Podcasts about airtree

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Best podcasts about airtree

Latest podcast episodes about airtree

Super Insider
How AI is helping women reduce mental load, work smarter and earn more

Super Insider

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 25:52


Artificial Intelligence is the future of work. It's already shaping careers, money and daily life. But are you using it to your advantage?  In this International Women's Day episode of Super Insider, we ask AI expert Dr Nici Sweaney (Ai Her Way) and ART investment partner Elicia McDonald (Airtree) how AI can cut stress, boost careers and reduce the mental load.     Did you know? 

The High Flyers Podcast
#177 Hostplus CIO Sam Sicilia in a rare public interview: Italian roots & theorotical physics to managing $100B+ Retirement Fund, Hostplus!

The High Flyers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2024 71:02


We're joined by Sam Sicilia in a very rare public interview appearance. Sam is the Chief Investment Officer for the multi-billion dollar superannuation Fund (Retirement savings) Hostplus, often referred to as a 'giant' in the industry with around 1.7 million members and over $100b funds under management.Hostplus were pioneers in laying the foundations of various VC funds including Blackbird, Square Peg, Airtree, One Ventures and more thanks to Sam's leadership. Please note: This a replay of the episode that was released in December 2023. Hosted by Vidit Agarwal, Founder of Curiosity Center and The High Flyers Podcast.It's now time to explore your curiosity. If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us, email us at vidit@thehighflyerspodcast.com today! ***CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ***The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.175+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more. Past guests include: Anil Sabharwal, Mark Suster, Ahmed Fahour, Holly Ransom, Daniel Petre, Paul Bassat, Simon Holmes a Court, Michael Traill, Osher Gunsberg, Ed Cowan, Carol Schwartz, Wyatt Roy, Jack Zhang, Martijn Wilder, Holly Kramer and more.The Curiosity Center is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Decision Makers and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best at www.curiositycenter.xyz***

Funny Business
101 Ways | James Cameron ~ EP 330

Funny Business

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2024 38:21


James Cameron is a Partner at Airtree. Topics discussed - having a famous name, career pathway, favourite part of being a VC Partner, pattern matching and cognitive bias, what fits the Airtree portfolio, Australian startup infrastructure, learning from the US market, investment misses, what business are fit for VC, capital efficiency, jockey or the horse, community building, collaborating with competitors, dreams and surfing.  Grab 15% OFF SXSW Sydney Badges using our promo code ⁠here⁠. Subscribe to our Dream Big Social Club NEWSLETTER to stay up to date with all things Funny Business + more ~ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://dreambigsocialclub.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠ Web ~ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/funnybusinesspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram ~ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/funnybusiness_au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn ~ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lach⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONTACT ME (Lach) ~ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lach@dreambigsocialclub.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Fear and Greed
Sunday feature: This venture capitalist backed Canva. Here's what he's looking for

Fear and Greed

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2024 13:34


Guest: Daniel Petre AO, co-founder of Airtree Ventures Original publication date: 5 July 2021 Original description: Sean Aylmer speaks to Daniel Petre AO, co-founder of venture capital firm AirTree Ventures, about the state of the start-up scene in Australia.  They also discuss what AirTree is looking for in a potential investment.  Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The High Flyers Podcast
#174 James Cameron: Leading investor at Accel and Airtree, Embracing Career Uncertainty, Unsexy Startups, Why diversity matters

The High Flyers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2024 71:30


James is a General Partner at Airtree Ventures and this is a very rare public interview with him, we understand his first since 2018. James has a particular interest in software, infrastructure and fintech and led Airtree's investments in A Cloud Guru, Constantinople, DroneDeploy, Zepto, Buildkite and Secure Code Warrior.Prior to joining Airtree, James spent 15 years working in the US, UK and Asia. He was Vice President at Accel Partners, the VC fund behind Slack, Dropbox, Facebook and Spotify.James was born in Canberra and now lives in Sydney, Australia.Hosted by Vidit Agarwal, Founder of Curiosity Center and The High Flyers Podcast.It's now time to explore your curiosity. If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us, email us at vidit@thehighflyerspodcast.com today! ***CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ***The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.170+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more. Past guests include: Anil Sabharwal, Mark Suster, Ahmed Fahour, Holly Ransom, Daniel Petre, Paul Bassat, Simon Holmes a Court, Michael Traill, Osher Gunsberg, Ed Cowan, Carol Schwartz, Wyatt Roy, Jack Zhang, Martijn Wilder, Holly Kramer and more.The Curiosity Center is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Decision Makers and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best at www.curiositycenter.xyz***

The High Flyers Podcast
#168 Craig Blair: Co-Founder of the $1B+ VC Fund, Airtree in his most candid interview ever

The High Flyers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 77:30


Craig Blair is the Co-Founder and Partner at Airtree, a globally recognised Venture Capital firm with $1B+ funds under management.Before AirTree, he was a partner at Netus, a venture fund with a global top decile track record. He has also been a founder of three software businesses -- two of which were successful and one of which was a painful learning experience.Craig was born in Ontario, Canada and now lives in Sydney, Australia.This episode is brought to you by KPMG High Growth Ventures and Curiosity Center.It's now time to explore your curiosity. If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us, email us at vidit@thehighflyerspodcast.com today! ***CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ***The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.165+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more. Past guests include: Anil Sabharwal, Mark Suster, Ahmed Fahour, Holly Ransom, Daniel Petre, Paul Bassat, Simon Holmes a Court, Michael Traill, Osher Gunsberg, Ed Cowan, Carol Schwartz, Wyatt Roy, Jack Zhang, Martijn Wilder, Holly Kramer and more.The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz***

The Startup Podcast
Turning Security and Compliance Into A Profit Center w/ Vanta (Live - Sponsor Showcase)

The Startup Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2024 38:21


This is a Sponsor Showcase episode, sponsored by Vanta. Security and compliance are so important. But as a founder, sometimes they can seem like an expensive distraction. What if we told you there are ways to massively reduce the cost of building strong security in your product? And even better, to turn that investment into a selling point to help scale your business? In this episode of TSP, Yaniv is joined by Nathan Miller from scale-up phenomenon Dovetail and Rob White from Airtree, one of Australia's leading VCs to talk about the power of Vanta to do exactly that. Listen in to learn:

Transparent Venture Capital by Tribe Global Ventures
Tribe Talkin' Ep 32: AI Honeymoon Is Over. Creating Authentic Content. Companies In Liquidation. GoCatch v Uber Trial. VC Investment Criteria.

Transparent Venture Capital by Tribe Global Ventures

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2024 89:48


In this episode of Tribe Talkin':  Subsequent reporting on Breakthrough Victoria (Capital Brief, Bronwen Clue)  Plutora Pty Ltd going into voluntary administration in march over a dispute with the tax office. (news.com.au, Alex Turner-Cohen) GoCatch vs Uber: Victorian courts will hear explosive claims of how it killed the competition. (Paul Smith, AFR) Task Group creating $100 Mil payday for Houden family.(Tess Bennett, AFR).  Growth of new angel investors falling.  Airtree $100 mil + valuation list: New partners at Ten13. (Capital Brief, Hugo Mathers) AI honeymoon is over according to Canva's Cliff Obrecht. (Nick Bonyhady, AFR).  Rayn Ong's new ebook, we think. (Simon Thomsen, Startupdaily) Y Combinator: bets in a picture. Why one VC invests.  Peter Theil talks about going niche.  Simon Beard talks about creating personal and authentic content.  Charts hello@tribeglobal.vc

The High Flyers Podcast
#160 Kell Reilly: The unique journey to becoming Airtree's newest partner in his first ever public interview!

The High Flyers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2024 81:07


Kell is the newest Partner at the Venture Capital firm, Airtree.Before joining Airtree, he spent most of his career in Silicon Valley at renowned firms such as Dragoneer, D1 Capital Partners and General Atlantic, investing in some of the most interesting consumer and enterprise companies in technology (Airbnb, Appfolio, Atlassian, Gitlab, Gusto, Samsara, Spotify, Uber).Kell was born in Sydney, Australia and has recently returned back to Sydney after spending the last 14 years in the US.It's now time to explore your curiosity. Click the links below to listen and enjoy now. If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us, email us at vidit@thehighflyerspodcast.com today! ***CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation between our host, Vidit Agarwal and Kell Reilly. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ***The High Flyers Podcast re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer" and is a premier product of the Curiosity Center. The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.160+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more. The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz***

The Exchange by EWL Private Wealth
Time for some adventure capital talk – how do you raise a family of 120 children – are some kids (companies) your favourites?

The Exchange by EWL Private Wealth

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2024 50:58


In today's episode, Managing Partner Craig Emanuel sits down with Craig Blair, Co-Founder and Partner of AirTree Ventures.AirTee are the pinnacle of the Australian venture capital ecosystem. Craig has been a trailblazer in Australian VC, having been investing in startups with a list of successful exits from the 1990's, prior to founding AirTree in 2014. With $1.3bn funds under management, AirTree's portfolio includes many of Australia and New Zealand's iconic technology companies. Craig has led investments in Canva, Pet Circle, Go1 and Employment Hero, which have delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in investor returns at greater than 100x initial investment. Prior to AirTree, Craig was a Partner at Netus, a venture fund that delivered top decile returns to investors for years in succession. Prior to his VC career, Craig was a founder of several startups including Travelselect, Beamly Australia, and the founding chairman of Pet Circle. Craig spent his early career in strategy consulting and investment banking.  Outside of AirTree, Craig is an active philanthropist through the Blair Caffrey Foundation which supports indigenous, women's and humanitarian causes and the arts. Craig holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Sydney, and an MBA from INSEAD, France.During this podcast, Craig holds an in-depth discussion with Craig on how he sees the Australian VC industry, how AirTree select and manage their portfolio companies, through to the secrets of maintaining the right work/life balance.Disclaimer: The information in this podcast series is for general financial educational purposes only, should not be considered financial advice and is only intended for wholesale clients. That means the information does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider if the information is appropriate for you and your needs. You should always consult your trusted licensed professional adviser before making any investment decision.

