DATE: Wednesday 12 October
4PM - arrivals
4.30PM-7PM - sessions + networking
LOCATION: The Quantum Terminal, 1 Eddy Avenue,
Central Station Grand Concourse, L1, Haymarket NSW 2000
Going from startup to scaleup is like the journey from teenager to adult. You’re hurtling into a big wide world at speed without thinking about putting the brakes on. Like Spider-Man, you’re seeing the full potential of your newfound web-slinging powers - including how easily you can cause chaos when you tackle the big guys.
You got here because people believe in you and your vision - and those are the same people who rely on you to execute it successfully, from your customers to the team and investors. You might feel alone, but you’re not. Every startup goes through its awkward growth phase. So how do you get through it relatively unscathed?
Startup Daily and AWS Startups invite you to a free panel and networking event to lift your founder spirit: THINK BIG: Nailing Your Startup’s Next Growth Phase. In a series of short, sharp chats, Startup Daily Editor and Host Simon Thomsen will talk to leading founders, VCs, and tech leaders who’ve been through scaling up. As the adage goes, “a problem shared is a problem halved”.
Learn from their hits and misses. Make connections. Drinks and nibbles are on us. You’re welcome.
Join us for the following sessions:
Conversation 1: Global from day one – How to take your startup to the world
How thinking like a global startup from day one can help you grow your business the right way. With:
- Tom Humphrey, Investor @ Blackbird
- Hartley Pike, CEO @ Sitemate
Conversation 2: Partners – Who you need and when you need them
From early stage angels to board members, learn about how to build a network and when to engage with them. With:
- Taryn Pieterse, Principal @ Rampersand
- John Kearney, Head of Startups @ AWS
Conversation 3: How to best use the funds you have and when to raise more
Raising capital and setting up your cashflow runway for long-term success. With:
- Tom Smalley, Investment Manager @ Skalata Ventures
Simon Thomsen
Editor, Startup Daily
Simon is editor of Startup Daily, host of the Startup Daily show, 2-2.40pm weekdays on the business streaming service ausbiz.com.au, and presenter of weekly podcast. He is also an investor in early-stage startups.
Tom Humphrey
Investor, Blackbird Ventures
Tom is an investor with Blackbird Ventures - a venture capital firm supercharging Australia and New Zealand's most ambitious founders. Since 2012, Blackbird has invested in over 100 companies including Canva, Zoox, SafetyCulture, and Culture Amp. Prior to investing, Tom was the COO of OurDeal, a D2C ecommerce company which grew to 80 people and exited to News Corp in 2011.
Hartley Pike
CEO, Sitemate
Hartley is co-founder and CEO of Sitemate. He is a civil/structural engineer by background, and at Sitemate is responsible for aligning Sitemate's product led growth strategy with the international go to market team build out
Taryn Pieterse
Principal, Rampersand
Taryn is a Principal Investor for Rampersand, an early stage Tech VC investor. Taryn works across deal sourcing and is an advisor to Portfolio companies post investment. In particular Taryn is focused on B2B SaaS startups, in particular founders tackling future of work and health.
John Kearney
Head of Startups, AWS
John is the Head of Startups at AWS where his focus and passion is to enable startups to build, launch and scale their startups. John has almost 30 years of experience helping startups and technology companies to succeed including scaling Deputy through Series A to Series B rounds and launching Replicon in APJ.
Tom Smalley
Investment Manager, Skalata Ventures
Tom is Investment Manager at Skalata Ventures, a seed stage venture capital firm with a portfolio of 40+ companies across Australia. Prior to joining Skalata, Tom spent over five years working for leading Australian law firm King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) in the Corporate M&A team, advising clients in the financial services, technology and telecommunications sectors. Tom is also a mentor for the Blackbird Giants Program.