In this week's episode: Med-Gemini Instagram dubbing. Follow the ball? Australia’s fastest growing companies. Introducing the Salary Efficiency Ratio from Edward Keelan. AI company growth rates. From selling access to selling work. Inside Swoop Aero's fall from $100 million buyout offer to liquidation. Hostplus’ $125m VC bet signals super’s resurgent interest in start-ups. Scale takes aim at Australia's venture gender gap with $100m fund. This VC for elite athletes is launching its first fund. M...
Nov 28, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 89
Ben Thompson is the CEO and co-founder of Employment Hero, a platform revolutionizing how small and medium-sized businesses manage their HR, payroll, and benefits. With a mission to make employment easier and more rewarding for everyone, Ben has been at the forefront of driving innovation in the workforce management space. Under his leadership, Employment Hero has grown to serve businesses globally, empowering teams with tools that foster productivity and engagement. This episode discusses topic...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 88
In this weeks episode: AI get s rich. Chegg: a cautionary tale the large AI companies eating the smaller ones. Employment Hero abruptly changed course on strategy. Just don't call it a pivot. The tech industry must evolve beyond ‘problematic geniuses’. Carta Data: 50% of employees depart within three years. Luke Anear to step down as SafetyCulture CEO, transition to executive chair role. Canva poaches Zoom’s chief financial officer. Starting a company vs starting a fund. hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Nov 22, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 87
In this weeks episode: Directionally right: where the SaaS market is going- lower prices even if you survive. AI voice agents map by Bessemer. Decidr.ai AI parallel world https://youtu.be/MiPXWf_8BUs AI Chat Bot https://youtu.be/zRT86TKMaKA AI CRM automation https://youtu.be/ta2hGRlmtm0 AI natural language search: https://youtu.be/yHDhgw9AEAw Scalare completes ASX l isting. Trump wins: what founders can learn from Trump. Fintech non-bank lender Bridgit has secured a $250 million facilit y with C...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 86
In this weeks episode: AI voice bots becoming functional for sales and support. AI using video to remove the SaaS and the human. AI being used to hire staff. Smart pre-launch strategies using networks and fomo. Channels are changing too. House sold using ticktoc. Canva creates specific AI team. Sharts: hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 85
In this episode, Aaron and Don dial in from Denver and share their thoughts from the Tribe 2024 US Expansion Mission with Ash and Jack.
Nov 03, 2024•45 min•Ep. 84
Today we are joined by Chris Gillings , founder of Cut Through Venture and part of the Venture Capital investment team an Five V Capital. Chris talk to us about key aspects of the Q3 2024 Australia Venture Capital Funding report which you can access here. The report is a data-driven analysis of Australia’s venture capital ecosystem, released quarterly to inform investors, founders, and the wider startup community about current market trends and dynamics. The report compiles comprehensive data on...
Oct 27, 2024•24 min•Ep. 83
In this weeks episode: SXSW: Australian founders have some advice for government. Founder Mode by Paul Graham. Harry Stebbing raises Europe's largest venture fund of 2024. Drone start-up Swoop Aero crashes to earth, enters administration. Disrupt Radio, the media startup about startups, is hoping to stage a live comeback next month. What do VC’s do all day. Themes of the week. Sharts: hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 82
T om Humphrey is a venture capital investor with Blackbird , one of Australia's leading venture capital firms. At Blackbird, he focuses on partnering with early-stage technology startups and providing the guidance and capital necessary to help these companies scale. With a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem, Tom is known for his strategic insights into what it takes for founders to build transformative businesses. Before joining Blackbird, Tom had extensive experience as COO of Kanopy, ...
Oct 21, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 81
Tom Waterhouse , renowned racing identity turned venture capitalist, joins us on the podcast to share his journey from the world of racing to founding his investment firm, Waterhouse VC . Tom founded Waterhouse VC in 2019, focusing on investing in global businesses related to the wagering and gaming sectors. The fund primarily invests in B2B services to wagering operators rather than consumer-facing companies. They target companies that provide essential services to wagering operators. This incl...