The High Flyers Podcast
[Replay] Daniel Petre: Insecurities, reporting to Bill Gates, founding Airtree, building a philantropic nation & more!

The High Flyers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2024 65:22


This is a replay of our very popular episode with Daniel Petre. He was one one of 5 global VP's under Bill Gates at Microsoft, Co-founded three Venture Capital firms including the globally successful Airtree, and is now building his non for profit in Start Giving.****In this (replay) episode #113 w Daniel Petre, learn about:sunrise in  Sydney and immigrant parents from Romania being sent to Australia after World war 2reflections on childhood not being the happiest and looking for a sense of belongingsuccess at age 18: be a fighter pilot in the Air Force, don't make it from last 35 applicantspsychology being a path Daniel would explore if he was 18 againJoining Microsoft when it wasn't a household name and rising to one of 5 global VP's under Bill GatesDoes he feel successful after time at Microsoft?How birth of first daughter and death of sister re-prioritised life focusCreating a culture of truth seeking as a leader at Airtree VenturesLearnings from Bill Bartee (co-founder of Blackbird + Main Sequence)How to build a philanthropic nationIt's now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show!  ***The High Flyers Podcast is a global TOP ten ranked show that re-imagines the traditional notion of a "high flyer". The podcast showcases the journeys of relatable role models from their sunrise (childhood) to today. Listeners love the unique and direct inside access to these relatable role models, companies and industries in every walk of life to help us all be 1% better everyday, together. 150+ guests have joined Vidit Agarwal on the show from around the world including Heads of state, Olympians, Business and cultural leaders, Social Advocates, Investors, Entrepreneurs and more.  The Curiosity Center is widely recognised as a leading on-demand intelligence network for founders, investors, executives and students with an audience of over 200,000 across this podcast + Association Series Newsletter and 7-Star Events. Find out more at www.curiositycenter.xyz***

Transparent Venture Capital by Tribe Global Ventures
Tribe Talkin' Ep 10: Messaging- why good products, people and money can still fail

Transparent Venture Capital by Tribe Global Ventures

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2023 62:36


In this episode of Tribe Talkin':  FTX/ SBF fraud trial Canva's approach to intellectual property with their $200Mil fund  The riches are in the niches  Sales teams in product lead growth companies  Airtree reaching 100 investments  The Mr Yum and Me&u merger  Deep dive: Messaging: why start ups with good products, people and capital can still fail hello@tribeglobal.vc 

Open the Pod Bay Doors
E169 - Cath Rogers, Partner, Antler

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2023 60:52


Cath Rogers is a Partner at Antler, a global fund with 900 portfolio companies, have dealt with 5,600 founders, with $4 billion in total portfolio value, working across 27 locations. Cath's career trajectory showcases an interesting and diverse path into the venture capital industry.    Starting in a Goldman Sachs venture-backed startup in London in the very early 2000's during the original dot-com boom, bubble and bust. She later worked in investment banking and strategy consulting before moving into venture capital. Cath spent three years in Abu Dhabi, working in a sovereign wealth fund focused on global cleantech VC - her foray into VC investing.    Upon returning to Australia in 2011/2012, Cath had a stint in Private Equity. After leaving to start her own business, she crossed paths with Daniel Petre and was offered to join him at a fund he was starting up - Airtree. Here she gained valuable mentorship and firsthand experience in early-stage VC before taking a period of time to raise her children - after which she joined Antler, the world's day zero fund. Antler's approach to due diligence is unique whereby they observe founders over a 12-week period. The VC firm aims to institutionalise early-stage venture capital and provide founders with a near-term path to capital.   Among so much more, Ian and Cath discuss, how the path to becoming a VC is now incredibly diverse, how the fundraising environment for VC funds has become more challenging, how investors are more cautious and have higher expectations in terms of risk appetite and exits, that quality funds and founders can still find capital, and how VC funds offer attractive returns compared to traditional investments.   Quickfire:  Book: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace Podcast: Pivot - Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway, Serial  News Source: Axios, Capital Brief  App: Blinkist Productivity App: Tactic, Calendly, Motion, Asana  Favourite CEO: Warren Buffett, Kate Morris (Adore Beauty)  TV Show: The Bureau (SBS)  TEDTalk Topic: What children learn at school and how that positions them for creativity, innovation and adaptation to the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transparent Venture Capital by Tribe Global Ventures
Tribe Talkin' Ep 3: Diversity in STEM- The Lifeblood of VC

Transparent Venture Capital by Tribe Global Ventures

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2023 51:44


Welcome to Tribe Talkin' Episode 3.  This week we talk about Safety Culture raising $34 Million at a $2.7 Billion valuation, $600 Million higher than their last raise. This bucks the trend we've seen in valuations and we discuss some interesting aspects of the Safety Culture story. And spoiler alert! We have the Founder, Luke Anear on next week's Founder Focus episode and we're looking forward to a deep dive. We see Safety Culture's raise as a signal that the markets are in a good place We also talk about Rokt moving towards its IPO. Their "party" culture is also under the microscope at the moment, and we talk about how such cultures are being currently viewed. We discuss episode 2 of the series “The Founder”, featuring Canva and its founders Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrect and Cameron Adams. We unpack the parts of the story we found most interesting, and try and distil lessons for entrepreneurs to consider in their own journey. Other news includes Airtree warning there will be more failures, and why we think it's interesting they felt compelled to even do that, given the business we are all in. We talk about the Openview Partners report into VC valuations, which provides some really interesting insights into the current valuation trajectory, as well as visually demonstrating which companies get the highest valuations and why. https://openviewpartners.com/2022-saas-benchmarks-report/ This report provides an excellent dataset on the growth rates achieved with companies that have diversity in their management team.  This is an excellent segue way into our deep dive subject which is diversity in STEM, and the recent draft recommendations from the Diversity in STEM review which was published this week. https://www.industry.gov.au/science-technology-and-innovation/diversity-stem-review Whilst diversity and equality is a core value of Tribe, STEM industries are the lifeblood of the companies we invest in. As such, this is an extremely important topic for VC investors, and the founders we invest in. As always we appreciate feedback, and don't forget to leave a rating whilst you're here. www.tribeglobal.vc  hello@tribeglobal.vc     

Funny Business
Jess Walker on Building a Career in Venture Capital | EP 269

Funny Business

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2023 48:11


Jess Walker is the community + programs manager at AirTree. Topics discussed ~ life growing up, career pathway, founder life, startups, getting your business out there, woman + non binary in tech/business, AirTree, energy + whats next? ⁠DREAM BIG SOCIAL CLUB WEBSITE NOW LIVE⁠. YOU CAN FIND US ON... The web ~ ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/funnybusinesspodcast⁠⁠ Instagram ~ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/funnybusiness_au/⁠⁠ LinkedIn ~ ⁠⁠Lach⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠Rob⁠⁠ CONTACT ME (Lach) ~ lach@dreambigsocialclub.com

Rebank: Banking the Future
Building a Distributed Backend for the Global Banking System with Luca Prosperi

Rebank: Banking the Future

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2023 38:37


Luca Prosperi is the co-founder and CEO of M^ZERO LABS_, a team building a new backend for the banking system. Luca is a deep thinking analyst, economist and builder, with a background in institutional finance, alternative and credit investments and more recently DeFi lending and governance. Luca publishes analysis on Dirt Roads, a must read for anyone thinking about the construct and evolution of money and associated topics. M^ZERO sprang into life recently with the announcement of a $22.5m seed round from investors including Pantera. AirTree, ParaFi, Mouro and Earlybird. The team is building decentralized infrastructure with the vision of ultimately replacing the commercial banking backend, starting with a better stablecoin. In this conversation, Luca and I discuss the inspiration and vision for M^ZERO, Luca's learnings from his time at MakerDAO, governance considerations for decentralized institutional infrastructure, the shortcomings of existing stablecoins and his team's proposed approach, M^ZERO with respect to the current banking industry turmoil and more. Thank you very much for joining us today. Please welcome, Luca Prosperi.

Fintech Game Changers
145: Constantinople | Macgregor Duncan

Fintech Game Changers

Play Episode Play 55 sec Highlight Listen Later May 18, 2023 62:57


In episode 145 of Fintech Chatter, Dexter Cousins is joined by Macgregor Duncan of Constantinople.Constantinople is the first of its kind: an all-in-one software and operational platform for banks. Providing a fully-managed platform service, covering customer experience, product, infrastructure, operations, servicing, and compliance.Macgregor founded Constantinople with Co-Founder Dianne Challenor in 2022 and this week they officially announced their launch along with a record breaking $32m seed raise with Square Peg, Airtree and Great Southern BankMacgregor talks about the huge problem Constantinople is tackling, how they managed to raise such a significant amount at such a tough time and his journey from Global banking executive to Fintech founderAbout ConstantinopleConstantinople's services cover both retail and business banking. Its platform supports a full range of customer products, including mobile apps and internet banking, transaction and savings accounts, payments, debit and credit cards, and a range of secured and unsecured lending products. These customer products are fully configurable and issued by banks under their brand.Constantinople also supports all underlying operational services, including customeronboarding, KYC, AML, fraud management, payments and lending operations, loan origination and decisioning, regulatory reporting, and customer service. The platform uses software to embed compliance obligations, risk settings, and automated controls.Constantinople recently released its platform into production and is soon to commence a live pilot with its first client bank, Great Southern Bank.Constantinople's co-founders and co-CEOs, Macgregor Duncan and Dianne Challenor, are global banking executives with extensive banking and technology experience in the United States, Asia and Australia.Find out more - https://www.cxnpl.com/Connect with Macgregor - https://www.linkedin.com/in/macgregor-duncan-bb0381179/Follow us:Apple: https://apple.co/3D7NsPtSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3IzSViQSubscribe and like on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3tBlRmEConnect on Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3DsCJBpFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DexterCousins

Decoding Crypto
How Do VCs Invest? With Airtree's Ada Yin

Decoding Crypto

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 30:24


Venture capitalists make money by making investments in all kinds of companies & projects. They spend their days evaluating opportunities & determining where their money is best placed. So what can we learn from the way VCs invest? Ada Yin is an investment manager for AirTree, she talks us through how they invest, what they look for & how we can use some of the same principles to build our crypto portfolios. CONNECT WITH USYou can find Ben and his team at Collective Shift hereOr find us on Twitter: @edwinastott & @bensimpsonauAnd Instagram @edwinastott & @bensimpsonauNova Podcast's Instagram @novapodcastsofficial CREDITSHosts: Edwina Stott & Ben SimpsonExecutive Producer: Edwina StottFind more great podcasts like this at novapodcasts.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TechCrunch Startups – Spoken Edition
AirTree backs generative AI content creation and management platform Narrato

TechCrunch Startups – Spoken Edition

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2023 3:09


Generative AI is hot among venture capital firms now, with $4.5 billion invested in 2022. Narrato, a AI content creation and collaboration platform, announced today it has joined the ranks of other generative AI startups with VC funding.   

