Earlier this month I gave a talk at the PauseFest conference about Australian start-ups and how they differ from their US counterparts. The talk was based on a piece I wrote for The Australian newspaper last year.
I explain how many of the major technology start-up success stories here in Australia were cockroaches; lean, self-funded and bootstrapped businesses that grew for years without outside investment. Examples include Retailmenot, 99designs, Atlassian and CultureAmp. I describe the funding and M&A conditions in Australia that have lead local cockroach businesses to thrive. Finally, I highlight a new breed of Aussie start-ups that have accessed local capital, such as Canva, GreenSync, YourGrocer, LIFX, SafetyCulture and Rome2Rio. I explain how this new wave of businesses will have a major impact on the Australian start-ups ecosystem for the better.
It was a successful event and we received some good audience engagement. You can watch the talk here:
I missed you at Pause, so thank you for posting the video, and for being so generous with your experience and reflections. As a total cockroach it’s nice to learn how this can be done and why it might be a good idea.
Great stuff
Great!