Oct 16, 2024•55 min•Ep. 80
In this weeks episode: Q3 2024 Cut Through Venture Report: VC funding plummets again as mega deals r emain elusive. $3b Queensland unicorn Go1’s investors prep secondary. Bookings platform Attekus raises $5m from Five V, QIC Ventures. Brisbane recycling social enterprise Circonomy placed in voluntary liquidation. VC firm Antler exceeds target for second Australian fund. Google NotebookLM. Sharts: hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 79
In this week's episode: 'Venture capital is broken': Scalare pitches backdoor IPO as VCs question model. Ed Keelan of Octopus Ventures releases Losing Product Market Fit part 3. Startmate returns. Cannon-Brookes-backed millennial super fund Spaceship snapped up by eToro in $80 million merger. VC's looking for low hanging M&A fruit. Is the SaaS era over? SaaS Growth is cooling but free trials are converting at double the rate to freemium models. What are your competitors doing? By Magic Breif...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 78
In this week's episode: Eucalyptus pauses Compound, its $1000-a-month men's longevity program . The curious case of scale-up advisory's backdoor ASX listing via a defunct lolly shop. The lines between equity, secondary sales and debt are blurring. "You gotta burn to earn", but how much is too much? DAAS capital: Death-as-a-service platform Willed raises $3 million as media company Seven signs on. Great listener questions: Investment into the GP How IC's work Sharts hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 77
In this weeks episode: Investor Adir Shiffman must pay Sleeping Duck co-founders' legal costs, c ourt orders. Startup Dail y Awards. Persistence. Persistence combined with the right focus. Build it and the likely wont come. Australia’s startup scene has delivered the 3rd-highest liquidity behind the U.S. and China, new analysis shows. AI getting rid of internal systems at Klana. Bluejay AI goes into liquidation owing approximately $8million. Snake oil’: Don’t believe the artificial intelligence ...
Sep 19, 2024•54 min•Ep. 76
In this weeks episode: Why Uber abandoned Carshare for Turo. Losing product market fit. Ed Keelan's Part 2 Blog. SafetyCulture raises $165Mil in primary and secondary at $2.5 billion valuation. Calling it a $165Mil raise is not right by Simon Thomsen. You can raise $10Mil and still walk away with zero. Why Startup Marketers Should Be Diagnosticians — Advice from OpenAI's and Stripe's Firs t Marketing Hire . Beware of marketing personas. Taking advice from founders and investors. VC red flags Sha...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 75
In this week's episode: Nvidia slumps on earnings day. AustralianSuper takes billion-dollar hit on venture capital failure. Super funds squeezed out of VC. Uber scraps $105m Aussie car-sharing division. Drive Mate hopes to fill Uber's gap. Startups shutting down at a greater rate. Losing product market fit by Ed Keelan. Retention.com cuts staff, talks about loosing PMF. Early DPI may not be a good thing. Sharts: hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Sep 01, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 74
In this weeks episode of Tribe Talkin': Blackbird and Canva not to happy about leakers of Leonardo.ai deal details . Jesse Wu departs Afterwork Ventures. Investors back ‘unicorn’ Go1 CEO swap, as IPO plans emerge . Edtech LoveHeart AI schools up on $2.3 million Seed round . Crowdfunding firm Equitise seeks survival funding after ‘diabolical’ 18 months. Outbound i s dead. hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Aug 25, 2024•52 min•Ep. 73
On this weeks episode of Tribe Talkin': Man baby owner of X/Twitter is suing a group of advertisers and major companies, accusing them of unlawfully agreeing to "boycott" the site. Flippa's CEO says he's been told not to publicise VC exits that aren't fund returners because they don't fit the narrative. Is it easier to get $200million than $2million? Shunned by banks and major funds, Sircel managed to secure $5 million. Loan Bio lays off the majority of its staff in the US after six months. 5 ex...
Aug 15, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 72
In this weeks episode: TEN13 passes $100M invested. OneVentures launches new $200m fund to address the lack of growth stage funding in Australia. Australian venture capital firms face a battle for their future. Leonardo was finding it harder and harder before the Canva acquisition . Hundreds of millions of people have tried ChatGPT, but most of them haven’t been back. Retail AI start up Hivery backed written down to Zero. Big players will continue to ramp up investment in AI capacity. hello@trib...
Aug 07, 2024•49 min•Ep. 71
Jul 31, 2024•55 min•Ep. 70
In this great episode of Founder Focus, we are joined by Wayne Gerard . Wayne is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Redeye , a cloud-based Engineering Drawing Management System that enables organisations to securely store, markup, and collaborate on engineering drawings and documents from any device. Redeye was acquired by Accruent . Accruent is a global provider of solutions for unifying the built environment. Wayne founded Prtnr Ventures (pronounced Partner) is an investment and advisory company...
Jul 26, 2024•50 min•Ep. 69
In this weeks episode: ESOP fine print. "Losing money is an under-appreciated asset with our strategy" Ubers early backers. Microsoft has become Canva’s most dangerous competitor? Construction safety scaleup HammerTech nails $105 million raise. Workplace talent management platform SeenCulture has raised $1 million. Eye of the tiger in founders by Phil Morle. Airtree: IPO’s and exits. Entrepreneurial activity on the Gold Coast is among the highest in the world. Sharts: hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Jul 24, 2024•46 min•Ep. 68
In this weeks episode: Federation's Sendle deal draws intense VC scrutiny as fresh terms offered. US on track to cut i nterest rates. “Investment ready vs ready for investment” - Marc Orchard Timing between seed and series A. Tesla tumbles on report of delayed Robotaxi unveiling. Behind the scenes of the Archegos collapse. Behind Eucalyptus' big bet that men will spend $1,000 a month on their health. Failure is built into the system. Michael Fox moving to London. Why is Woolies having success wh...
Jul 22, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 67
In this weeks episode: Cut Through Quarterly 2Q 2024 . Mega VC deals are back - but new founders face a big problem. Rise of the robot investors: is AI about to e at VC's lunch? Can we be better than a monkey t hrowing darts? The greatest angel investment in history: Forrest Gump. Using AI shows you have a low IQ? PE eying startups as VCs abandon later stages. PE terms are far more aggressive than VCs. Booktopia goes into VA. Universal Hydrogen goes into VA. Sharts: hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Jul 11, 2024•57 min•Ep. 66
Our guest for this episode of Founder Focus is Matt Vitale , co-founder and CEO of Birchal , Australia's leading equity crowdfunding platform. In this episode, Matt discusses his transition from law to co-founding Birchal and explains how the concept of crowdsource funding evolved and its impact on enabling small businesses to raise capital from retail investors. Other topics include: Keys to successful crowdfunding campaigns. His goals for collaboration between crowdfunding and professional ang...
Jul 10, 2024•50 min•Ep. 64
Our guest for this episode of Investor Focus is Chris Gillings , founder of Cut Through Venture and part of the Venture Capital investment team an Five V/ Capital. Chris spent a decade in the US working in venture capital including on the corporate side for MasterCard. Moving back to Australia, Chris started Cut Through Venture to fill a data gap in the Australian ecosystem, not well covered by global platforms. This episode discusses the most recent Cut Through Venture quarterly report ...
Jul 10, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 65
In this weeks episode: US Presidential election. We're so screwed. AI helping with p itch decks. How accelerators can prove their worth. Bank VCs Expecting young VCs to start failing. Good vibes from Square Peg. 1Breadcrumbs in $4M raise. Samsara completes $100M Series A raise. SaaS metrics required to complete Series A. Sharts hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Jul 04, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 63
In this weeks episode: Telstra Ventures rebrands to Titanium. Skalata the most active investor in Australia. GYG goes public. Founder ownership at IPO . Cettire CFO likely tax bill after stock drops 50%. Canva claw back of share rights if you publicly criticise the company. But is this uncommon? Time from seed to Series A lengthening. Employment Hero's Series F raise my be its last. Employment Hero's CEO suggests Superfunds should invest 1% of capital in startups. Pitchbook report into the Austr...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 62
On this weeks episode: Adir Shiffman losing a lengthy court battle with one of his own portfolio companies, online mattress business Sleeping Duck. To be in the top 1% of podcasters, you just need to do 21 episodes. Elon gets his options approved again. Pitching for PR. Tips from Jessy Wu. Bessemer shares their anti-portfolio. How VCs become assholes. Joan Westenberg article in Startup Daily "The reason why most VCs don’t invest in women-led startups is much simpler than many think". Sharts: hel...
Jun 20, 2024•57 min•Ep. 61
In this weeks episode: Debrief of the Tiribe UK expansion mission Nvidia crosses the $3 Trillion market cap. Are YC valuations inflated? Post by Yotam Rosenbaum. Imposter syndrome in founders. Psylo raises $8million. Deputy expanding into the US and the UK. Advise on pitch decks by Alan Jones. 13% of VC''s don't plan to raise another f und. Sharts: hello@tribeglobal.vc...
Jun 16, 2024•50 min•Ep. 60