When the Facts Change
How venture capitalism can fund a greener economy

When the Facts Change

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2023 32:31


How does Aotearoa stop relying so heavily on agriculture to prop up our economy? Online tax and accounting service Hnry just raised $35m to grow its software on-demand service across the globe. Bernard Hickey talks with AirTree partner Jackie Vullinghs about how venture capitalists are funding Aotearoa's fastest growing, least-polluting and highest-wage export growth sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The High Flyers Podcast
Investment memo: How Startmate & Airtree are building the next gen of angel investors, explorers vs first believers + a special announcement!

The High Flyers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2023 40:40


We're joined by Ben Simai, the program led for Startmate's first believers and Jess Walker, the program lead for Airtree's explorers in their first joint appearance for this episode #117 and installment #22 of the special Curiosity series. Explore your curiosity about:Quick intro on Ben and Jess and how they made they way into startups and investingWhat is an Angel Investor?Surprises about the entry points of angel investors? Helping new angels overcome imposter syndrome? What differentiates Explorers vs first believers program? Pros and Cons of new vs experienced angels Syndicates for non sophisticated investors Why does startmate charge and Airtree is a free program? Secret to earning trust with founders Current economic climatePlease enjoy! ***Find out more about Curiosity Center, including events, angel investment and 110+ podcast episodes at www.curiositycenter.xyz Find out more about Startmate's first believers program at https://www.startmate.com/first-believersFind out more about Airtree's Explorers program at https://www.airtree.vc/explorer-programShare your feedback and discuss sponsorship opportunities with us by directly emailing vidit@curiositycenter.xyz or at https://www.curiositycenter.xyz/contact-usFollow the show on Linkedin / Instagram / Twitter

RollingUp Entertainment
Ada from Airtree | VC Investing in Web3

RollingUp Entertainment

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2023 33:07


Ada an Investor at Airtree talks on; The biggest misconceptions around VC's. How to analyse projects and rocket growth. Imposter syndrome... How to raise capital in Web3! NFT Melb Disclaimer: This podcast is not financial advice. This material has been prepared for educational and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.

Degen Aussie Apes
DAA interviews Stephanie Bazley (StephB.eth) from Airtree VC

Degen Aussie Apes

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2023 43:34


We are joined by Stephanie Bazley from Airtree VC in this episode. Steph is a web3 investment manager at Airtree, a venture capital company that supports the most innovative founders from Australia and New Zealand as they create the most significant technology companies of the future. Additionally, Steph has extensive expertise in the medical field, holding a Master of Philosophy, Doctor of Medicine, and numerous other qualifications. In our conversation, we talk about various topics related to web3, Airtree, and how blockchain technology can transform the medical industry. Twitter: https://twitter.com/0xstephb Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-bazley/

The High Flyers Podcast
#113 Daniel Petre: Dealing with insecurity despite enormous success, becoming Global VP reporting to Bill Gates, Female role models + how Australia can be a philanthropic nation

The High Flyers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2022 64:40


In this episode #113 w Daniel Petre, learn about:sunrise in  Sydney and immigrant parents from Romania being sent to Australia after World war 2reflections on childhood not being the happiest and looking for a sense of belongingsuccess at age 18: be a fighter pilot in the Air Force, don't make it from last 35 applicantspsychology being a path Daniel would explore if he was 18 againJoining Microsoft when it wasn't a household name and rising to one of 5 global VP's under Bill GatesDoes he feel successful after time at Microsoft?How birth of first daughter and death of sister re-prioritised life focusCreating a culture of truth seeking as a leader at Airtree VenturesLearnings from Bill Bartee (co-founder of Blackbird + Main Sequence)How Australia can be a philanthropic nationIt's now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterContact us via our website or email Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on iTunes and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 

Open the Pod Bay Doors
E152 - Mina Radhakrishnan, CoFounder & Co-CEO of :Different

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2022 51:06 Transcription Available


Our guest for episode 152 is Mina Radhakrishnan, Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Proptech startup :Different. Mina co-founded the company alongside her husband, with whom she shares CEO duties. :Different is property management as a service for real estate agents with their mission being to take care of homes and the people in them.    Born in Canada, Mina has spent a lot of time in the US, kick starting her career at Goldman Sachs in New York. She chose a role as Product Manager at Google over Business School and was one of the first employees of Uber, where she went on to become Head of Product and was part of the team that introduced surge prices during busy periods. While running her consultancy on the side to keep close to product and startups, Mina worked with a couple of venture firms (Cowboy Venture and Redpoint) as an advisor and entrepreneur in residence. Through all of this wealth of experience, she knew she wanted to be a founder.    During a round the world trip, Mina and her husband came up with the idea for :Different. They raised their Seed round with Airtree - during the birth of their first child - launched publicly in 2017 and raised their B round last year (2021) - during the birth of their second child. :Different now manage tonnes of properties with efficiency and high quality via their customers that make up the likes of Ray White, LJ Hooker and many other top real estate agencies, and in doing so, have become one of Australia's fastest growing agencies.    During her chat with Ian we learn about:  Her time on the board for Airtasker Her advisory role with Antler Her position on the board for Australian Tech Council - a lobby group working with gov to create 1.2 million tech jobs by 2030  Her founder journey and the double edged emotional rollercoaster of decision making  Her advice for founders and investors in the current and coming climate (Winter is coming - like it does every 3 years) How much she values the written word    Quickfire Round:  Book: Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austin  Podcast: Wait Wait Don't Tell Me (NPR News Podcast)  News Source: Twitter App: Calm  Tech CEO: Mina doesn't want to put anyone on a pedestal, everyone has something to learn   Productivity Tool: BarTender. BetterSnapTool  TV Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation   Ted Talk Topic: Power of the written word to persuade people See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The FinTech Report
The FinTech Report Podcast: Episode 25: Interview with Raaj Rayat, Investor, Airtree Ventures

The FinTech Report

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 42:57


The FinTech Report Podcast: Episode 25: Interview with Raaj Rayat, Investor, Airtree Ventures Raaj Rayat is an early stage venture investor with Airtree Ventures. Prior to Airtree, Raaj launched Lendable in Nariobi (Kenya), London and Sydney. Lendable is a FinTech that uses data science to expand fair access to financial services in emerging markets. Raaj Helped scale Lendable from $0 to $200m+ invested across 10+ countries in 4 yearsAirTree is a venture capital firm with a mission to back the most ambitious Australian and Kiwi founders, building the iconic technology companies of tomorrow. Airtree pride themselves on saying they are “right by a founder's side, right from the start, often investing pre-product and pre-revenue to support startups from the earliest stages of their journey” Airtree has a portfolio of 80+ companies, and has been an early investor in many breakout tech companies, including: Canva, Go1, A Cloud Guru, Pet Circle, Immutable, Employment Hero, and Linktree, and a number of other exciting fintechsIn this episode, Raaj and Glen discuss:What got Raaj into VCAirtree's fintech investmentsRaaj's thesis on fintechWhat excites you in fintech? (eg lending, proptech, insuretech, defi, digital assets etc)We are in a funding ‘winter' – what impact is this having? (Valuations etc) what do you say to your founders?What do you like/want to invest in? (stage, size, sector etc) What do you look for? Founding team, idea, traction, customers, ability to scale etcAirTree web3 investmentsWhat's your thesis on digital assets and digital currencies? (DeFi vs Trad Fi)Future of fintech - Thoughts on DeFi and Blockchain (digital assets etc)If you are an early stage FinTech (& web3, DeFi, wealth tech, PropTech etc) and want to contact Raaj, please use this email. Contact: Raaj Rayat: Email: raaj@airtree.vc 

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Ep169 – Jax Vullinghs (Partner – AirTree) on valuations, IC and moats

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2022 36:43


The Startup PlaybookConnecting you to the best entrepreneurs, investors and resources from around the world Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram Ep169 – Jax Vullinghs (Partner – AirTree) on valuations, IC and moats August 25, 2022 rohitbhargava Podcast My guest for Ep169 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Jax Vullinghs, Partner at AirTree Ventures. Jax has had […] The post Ep169 – Jax Vullinghs (Partner – AirTree) on valuations, IC and moats appeared first on Startup Playbook.

Connect to Capital
Jackie Vullinghs - The most important attribute in VC... is a surprise

Connect to Capital

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2022 36:44


Jackie Vullinghs Jackie Vullinghs is affectionately known by most people as Jax. Far from her birthplace in the UK, she now finds herself as an investing partner at one of Australia's most successful venture firms Airtree. Despite winning most of the prizes there are to win growing up (1st class honours in History at Cambridge, 3 Cambridge Blues in Women's Lacrosse, the Bundy Scholarship for Academic Excellence, the Dunster Prize for History and the Sarah Springman Prize for simultaneous excellence in both academic study and university sport), these days she is much more impressed by behaviours than badges of success. And when it comes to being a great venture capital investor, she believes that there is one attribute that trumps all the others, more important that curiosity, analytical skills, sales acumen and operating experience. Jax believes that the one trait that trumps all others is agency. The ability to develop a plan and take action, without anyone's permission. Jax is driven by the joy of making connections - between ideas, and between people. She also loves seeing companies where growth is driven by raving fans who feel compelled to spread the word. Years ago that led to an obsession with direct to consumer and creator-led brands. Today, despite its volatility she is fascinated by how Web3 is allowing creators to reward fans with ownership in their communities and can't wait to see the emergent behaviour that evolves as a result. Links Jackie Vullinghs on LinekdIn Behaviour over badges - Substack newsletter The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop Complexity by M. Mitchell Waldrop A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman. The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner. A Man for All Markets: Beating the Odds, from Las Vegas to Wall Street by Edward O. Thorp Endurance by Alfred Lansing Companies Grow Super - Super admin software eucalyptus - healthcare technology company

The High Flyers Podcast
Jackie Vullinghs: Mum's early influence, unknowns about Milkrun, great consumer investing & Airtree VC's second generation

The High Flyers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2022 53:55


Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on iTunes and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterEmail  Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz or contact us via www.curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests and share how we can improve. ***Welcome to episode #94 w Jackie Vullinghs! Please enjoy. ***TIMESTAMPS01:55 - Where were you born and live now? 02:07 - What was your first job and now? 02:26 - High Flyer in Jackie's life 03:10 - Childhood in the UK w immigrant parents 04:21 - History teacher influence to learn about the world 05:22 - Cultural significance of studying history and connection to VC 07:40 - Success at age 18 09:07 - Do small things and chase curiosity 10:40 - Growth between high school and university 12:54 - Painful learnings 14:50 - Working in investment banking and why she left? 17:42 - Learning more in a startup vs investment banking 19:09 - Building confidence to change professional path 21:07 - Moving from the UK to Australia 22:50 - Applying to Airtree a second time after being rejected 26:25 - Setting up for success in first 6 months at Airtree 29:30 - How did bouncing around help form a world view? 31:01 - Filtering through information 33:12 - How to get to know a company from scratch? 35:22 -  Investing in consumer 37:50 - Airtree playing a leadership role beyond B2B SaaS investments 39:40 - Becoming the first second generation fund in ANZ 41:57 - Decision making adjustment now vs boom times 43:41 - Unpacking MILKRUN 47:23 - How becoming a mother has changed Jackie? 50:08 - Rapid fire 

Open the Pod Bay Doors
E141 - VC Panel ft: Karen Chan (Perennial), John Henderson (Airtree), Stew Glynn (TEN13)

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2022 47:09


Just last month (June) Innovation Bay spent 3 days and 3 nights in Noosa, Queensland with over 100 of the country's leading VCs for our VC community Aurora's annual cornerstone event, Venture Downunder (VDU). After a learning day full to the brim with panels, discussions, keynotes and serendipitous conversations, we took the opportunity to sit down with three of the most illustrious and active VCs in the ecosystem right now to take a snapshot in time of the current state of affairs of our industry and to catch their thoughts, concerns and what they're most excited about right now.Joining Ian, around a small bar table in a quiet backroom, were:Karen Chan, Portfolio Manager, Perennial PartnersJohn Henderson, General Partner, Airtree VenturesStew Glynn, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, TEN13During VDU, Macquarie's Head of Wealth Management Investment Strategy, Jason Todd, provided attendees with an incredibly insightful, if not at times concerning, view into the current state of play. We took the podcast group's pulse on the keynote and how they see macroeconomics affecting the industry with Karen, John and Stew all wary but nevertheless optimistic about the industry at large. There was agreement that while there will be compressions throughout the market, innovation is here to stay, deals are still happening and the very best founders will continue to raise at impressive prices. We were reminded that in the last downturn companies like Slack, WhatsApp, and Groupon were born, and that this vintage could very well yield similar strong returns with the most resilient of companies pushing through.As VDU is an event to bring the Innovation Bay VC community together, the panel discusses the importance of community. Being brought together in a structured and unstructured way to learn from one another or chat “around the watercooler” is vital in this market. VCs are collaborative by nature but there is always an element of natural competition underlying. We also cover what everyone is most optimistic about - from Web3 to strong deal flow to investing in emerging markets like Africa, Latin America and Indonesia.We also had a chance for a couple of Quickfire Recommendations:Karen - Podcast: All-In PodcastJohn - Podcast: Invest Like The Best - Jeremy Grantham EpisodeStew - Podcast: 20VC - Quick Commerce EpisodeIan - Book: Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker

Open the Pod Bay Doors
Episode 139 - Daniel Petre, StartUpGiving Founder, ex-Airtree Founder

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2022 71:22


IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY! Today, Innovation Bay's Open The Pod Bay Doors turns 5! To celebrate, we've taken it way back to our very first guest. Daniel Petre is the Godfather of the ecosystem and has arguably been around longer and had more success than anyone else in the sector. In 2014, Daniel founded Airtree alongside Craig Blair but a year ago, made the move out of VC and into the philanthropy space.Daniel felt the need to step away from VC for a number of reasons - to make way for the next generation to shine, the business model of VC started to lose it's shine for where he wanted to focus his energies, and he became a grandfather - a milestone that has seen him appreciate so clearly how short life is.His move into philanthropy was initially driven by his time working with Bill Gates in the US whose mother's greatest value has resonated with Daniel over the years - that if you've been fortunate in life, it's your responsibility to give back, not your choice. Inspired, Daniel has founded StartupGiving - a concierge of sorts with a goal to inspire founders and tech execs (with upwards of $20m net wealth) to start up their own charitable foundations - to give back.During their chat on this very special anniversary podcast, Ian and Daniel cover:The transformation of the ecosystem since 2016 (including the positive impact both the ESVCLP Legislation and Canva have had on the industry at large)The most important sectors in the industry - Web3, AI, computer vision, the metaverse (though he's not hugely excited about it), drug discovery and creation using AIHow Australia needs to dramatically increase research fundingThat there is no reason we shouldn't be a renewable superpower, and that we shouldn't close minds to small scale nuclear, andDaniel lends some incredible insight into current market conditionsQuickfire Round:Book: 'Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World' by Anand GiridharadasPodcast: Open The Pod Bay Doors, Sam Harris' ‘Making Sense'News Source: The EconomistTech CEO: Impact over last 5 years - Elon Musk, Melanie Perkins (Canva) - will go down as one of the greatest tech CEOs of our timeTV Show: The Liar, (new version of) The Staircase, Ozark

Connect to Capital
Matt Allen – Geek turned business guy, investor, advisor and mentor

Connect to Capital

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2022 46:34


This week's guest, Matt Allen, knows Startups are hard. He knows because he has founded 4 tech startups, invested in more than 26 and advised countless others over the past 20 years. A couple of years ago leading VC firm Airtree recognised Matt and his wife Aprill as some of the best angel investors in Australia noting that at the time of writing they had: $533k invested into 26 companies With 58% of the active portfolio having a female founder And notwithstanding that 3 had gone to zero, the remainder had generated $2.6m in cash returns and $7.7m in equity value (at each company's most recent valuation) That means that Matt & Aprill are up ~19X so far…(!) These days Matt is the CEO of Tractor Ventures, Australia's first revenue based investment fund. Matt's goal is to connect dots and facilitate the magic that happens when great people work together. Links Matt Allen personal website Matt Allen on LinkedIn https://www.tractorventures.com/ Airtree Halo Effect article

Open the Pod Bay Doors
E132 - Duncan Anderson, Edrolo

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2022 50:16


Duncan Anderson, along with his two friends Jeremy Cox and Ben Sze, is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of EdTech company Edrolo. After some time working at Google, Duncan and his two business partners met while working at Goulburn and Sacs some 10 years ago. The original idea for Edrolo was as a two-sided marketplace - tutors on one side and students on the other - but quickly evolved into it's earliest incarnation as somewhat of a YouTube for learning for VCE students.Fast forward to now, Edrolo employs approximately 200 staff, is in 1200 schools and services around 30,000 students across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland and is backed by some of Australia's biggest VC's such as Airtree and Blackbird. It is a fully vertically integrated company - meaning they create all their own content, do all tech stack, sales and customer support in house.Duncan is driven by trying to make the world a better place through education. A self-confessed learning machine, Duncan's mind ticks at a million miles an hour, soaking up everything in his path and seeing every challenge as an opportunity to learn. He subscribes to 300 podcasts and listens to them at 6 x speed, hasn't missed a gym session in he can't remember how long and is utterly obsessed with writing, without fail penning a blog every single Sunday over here at Cloud Streaks.Duncan and Ian cover a tonne including:- If you have a good product and can explain it well you're setting yourself up for success.- How Duncan came to imbibe that the biggest risk is taking no risk.- If you want to help a mind grow you need time with that mind.- Somewhere between 70-90% of class time is influenced heavily by the textbook.- Habits are accumulated momentum.- Everything you do should be the best thing you've ever done.- You don't learn anything from anyone you agree with.Quickfire Recommendations:- Book: Principles by Ray Delio- Podcast: New York Times The Daily- News Source: A diverse diet is the most important thing - not any single one news source. TechMe for tech, Ben Shapiro for politics, New - York Times, The Guardian, Sky News in Australia- Productivity Tool: Google Sheets for tracking time or timesheeting.- Favourite TV Show: The West Wing (all time), Brooklyn 99- Favourite App: Gmail, Owltail- Favourite Tech CEO: Elon Musk- Ted Talk topic: The power of writing as a way to improve metacognition and problem solving skillsFollow Duncan's blog: https://www.cloudstreaks.comContact: duncan@cloudstreaks.com or https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-anderson-252b2b20/

What The Flux
$700M for local startups as Airtree hits record | NYT buys Wordle | China launches digital yuan at olympics

What The Flux

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2022 5:55


Local venture capital fund AirTree Ventures has closed the biggest fund yet in Australia, raising $700 million to back startups in software and Web3.   The New York Times has acquired the super popular word puzzle game Wordle for ‘low seven figures'.   China is rolling out its digital yuan to athletes and spectators ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics - the first test of whether China's virtual currency appeals to foreigners.   ---   Save money and win cash prizes up to $250k weekly: https://www.flux.finance/win-the-week Get your credit score for free: https://bit.ly/fluxcreditscore Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly/FluxAppStore Download the free app (Google Play Store): http://bit.ly/FluxappGooglePlay Daily newsletter: https://bit.ly/fluxnewsletter Instagram: http://bit.ly/fluxinsta TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flux.finance   ---   The content in this podcast reflects the views and opinions of the hosts, and is intended for personal and not commercial use. We do not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, statement or other information provided or distributed in these episodes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Inquisitive VC
John Henderson - AirTree

The Inquisitive VC

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2021 25:19


John Henderson is a Partner at AirTree Ventures, an Australia and NZ focused venture firm. Prior to AirTree, John was the Founding Principal of White Star Capital.We talk about his journey to VC, investment biases, Olympus Finance, NFTs and more!Check out the Substack for a full transcript of the episode, with links and images!Intro & Outro soundtrack from - https://www.purple-planet.com

Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network
The Corporate Counsel Show: ‘I'm a deal junkie – that's where I thrive'

Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2021 20:39


As the amount of money coming into Australian venture capital grows, so too will the demands for return on investment. For legal counsel in VC, there are opportunities abound right now. On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by AirTree general counsel Nick Brown to discuss his career in VC and M&A, how the investment market in Australia is on the rise, and the nuts and bolts of supporting one's business in the myriad deals that eventuate. The pair also discuss designing the blueprint for a VC law department when one is the first in-house lawyer, how integral financial expertise is for lawyers operating in this space, and how exciting it is to help develop the next generation of great Australian companies. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.   If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Fear and Greed
Interview: What venture capital investors are looking for

Fear and Greed

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2021 12:53


Sean Aylmer speaks to Daniel Petre AO, co-founder of venture capital firm AirTree Ventures, about the state of the start-up scene in Australia. They also discuss what AirTree is looking for in a potential investment.Find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Ep141 – Alex Zaccaria (Co-founder & CEO – Linktree) on viral growth, customer focus and intuition

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2021 64:30


My guest for Ep141 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was the Co-founder & CEO of Linktree, Alex Zaccaria. Alex started his career in the music industry. With his brother Anthony, he co-founded Bolster, an agency that specialises in running digital and creative campaigns for music festivals and events. Through the agency, they identified a problem they kept facing on behalf of their clients, how to effectively share multiple links on social media. They built a tool to help solve that problem for their clients. That tool is called Linktree and is now used by over 10M users globally including celebrities such as Selena Gomez and Jamie Oliver and brands like Redbull and HBO At the end of last year, Linktree announced they had raised their first round of external funding, raising $10.7M in a round led by AirTree and Insight Partners. In this interview we covered a range of topics including: The importance of understanding why users are using your productsHow they achieved viral growth to 10M usersHow Alex developed a partnership with Facebook during the early days of BolsterManaging engineering teams as a non-technical founderTheir journey to raising $10M and deciding which investors to raise from& much more! Show notes: 1.57 - Where Alex's desire to become an entrepreneur came from 3.48 - The influence Alex's family and upbringing had on his career journey and what he learned from them5.38 - Launching Bolster with some of the largest festivals in Australia as clients9.45 - How they secured a partnership with Facebook through working around the existing system11.53 - Alex's approach to learning quickly and continuously13.15 - Why meeting a customers needs is the most important step when building a platform16.36 - How Linktree has changed from the first version and how the idea began19.14 - Welcoming and utilising big name, early customers of Linktree 21.10 - How linktree was started as a side hustle and what it would be today if it was started differently24.45 - The importance of listening to consumers and having conversations to determine their needs26.32 - Building vitality for a ready to market product30.35 - Why Linktree prioritises simplicity in product design 33.38 - Utilising product managers as a non-technical founder to prioritise features36.39 - Intuitive decision making and having the right people around you39.40 - Working with a technical lead and development team effectively 43.01 - The challenges of scale 46.04 - The process to raising $10M 49.09 - How to pick the right VC partner when raising 52.29 - What Alex would do differently when raising capital again54.51 - The importance of developing a product naturally and authentically57.51 - Staying ahead of the competition as a market leader 58.49 - Maintaining culture whilst growing team size Links mentioned: Alex's businesses: LinktreeBolster  People mentioned: Nick HumphreysMike Bywaters John HendersonMel and Cliff from Canva Previous episodes mentioned: Creating a winning culture with Mahesh Muralidhar (Ep139) VC partners: InsightAirtree Special Thanks: Special thanks to Nick Humphreys, Mike Bywaters and John Henderson for their help with research for this interview ? . Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Joakim Karud – Dreams Other channels: Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Spotify, Soundcloud & Stitcher Audio Player. https://youtu.be/5FAi2QtFU54 The post Ep141 – Alex Zaccaria (Co-founder & CEO – Linktree) on viral growth, customer focus and intuition appeared first on

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Ep134 – Jason Wilby (Co-founder & Co-CEO – Open) on risk, purpose and shared values

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2020 60:53


My guest for Ep134 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was the Co-founder & Co-CEO of Open and Huddle Insurance, Jason Wilby. In 2016, Jason and his Co-founder, Jonathan Buck, launched Huddle, Open's Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brand which is now Australia's most popular tech-driven Insurance company. The tech developed through Huddle is now the foundation for Open's B2B solution, an AI powered platform that makes financial services open, less costly and more reliable for consumers. To date, Open has raised $24M including a $3.1M Series A extension round led by AirTree. We covered a range of topics in this interview including: Balancing and managing risk when growing startupsHow to find and assess the right partners and investors for your businessBuilding and implementing company culture based on shared valuesOpen's journey to raising $24M in funding& much more! Full interview below! Show notes: Jonathan Buck (Co-founder @ Open)Auxilio VenturesLouisa Mackay (Director @ Auxilio Ventures)Hollard InsuranceOpen BankingJames Cameron (Partner @ AirTree Ventures)AirTreeLachlan Brown (Growth & Comms @ Open & Huddle)Huddle InsuranceJason Wilby (Twitter)Jason Wilby (LinkedIn) Special Thanks: Special thanks to James Cameron, Louisa Mackay and Jonathan Buck for their help with research for this interview ? . Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Joakim Karud – Dreams Other channels: Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Spotify, Soundcloud & Stitcher Audio Player. https://youtu.be/MiEj4bN3Doo The post Ep134 – Jason Wilby (Co-founder & Co-CEO – Open) on risk, purpose and shared values appeared first on Startup Playbook.

Talking HealthTech
76 - Australian HealthTech Venture Capital Panel Discussion - Niki Scevak (Blackbird Ventures), Dan Krasnostein (Square Peg Capital), Jackie Vullinghs (AirTree Ventures)

Talking HealthTech

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2020 45:11


Leading into 2020, there was already strong interest from the Australian investment community regarding healthtech solutions. Now moving into our new normal world, the use of technology in delivering better patient outcomes is no longer a novel idea, it's mission critical for Australia, and the rest of the world.  In this episode of the Talking HealthTech podcast, Peter Birch hosts a panel discussion with representatives from 3 top Venture Capital firms in Australia, who all have experience and interest in investing in health technology: - Niki Scevak: Co-Founder & Partner @Blackbird Ventures - Dan Krasnostein: Partner @Square Peg Capital - Jackie Vullinghs: Principal @AirTree Ventures Some of the topics discussed and questions answered: The Role Of Venture Capital In the healthcare ecosystem Differentiating pure healthtech versus life science-based companies Marketing healthtech products - avoiding common mistakes At what pace should healthtech companies generate investments & sales? How challenging has raising funds for a healthtech company been in 2020?  What investment opportunities do venture capitals consider?  Advice for founders seeing investment This episode was recorded as a live webinar, with over 100 attendees attending live who interacted in the session with chat, Q&A, and polls. Check out the episode and full show notes here. To see the latest information, news, events and jobs on offer at AirTree, Blackbird, and Square Peg, visit their Talking HealthTech Directory listings. 

Frazis Capital Podcast
Episode 37: Jackie Vullinghs from Airtree

Frazis Capital Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2020 59:18


Jackie Vullinghs @ Airtree 0:11 - Introducing Jackie 0:54 - University in Australia vs the UK 3:08 - Interviewing at Oxford and Cambridge 3:56 - Approach to VC interviews with company founders 5:55 - Jackie discusses AirTree's key portfolio focus (digital health, fintech, consumer) 6:48 - Companies are staying private for longer, is that good or bad? 8:38 - How sustainable are the accelerations of digital health and ecommerce? 9:57 - Low relative penetration of ecommerce in Australia 11:25 - Equity derivatives in London 13:39 - Jackie's shift to start-up, Listable, Kalo 14:50 - August tech runup & option trading 20:46 - Alex Danco: are founders allowed to lie when selling a vision? 21:58 - Short reports and long-term growth of heavily shorted companies 24:27 - Interviews are a valid test for start-up hopefuls 26:14 - Creative arts and consumer tools to monetise creative pursuits 27:58 - Online writing & Jackie's substack (https://jax.substack.com/) 31:00 - As a collective, do retail investors make money? 33:03 - Snowflake IPO 34:26 - A Cloud Guru 37:15 - B2B SaaS playbook 39:08 - Jackie discusses AirTree 40:19 - The rise of new VC funds 41:45 - Listed vs. unlisted companies 42:50 - Comparing investment memos 45:08 - Customer love, competition and growth 49:16 - Pricing and flexibility of managed funds 51:26 - External descriptions of market shifts 52:21 - Spaceship voyager & superannuation 55:33 - Real Estate investment

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Ep116 – Mina Radhakrishnan (Co-founder – Different) on frameworks for decision making

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2020 61:33


My guest for Ep116 of The Startup Playbook Podcast is Mina Radhakrishnan, the co-founder of :Different. Mina started here career at Goldman Sachs, before transitioning into the Associate Product Management (APM) Program at Google. From there she jumped into startups, initially joining ModCloth as it's first Product Manager, before moving to a small 20 person startup (at the time) Uber. She was the first product manager at Uber and later ran the company's product team for three years, leading initiatives such as new driver onboarding and the addition of other types of car services. She is also one of five inventors who jointly hold Uber's 2013 patent on surge pricing. After leaving Uber, she served as an entrepreneur in residence at startup investment firm Redpoint Ventures, and as special adviser to Cowboy Ventures. In 2017, Mina Co-founded :Different, a full-service property management platform, for just $100 a month. :Different is already managing over $1B worth of residential properties across Australia, has grown to over 50 staff and has recently closed a $7.1M series A funding round, backed by PieLAB, AirTree, Spring Capital and Warburton Group. We covered a range of topics in this interview including: Her experience as Ubers first Product ManagerFrameworks for decision makingHow to find and hire great Product ManagersHow to build relationships with investors& much more! Full interview below! Show notes: Google APM programModclothTravis Kalanick Redpoint VenturesCowboy VenturesMarissa MayerLarry PageSergey BrinInklingCraig BlairCraig Blair podcast interview (Episode 81)AirTreeVenture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson (book)Elicia McDonald podcast interview (Ep 113) Join our next live podcast interview with Fred Schebesta, the Co-founder of Finder.comDate: 23rd June 2020Time: 8-9am (AEDT)Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/Ep117Finder Feedback/connect/say hello:Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits:Music: Joakim Karud – Dreams Other channels:Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Soundcloud & Stitcher Audio Player and now also available on Spotify. https://youtu.be/zpXkguj0IsA The post Ep116 – Mina Radhakrishnan (Co-founder – Different) on frameworks for decision making appeared first on Startup Playbook.

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Ep113 – Elicia McDonald (Investment Principal – AirTree) on diligence, investment & speed

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2020 61:15


My guest for Episode 113 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Elicia McDonald, the Investment Principal at AirTree Ventures. Elicia started her career in investment banking at Credit Suisse, but her passion for the technology sector and drive to get more hands on operational experience made her take the plunge and immerse herself in sales and growth roles at a B2B SaaS startup in Sydney and in enterprise sales at LinkedIn. She then joined AirTree Ventures in 2016. AirTree is an early and growth stage venture capital fund managing over half a billion dollars of funds under management. AirTree backs technology entrepreneurs who are solving some of the world's most ambitious problems and their investments have clustered around sectors such as machine learning, energy, fintech, healthcare, and enterprise software. Elicia played a pivotal role in many of AirTree's early investments into successful startups including Huddle Insurance, :Different, Pet Circle, Expert360 and Drone Deploy. She also led investments into Flurosat and served on the board of TidyMe, seeing it through a successful exit in 2018. In 2019, Elicia was promoted to her current role as the Investment Principal at AirTree Ventures. We covered a range of topics in this interview including: How to do due diligence on potential investorsWhen and how to nail your first meeting with an investorCharacteristics of investible founding teamsA deep dive into AirTree's due diligence and investment processWhat metrics you should focus on& much more! Show notes: Diligencing your investor - a checklist for foundersOpen Source VCAirTree's Investor listAirTreeQwilrEp112: Mark Tanner (Co-founder of Qwilr) podcast interviewPoint Nine CapitalAndrew Donald (Head of Talent at AirTree)Venture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson (book)Elicia McDonald (email) Join our next live podcast interview with the Former Prime Minister of Australia and Investor, Malcolm Turnbull!Date: 2nd June 2020Time: 8-9am (AEDT)Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/Ep114MalcolmTurnbull Feedback/connect/say hello:Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits:Music: Joakim Karud – Dreams Other channels:Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Soundcloud & Stitcher Audio Player and now also available on Spotify. https://youtu.be/l5qrIhcyOy0 The post Ep113 – Elicia McDonald (Investment Principal – AirTree) on diligence, investment & speed appeared first on Startup Playbook.

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Ep112 – Mark Tanner (Co-founder & COO – Qwilr) on building the future

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2020 73:19


My guest for Episode 112 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Mark Tanner, the Co-founder & COO of Qwilr. Mark began his career working at an ebook startup during the early days of the Kindle and the iPhone, before joining Google to help forge many of the publisher partnerships that led to Google Play Books and ebooks on Android. During his time at Google, he got a first-hand look at how global communication tools were changing, and the potential future of documentations and presentations. After moving back to Australia in 2013, Mark along with his high school friend Dylan, co-founded Qwilr to reinvent the way businesses communicate through documents. As co-founder and COO, Mark manages Qwilr's sales and operations, and has helped build a totally remote, globally distributed sales team. Since raising $1.5M in 2017, Qwilr has grown from 15-40 people, expanded into the US and Europe and seen revenue double year-on-year. Qwilr recently raised a $10.8M Series A round led by AirTree, Skip Capital and Typeform co-founder, Robert Munoz. We covered a range of topics in this interview including: finding product-market fitgetting focused on your product roadmapwhen you need to shut off viral growthhow and when to hire your first sales rephow to structure the sales team and compensation packages as you scale& much more! Show notes: Marc AndreesenProduct-User fit comes before Product-Market fit (blog)12 things about Product-Market fit (blog)Dylan Baskind (Co-founder of Qwilr)Garry Visontay (Partner at Right Click Capital)Right Click CapitalSydney Seed FundGoogle WaveMatt Hodges Jobs to be doneAirtableNotionRobert MunozPedro MagricoInfluence: the psychology of persuasion (book)How to win friends and influence people (book)Spin selling (book)New Sales Simplified (book)The challenger sale (book)Predictable revenue (book)Crossing the chasm (book) Join our next live podcast interview with the Investment Principle at AirTree Ventures, Elicia McDonald!Date: 26th May 2020Time: 8-9am (AEDT)Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/Ep113AirTree Feedback/connect/say hello:Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits:Music: Joakim Karud – Dreams Other channels:Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Soundcloud & Stitcher Audio Player and now also available on Spotify. https://youtu.be/i4CyC5Gw8sE The post Ep112 – Mark Tanner (Co-founder & COO – Qwilr) on building the future appeared first on Startup Playbook.

Law Squared Podcast
Episode 02: Revolutionising the Education Industry with Mark Woodland

Law Squared Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2019 25:14


Mark Woodland – Founder & CEO of @MyXplor In this episode Mark shares his journey from the army through to selling his childcare business and eventually starting MyXplor. Before Mark joined the army he was far from the average child, passing through 13 schools in total. Starting out as a Forward Observer and working his way up to a psychological examiner in the army, Mark has had some incredible experiences. While Mark was away working in the army his mum decided to leave her long term career as a teacher and start her own childcare centre. Her passion for teaching was so strong however teaching in a school and running a child care business weren’t quite as aligned as she had hoped. After some calls with Mark, she convinced him to leave the army and to assist her in running her child care centre. Upon his return, Mark soon realised that the childcare industry was highly regulated with strict processes and heavy administrative burden which he hadn’t quite foreshadowed.  There was so much admin involved that it almost became a full time job just signing parents in and out of the centre. He thought there had to be a better way. It was here that MyXplor was born. Mark set out to build a technology solution for his own centres and upon opening up a 200 spot centre with his technology, he saw the true power and potential for MyXplor. One of the first problems to solve in childcare centres was the way parents signed children in. The technology has only grown and evolved from here. After the success in his own centre and the eventual sale of that centre, Mark talks about the revolution MyXplor has led in the implementation of technology in child care centres. Mark has a growing team in Melbourne (over 70) and a team of 5 in the UK with a strong culture. Mark has led MyXplor in two major capital raises both led by AirTree Ventures. Mark credits AirTree for helping his growth over the years. An inspiring entrepreneur, a dear friend and client of our firm, we loved chatting with Mark and know you too will love his story.

Business Is Boring
Meet one of the Australian-based Venture Capitalists investing in local businesses

Business Is Boring

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2019 39:11


Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. This week he talks to John Henderson, partner at Airtree.One thing that we talk about a lot on this show is what it takes to make an idea successful, but one part that doesn't always get raised, but that is perhaps one of the top factors, is getting the access to the right capital at the right time. Not getting access to the funds at the right time to grow equals failure. Getting capital that demands you do the wrong things spells trouble. Getting capital and not spending it well spells trouble.It is an industry where one win can carry ten losses, and changes in markets, technology and personnel can turn a sure fire bet into a tanker, and vice versa.It's an area that fascinates. People like the team from A16Z have done a great job in popularizing the founder centric VC and approach, and the way some of their influences have been portrayed on shows like Silicon Valley mean that the VC process in pop culture is seen as a big exciting chase. But what's it really like? What kind of people can do it? And if you are a company with a big dream how do you get a top VC behind you?Well this Business is Boring guest is here to help. John Henderson is a partner at one of Australasia's leading VC firms, Airtree. They have investments in great companies like 90 Seconds Canva, Prospa and Joyous. John came back to Australia after being a founding Principal at transatlantic venture firm White Star Capital where they invested in well known companies like Dollar Shave Club, and he got into VC through being part of successful companies like Summly and Facebook, and early in his career, management consulting. T o talk what it's like and how it works, John joined the podcast. Listen below for the full interview, and see below for a short transcribed excerpt. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Open the Pod Bay Doors
E50 - Sunrise Island Special, Part 2

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2018 59:35


We're back with our second ‘Sunrise Island’ special of Open The Pod Bay Doors. A few weeks ago, the Innovation Bay team along with over 1000 founders, investors, students & enthusiasts, set-sail for the infamous Cockatoo Island, also known as, Sunrise Island.Blackbird Ventures annual conference was back, bigger and better than ever. The day long event featured inspiring keynote speakers, an abundance of workshops (powered by Zambesi), mentor sessions with Startmate, and plenty of opportunities to network. You could feel a real buzz on the island as the best of #startupaus caught up with old and new faces in the ecosystem.Sunrise is the celebration of Australian startup founders. Sunrise organiser and Blackbird Head of Community, Joel Connolly said it best. “It’s time to start celebrating startup founders in the same way we celebrate artists, sports heroes, and politicians.”In that same vein, these two episode strive to highlight and share the successes and learnings of founders and others within the vibrant community. And so, with mics-in-hand, Ian and Phaedon set out to speak with as many people as they could, interviewing the keynote speakers of the day and chatting with a bunch of Sunrise Island dwellers.In this episode we talked to main stage speakers:Sam Scilia: HostPlusPhaedon caught up with Sam Sicilia Chief Investment Officer at Super fund, Hostplus. Hostplus is Australia's biggest tech VC backer, Sam has almost deployed $1Billion into Australian venture capital, including Blackbird Ventures, Brandon Capital Carthona Capital, Main Sequence Ventures, and Square Peg Capital. Sam has developed a reputation as forward-thinking advocate focusing on tech-led innovation for the future prosperity of the Australian economy. Sam was kind enough to share Hostplus' ethos, his predictions for the market, particularly how we should expect to see more Super funds allocating funds to venture capital, as well as what Aussie startups are exciting him. On behalf of #startupaus we'd like to say thank you to Sam for the vote of confidence and for backing the industry!Tobi Pearce, SweatNow this is an incredible founder story. Ian grabbed Tobi Pearce before he hit the main stage to share his founder journey. Tobi and his fiancée Kayla Itsines are the founders of Sweat, a women's health and fitness content company. Tobi and Kayla were both personal trainers in Adelaide but they wanted to reach a larger audience all around the world. They have over 30 million dedicated users worldwide, have raised no external capital, over 100 employees, and are on track for $100 million in annual revenue! Tobi tells us about the tech systems they've built to help scale the business, how they are managing a much larger team, and the challenges of moving from 'hands-on founder' to strategic CEO. An amazing founder and business.Katherine McConnell, BrightKatherine is the founder and CEO of Brighte, Australia's leading on the spot finance platform for solar, batteries & your next home improvement. Brighte's growth and Katherine journey over the past 3 years is impressive, earlier in the year they announced a Series B funding round raised $18.5 million which included high profile investors AirTree, Grok Ventures and Skip Capital. Katherine talks candidly about the highs and lows of being a startup founder, does and don'ts when hiring, and how success changes as a business grows.We also stopped to chat familiar faces in the #startupaus community:Alex McCauley - StartupAusAndrea Gardiner - Jelix VenturesRhett Sampson - GT SystemsAdrian Mullen - NorbyWe hope you enjoy these special episodes from Sunrise Island. Thanks for having us Sunrise and we can't wait to return next year!

Open the Pod Bay Doors
E48 - Craig Blair, AirTree Ventures

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2018 57:56


This week, we ‘Open The Pod Bay Doors’ with Craig Blair, cofounder and managing partner of AirTree Ventures – a startup venture fund on a mission to invest in ambitious founders who are looking to transform industry’s with software.AirTree like to be on the journey with founder from the beginning, often writing the first cheque. The first fund in 2014 was $60M which they deployed in 2 years, making 24 investments; this included early cheques in some of Australia’s startup darlings, like Prospa and Canva. The fund is tracking well with all 24 businesses still operating.The second fund increased five-times to an incredible $250M in 2016, with 15 investments made so far. The larger fund has given AirTree more operating capital to deploy into support services like a talent function to service their portfolio companies to help them build great teams for growth. This model is common in the US and UK, but in Australia it’s still a novel concept due to the limited number of funds and their size. 60% of fund two has been deployed, with new early seed investments a low as $250k and follow on investments as large as $20M in later stages.Craig believe it’s never been easier to raise Seed round ($250-500K) in Australia, raising a post-Seed and Series A is becoming more challenging Funding is drying up globally – it’s getting harder to raise Seed-Series A. Recent years saw valuation corrections for some of the global Unicorns, meaning a lot of money has left the VC space. Craig's advice for those looking to get into VC is to ideally have founder or product experience – you need the knowledge of how to build team, raise money, operate well, and ship product to be able empathise with founders. Plus you need to develop your own thesis – think deeply about what you think the world will look like in the future.Prior to AirTree Ventures, Craig managed a $40M fund, Netus, with AirTree cofounder Daniel Petre and Alison Deans. It was acquired by Fairfax in 2012.Craig is a founder at heart. He’s founded a number of businesses, raised venture financing and achieved several exits. Craig founded Travelselect (1998) a venture-backed online travel company based in the UK that successfully exited to lastminute.com in 2002, Beamly Australia (2012) a TV second screen business backed by Comcast/NBC, Sky and Network Ten, and was founding Chairman of PetCircle (2012) – Australia’s leading subscription e-commerce player for pet owners. He’s spent as long in the startup world as anyone in this space.Craig recently returned from a 5 month family trip to the South of France - where he still closed a deal in a San Francisco-based company – tres bien! During this time Craig visited Station F, an enormous startup hub in Paris which is home to over 1000 startups, with every major VC and angel having a presence. He thinks a major startup prescient in Australia is vital to the evolution and strengthening of the ecosystem. The tech trends that Craig and AirTree are excited about are niche applications of AI software – recent investments include FluroSat (agtech) Earth AI (geology) They’re also looking at new platforms like crypto, robotics, quantum computing that wills interesting businesses built on top of them over the coming years.This is a great and clarifying conversation about the economics of VC funds, advice on how to get into venture, and the future trends in technology with someone who is as passionate as ever about helping founders. Thanks to Craig for sharing his deep knowledge and insights with us.

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Ep084 – James Cameron (Partner – Airtree VC) on searching for outliers

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2018 57:26


My guest for Episode 84 of The Startup Playbook Podcast is James Cameron, Partner at Airtree Ventures. James started his career as a lawyer before jumping into launching startups himself. He used an unsuccessful attempt at raising capital as an opportunity to build relationships which led him to joining Accel. Accel has gone on to raise over $10B of funding to invest in early stage startups with it's portfolio including the likes of Facebook, Dropbox, MyFitnessPal, Atlassian and Slack to name a few. Roughly 12 months ago, James moved back to Australia to become a Partner at Airtree Ventures, one of the leading VC funds in the country. Airtree's 2nd fund of $250M is one of the largest in Australia and they also count some of the best local startups in the portfolio including Canva, Prospa and HyperAnna. We covered a range of topics in this interview including: The 2 things that the most successful founders obsess over Why effective leaders are empathetic The importance of founder's mental health Selling through storytelling The process to hire an effective VP of Sales   WATCH ON YOUTUBE PLAYBOOK MEDIA – Growth through Data-Driven Storytelling THE E-COMMERCE PLAYBOOK ACCELEPRISE AUSTRALIA STARTUP PLAYBOOK HUSTLE APPLICATION    Show notes: - The Twenty Minute VC - Airtree - Bipsync - Accel - Daniel Petre - Craig Blair - Natalie Nguyen - Manish Jain - Anil Sabharwal Feedback/ connect/ say hello:  Rohit@startupplaybook.co @playbookstartup (Twitter) @rohitbhargava7 (Twitter – Rohit) Rohit Bhargava (LinkedIn) Credits: Intro music credit to Bensound Other channels: Watch the video on Youtube here. Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Stitcher & Soundcloud The post Ep084 – James Cameron (Partner – Airtree VC) on searching for outliers appeared first on Startup Playbook.

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Ep081 – Craig Blair (Managing Partner – Airtree Ventures) on the need for ambition

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2018 33:41


My guest for Episode 81 of The Startup Playbook Podcast is Craig Blair, the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Airtree Ventures. Airtree is one of the leading and largest VC funds in Australia, managing a $250M fund to be deployed in companies from seed to Series C and beyond. Some of the companies in their portfolio include Canva, Prospa, Edrolo and Brosa. Prior to starting Airtree, Craig had extensive experience in building and growing companies. He was the founder of three software businesses including Travelselect, one of the early online travel companies in the UK, Beamly Australia (formally known as zeebox) and the founding Chairman of PetCircle, Australia's largest online Pet ecommerce player. After moving back to Australia, Craig started the Netus fund with Daniel Petre, his co-founder at Airtree. Over the 5 years of the Netus fund, Craig and Daniel provided a 4x cash on cash return on investment making it one of the most successful VC funds in Australia. In this interview, we spoke about: Learning from positive feedback loops The importance of timing What Airtree looks for in investment opportunities How to attract the right talent The Airtree investment process   WATCH ON YOUTUBE PLAYBOOK MEDIA – Growth through Data-Driven Storytelling THE E-COMMERCE PLAYBOOK ACCELEPRISE AUSTRALIA STARTUP PLAYBOOK HUSTLE APPLICATION    Show notes: Daniel Petre Netus Travelselect/ Lastminute.com Expedia Zeebox/Beamly Airtree Airtree's resource docs Edrolo Prospa Craig Blair (Twitter) Craig Blair (email)   Feedback/ connect/ say hello:  Rohit@startupplaybook.co @playbookstartup (Twitter) @rohitbhargava7 (Twitter – Rohit) Rohit Bhargava (LinkedIn) Credits: Intro music credit to Bensound Other channels: Watch the video on Youtube here. Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Stitcher & Soundcloud The post Ep081 – Craig Blair (Managing Partner – Airtree Ventures) on the need for ambition appeared first on Startup Playbook.

