Startup 360: The election’s tech vacuum, idiolects, a 1st time & the end of Zuck’s luck?

Amid debates about housing, migration, the cost of living pressures and energy during the federal election campaign, there’s been a deafening silence from both the government and opposition when it comes to tech, startups and innovation policy.

It’s something ACS, the voice of Australia’s technology sector, is hoping to change.

ACS CEO Josh Griggs joined us on the couch for Startup 360 to talk about what matters: backing Australian R&D all the way to commercial success.

The 50,000 members-strong IT body has released an election position paper with 9 recommendations for the next government across 2 major pillars: skills and commercialisation.

Griggs talked about that and ACS’s role in uniting the sector and lobbying for effective policy.

But because the show is more about founder fun than founder mode, cohost Kayla Medica asked him about his passions, while Simon wanted to know what led him from a high-flying corporate career in companies like Optus to leading a national member organisation that backs startups with ACS Labs.

You can listen here:

Simon and Kayla also talked about Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg’s evidence in the US FTC’s monopoly trial against Meta. Turns out he tried to buy Snap for $6 billion and by 2018, was already worried about being forced to divest of Instagram and WhatsApp.

They also talk about idiolects, as Kayla reveals her love of linguistics and Simon, his love of Kath and Kim.

Their guest for 10x this week is another Kayla, who’s a first time founder.

Kayla Parry launched Job Matched – think Tinder with AI to find the people and workplaces with the best cultural fit – this week and the dual US-Australian citizen talks about life as a Kayla and what drives her as a startup founder and how her ADHD shapes her thinking.

Startup 360 is all about staying human. It’s a weekly show, talking startups and tech.

Watch this week’s episode below: