While much digital ink has been spilt in recent months discussing the state of the global economy, its impact on the valuations of listed tech companies and the funding environment for startups, a chunk of companies continues to receive new investment. Investors have become more circumspect about the growth plans put forward by founders, spending… Read more »
I recently took part in a one-day workshop on business strategy. Run by Harvard Business School professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee, he outlined a framework for how companies can achieve more by doing less and argues whether you’re a large business with multiple product lines or a startup that’s chasing a burgeoning market opportunity, by following a… Read more »
Last month, I mentioned a recent trip to North America where after meeting with many investors and founders across different stages and sectors, I counselled startup founders to brace for turbulence. Since the beginning of the year, major share market indices are down, with some tech company indices down even more. Inflation across developed countries… Read more »
I was in North America last month where I met with lots of investors and founders, across different stages and sectors, from around the region. Some focused on early-stage consumer-oriented startups where they observed a pickup in the velocity of founder pitches for both novel and copycat businesses. Others were later-stage investors who observed that… Read more »
Last week I was at an international board meeting. While we’ve met countless times using Zoom over the last two years, it was our first in-person meeting since the beginning of 2020. Expectations were high as we welcomed new board members and reconnected with existing board members. There were lots to catch up on,… Read more »
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been having conversations with several founders about employee share ownership plans (ESOPs). An important ingredient of many fast-growing startups, ESOPs are used to align key team members to the long-term success of the business by providing them with exposure to the growth in equity value of the startup. Once… Read more »
The Australian Open captures the hearts and minds of Australians for the last two weeks of January each year. This year was no different, especially with the dream run of the world’s number one tennis player, Ash Barty, as she cruised into the finals of the grand slam. Despite being down in the second… Read more »
Strategy. It’s one of the most misused words in business. What does it mean? How should it be used? How can you benefit from having a well-considered one? Over the Christmas break, I reread AG Lafley and Roger Martin’s book Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works. Published in 2013, it sets out five key… Read more »
It’s that time of year. When stores put up Christmas decorations; when crowds gather at the beach; when one set of holidays drinks rolls into another; when the cricket occupies the big screen TV; when cicadas begin buzzing at night. It’s around this time, in the quieter moments, opportunities for reflection and introspection occur, along… Read more »
During one of my recent office hours, I was asked by a founder about how to best prepare for their first formal board meeting. While the two founders had previously held informal board meetings and separate sessions with an advisory board, this would their first meeting with external board members. The fast-growing startup had recently… Read more »
Last week I was chatting with a founder who claimed they had achieved product-market fit with their novel technology business. She and her co-founder had been working hard on the product for months. Their solution was in beta, it already had several users, and was generating valuable feedback from these users. She proudly explained that… Read more »
How do you develop a good relationship with your American inside sales team for growth? Why does your Australian developer have difficulties in managing her Pakistani development team? Is there a better way of negotiating terms with your Taiwanese quality assurance supervisor? A common topic of conversation I’ve had with startup founders recently has been… Read more »
You’re a product visionary. You’ve incorporated customer feedback into your business. Your revenue model is scalable. Your brand is on point and cutting through. Your prototypes and proof of concepts are gaining customer traction. Your metrics are pointing in the right direction. Now all you need is funding to support your go-to-market. While we’ve previously… Read more »
In the final of a three-part series, I explore key areas for innovation in 2021 From banking to healthcare, and cyber security to marketing, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used by executives to drive efficiency and automate decisions. At last count, there are around 500 AI startups in Australia using machine learning to solve… Read more »
In the second of a three-part series, I explore key areas for innovation in 2021 Digital health came of age in 2020. There really is nothing quite like a global pandemic to drive innovation and modernise Australian healthcare infrastructure. And with growing levels of comfort and an increase in the number of health tech businesses… Read more »
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