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Hustle Ep008 – Matt Jones (Co-founder – Honee) on selling effectively

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2018 46:15


My guest for Episode 8 of The Startup Playbook Hustle is Matt Jones, the Co-founder of beauty and wellness platform Honee. Matt started his career at ANZ before leaving to start his own startup. Unfortunately things didn't go to plan with this idea, but instead of heading back into the corporate space, Matt joined DeliveryHero, which at that time was at an early stage in their penetration into the Australian market, taking them to 4400 restaurants before getting poached by Groupon. He was then sent to Singapore to lead Quandoo's expansion into the APAC market, soon overtaking the major local competitors before coming back to Australia to join Zomato after the UrbanSpoon acquisition, where he scaled the business to over 100 people, 7 verticals and over $1M in revenue. Matt was then able to take all of these experiences and come full circle to launch Honee, a beauty and wellness online platform. Since launching in early 2016, Honee has signed up over 10,000 venues across Sydney and Melbourne offering more than 200,000 services. They have also recently graduated from the Startmate Accelerator program and closed a $1.8M seed round from Blackbird Ventures as well as a number of Angel Investors. In this episode we talk about: The need to fail quickly How to ask for feedback Deciding when to pivot How to train sales teams   Video recording of the Podcast (now on Youtube) PLAYBOOK MEDIA – Growth through Data-Driven Storytelling THE E-COMMERCE PLAYBOOK ACCELEPRISE AUSTRALIA STARTUP PLAYBOOK HUSTLE APPLICATION    Show notes - Delivery Hero - Quandoo - Zomato - Zomato's Urbanspoon acquisition - Deepinder Goyal - Pankaj Chaddah - Honee - Sean Qian - Collective Campus - Nick Chang - Nicole So - Startup Victoria - James Cameron - Airtree - Blackbird - Startmate - Nick Crocker - Matt Jones (email) Feedback/ connect/ say hello:  Rohit@startupplaybook.co @playbookstartup (Twitter) @rohitbhargava7 (Twitter – Rohit) Rohit Bhargava (LinkedIn) Credits: Intro music credit to Bensound Other channels: Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Stitcher & Soundcloud The post Hustle Ep008 – Matt Jones (Co-founder – Honee) on selling effectively appeared first on Startup Playbook.

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Hustle Ep005 – Heidi Holmes & Lucy Lloyd (Mentorloop) on the hurdle test

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2017 36:01


My guests for Episode 5 of The Startup Playbook Hustle are Heidi Holmes and Lucy Lloyd, the co-founders of Mentorloop. Heidi and Lucy have been friends for over 20 years, initially meeting at school before initially heading down different career paths. Prior to Mentorloop, Heidi was the Managing Director of Adage, an online jobs board that was acquired by OneShift in early 2015, whereas Lucy spent several years with tech and development agencies before reconnecting and discussing the initial idea for Mentorloop over a glass of wine. That idea turned into a Mentorloop, which provides mentoring software that enables businesses to match their people into effective mentorships at any scale. Mentorloop was recently accepted into and went through the highly competitive Startmate accelerator program and announced a partnership with the Australian Olympic Committee. The success and growth of Mentorloop has allowed them to raise $1M of funding from a number of investors including Blackbird Ventures, Rampersand and Tempus Partners. In this episode we talk about: How to get buy-in from your first few customers Passing the hurdle test Finding a technical co-founder vs outsourcing development A detailed breakdown of Mentorloop's fundraising process   PLAYBOOK MEDIA – 10X your growth through Data-Driven Storytelling STARTUP PLAYBOOK HUSTLE APPLICATION   Show notes: Adage KPMG Common Code Startmate Airtree Airtree investor spreadsheet Trello Mark Suster Invest in Lines not Dots - Both Sides of the Table (blog) Rampersand Heidi Holmes Lucy Lloyd Heidi's ask: Intro's to HR Managers Lucy's ask: Talented people to join Mentorloop with a Development or Marketing background Feedback/ connect/ say hello:  Rohit@startupplaybook.co @playbookstartup (Twitter) @rohitbhargava7 (Twitter – Rohit) Rohit Bhargava (LinkedIn) Credits: Intro music credit to Bensound Other channels: Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Stitcher & Soundcloud Want to be featured on an upcoming episode? Fill out the Application Form: STARTUP PLAYBOOK HUSTLE APPLICATION   The post Hustle Ep005 – Heidi Holmes & Lucy Lloyd (Mentorloop) on the hurdle test appeared first on Startup Playbook.

The Startup Playbook Podcast
Ep074 – Martin Wells (Founder & Advisor) on the minimum viable customer

The Startup Playbook Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2017 54:35


My guest for Episode 74 of The Startup Playbook Podcast is serial founder, CTO and startup advisor Martin Wells. Martin is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience as a Founder, CTO, VP Product and VP Engineering focused on building and growing digital products and services and having successfully founded and exited 3 businesses. Some of the many highlights of Martin's career include: Founding Intercom, one of Australia's first Internet Service Providers, Managing a team of 45 as Founder & CTO of Dot Communications which was acquired by Clarity in 2007 VP Product of chat service migme, where he helped grow the product to 50 million users Founder and CTO of Playcraft Labs: a high-performance HTML5 game engine with 15,000 developers which was acquired by MinoGames in February 2013. At MinoGames, he was the Lead Engineer/CTO on MinoMonsters, an iOS and Android game achieving more than 15 million downloads and #1 grossing rank in 22 countries He now spends the majority of his time as an Advisor to more than 30 companies, raising over $200m in VC funding and assisting in 10 acquisitions In this interview we talk about: The model for growth Deciding when to sell The minimum viable customer How to focus on the right things   PLAYBOOK MEDIA – Growth through Data-Driven Storytelling STARTUP PLAYBOOK HUSTLE APPLICATION   Show notes: Intercom Telstra Dodo Mike Arrington TechCrunch Mick Liubinskas Phil Morle Julia French Jeff Hammerbacher Cloudera Migme Steven Goh Playcraft Labs Mino Games Founders for Founders TechCrunch Battlefield Main Sequence Ventures Dropbox Airbnb Mike Cannon-Brookes Accel VC Chris Saad Airtree Daniel Petre Craig Blair John Henderson James Cameron Larry Marshall Martin Wells (Email) Martin Wells (LinkedIn) Feedback/ connect/ say hello:  Rohit@startupplaybook.co @playbookstartup (Twitter) @rohitbhargava7 (Twitter – Rohit) Rohit Bhargava (LinkedIn) Credits: Intro music credit to Bensound Other channels: Don't have iTunes? The podcast is also available on Stitcher & Soundcloud The post Ep074 – Martin Wells (Founder & Advisor) on the minimum viable customer appeared first on Startup Playbook.

Open the Pod Bay Doors
E09 - VC Panel with Paul Bassat (Squarepeg), Craig Blair (Airtree) and Kara Frederick (Reinventure)

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2017 66:15


We held an Innovation Bay event in Melbourne recently where we hosted Partners from three of the country's best VCs (Airtree, Reinventure and Squarepeg). Between them they represent almost $750m of Venture Capital and have made around 60 investments between them. Fascinating discussion covering the background of Australia's VC sector, where it has got to now, some of the upcoming trends and what the future holds. 

Open the Pod Bay Doors
E01 Daniel Petre - Airtree Ventures

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2017 76:09


Daniel is one of the most successful Venture Capitalists in Australia. He is a founder of Airtree Ventures, a technology-focused venture capital company. Prior to Airtree Ventures he was the Founding Chairman of netus (a technology investment company acquired by Fairfax Media in 2013) and prior to this role he founded Australia's largest internet investment company, ecorp. The returns to investors from all of these funds were nothing short of extraordinary - eg Netus invested in and exited nine companies over a six-year period, delivering a 4x cash-on-cash return to investors. Prior to that he held several senior executive roles with Microsoft, including reporting to Bill Gates and running the APAC region for Microsoft. He was recently appointed to the federal government's "Innovation and Science Australia" Board. He is a noted and vocal philanthropist, and currently serves on the Sydney Theatre Company Board and the advisory boards for the UNSW Australia Business School and the University of Sydney Medical School. He is also an adjunct professor at the Business School of the University of Sydney and the Business School of UNSW Australia.Daniel is incredibly smart and articulate. And he has been known to be quite opinionated.  He's also a remarkable predictor of the future. Delighted that Daniel was my first guest. Enjoy and please let me know your feedback.

The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
20VC: Start Niche, Move Broader & Become Profitable Quickly with Melanie Perkins, Founder & CEO @ Canva

The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2016 26:01


Melanie Perkins, Founder & CEO at Canva the disruptive online platform allowing anyone to create professional quality designs. They have over 10m users from 179 countries and have funding from our friends at Shasta, Felicis and upcoming guests Blackbird Ventures and Airtree in Australia. Prior to Canva, Melanie was the Fusion Yearbooks which she grew to be the largest Yearbook publisher in Australia.  In Today’s Episode You Will Learn: 1.) How did Melanie come to found Canva, what was the a-ha moment for her? 2.) How has Melanie looked to  scale the team whilst maintaining the same core startup values and company ethos? What are the strategies at play here? 3.) What does it take to grow in international markets? Where were the benefits of founding Canva in the isolated tech ecosystem of Perth?? 4.) What did Melanie look for in her investors? As a newbie to the VC scene how did she approach the fundraising process and what would she like to improve on? 5.) How can products that have both a free and a paid model offer enough in the free version to entice users, whilst retain enough for the paid to justify the price? Items Mentioned In Today’s Episode:  Melanie’s Fave Book: Designing The Obvious As always you can follow The Twenty Minute VC, Harry and Melanie on Twitter here! If you would like to see a more colourful side to Harry with many a mojito session, you can follow him on Instagram here!   The Twenty Minute VC is brought to you by Leesa, the Warby Parker or TOMS shoes of the mattress industry. Lees have done away with the terrible mattress showroom buying experience by creating a luxury premium foam mattress that is order completely online and ships for free to your doorstep. The 10 inch mattress comes in all sizes and is engineered with 3 unique foam layers for a universal, adaptive feel, including 2 inches of memory foam and 2 inches of a really cool latex foam called Avena, design to keep you cool. All Leesa mattresses are 100% US or UK made and for every 10 mattresses they sell, they donate one to a shelter. Go to Leesa.com/VC and enter the promo code VC75 to get $75 off!