy - making me a very happy podcaster cause I get to share it with you. The panel discussion was held at the beautiful Hinchcliff House at Circular Quay. Unfortunately the room was a little noisy on the day of the event. However much to my surprise the audio quality is really quite good.  

 

The topic for discussion was “Unravelling the future of AccounTech”.

 

If you are a regular listener you will know, I value bringing diversity to these tech conversations: The moderator Alexi Boyd ran a BAS and Bookkeeping business for 8 years. She is the Radio Show host of Small Biz Matters and now works in policy strategy and government relations. Her background led her to take the conversation in an interesting direction, consumer data rights and restrictions on data and innovation and the differences between data protection laws in Europe, UK, and Australia.

 

This event was the first time Sabby Gill, the new Dext formerly Receipt Bank CEO, had spoken in Australia. Sabby had literally just got off the plane. London based Sabby Gill brought an overseas perspective, as well as his 35 years in the UK technology sector. Aly Garrett is a modern, technology savvy accountant, from South Australia. She represented accountants, their small business clients, and living outside the major Australian cities, brought a regional perspective to the conversation.

 

Roger Gregg brought that unique energy that comes with being a Fintech founder, plus his expensive knowledge of the hospitality and brewing industry, which certainly flavoured the conversation. 

 

I shall add in some recent relevant news, congratulations are in order, 10 months after recording this, it has been announced that the Access Group Has Entered Into an Agreement to Acquire Pioneering AP Automation Provider, Lightyear 

 

Let me fill you in on a bit of a backstory. The Gregg brothers were one of the original App partners, with their solution InvitBox. I’m thinking within the first ten years? InvitBox won Xero emerging app partner in 2013. Then in May 2014 Intuit acquired InvitBox. The very blue boys turned green overnight. Several years later, in quite an unprecedented move, they bought InvitBox back from Intuit for a single dollar! And relaunched as LightYear. 

 

Here we are ten years later, and they have sold again, this time to The Access Group. 

 

Read more here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7194623580830105601/

 https://heathersmithsmallbusiness.com/2024/06/06/unravelling-the-future-of-accountech-sydney-xerocon-2023/

Contact details:

Alexi Boyd https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexiboyd/ 

Small Biz Matters https://smallbizmatters.com.au/ 

Aly Garrett https://www.linkedin.com/in/alygarrett/ 

Sabby Gill https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabbygill/

Roger Gregg https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogergregg/ 

Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM

Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/ 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting 

X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU