Australia’s number 1 startup podcast (1) talks with two of Veintech’s co-founders, Nick Buckley and Nik Bappoo, who with a team of 10 are developing a handheld unit that visualises veins to make cannulation (drawing blood) easier. It’s a disturbing fact that the standard ‘miss rate’ for cannulations is around 40%, incredibly high. Once you miss twice, you have to call for help. Set up in 2020, the medtech company closed a seed round last year, won an Accelerating Commercialisation grant, and is moving towards clinical trials. “ No matter how far you get along this journey, it is that vision yo ..read more

For the final episode of 2023, Startup West recorded a founders' panel in front of a live audience of more than 400 at Freo Startup Fest, which is part of the annual West Tech Fest, Australia's longest-running tech festival. Host Charlie Gunningham chats with Dr Julia Reisser (Uluu), Amy Carter-James (Raaise) and Jonathan Lilley (Electro Ventures). Each company is heavily involved in developing and funding cleaner, climate-friendly products. Having raised $8.6M, Uluu is commercialising the production of red seaweed as an alternative source of plastics, to change fashion and other industries. M ..read more

We talk with Jemma Iles, who has been working in, and promoting, innovation across various industries including local and state government for the past 20 years. Jemma is also one of the people bringing the new ‘Australian Innovation Management Institute’ (AIMI) to Australia. How can governments and corporates best innovate? What can they learn from startups? How can governments and corporates best assist startups and the local innovation ecosystem? “I’d love to see more public sector officers in the startup ecosystem. I think there’s lots to learn, and probably one of the biggest things I lea ..read more

Australia’s number 1 startup podcast talks with Intan Oldakowska, co-founder and CEO of medtech startup Earflo. She and her team are developing a non-invasive device that drains the middle ear fluid in children with chronic ear infections, avoiding developmental delay and the need for surgery. From an idea first borne over at Stanford University, California, the company was recently awarded $500,000 in WA government funding, which will help them commercialise their solution over the next few years. Originally from Jakarta, Indonesia, Intan moved to Perth during high school, wanted to be a ball ..read more

Australia’s number 1 startup podcast (1) talks with serial app entrepreneur, award-winning founder and all-round nice guy Stuart Kidd. When one startup is not enough, how about four or five? Originally from the UK, Stuart arrived in Australia aged 10, then went back to work there after school, developing his eye for design, tech and online businesses. Back in Perth, he set up Apps People, an app development business, and has launched multiple app businesses over the past few years (Everythere, Foody Bag, Blezz, Familia and others). Last year, he was voted Startup News Most Admired Startup Foun ..read more

Australia’s number 1 startup podcast (1) talks with the CEO of tech recruiting firm Valrose and co-Chair of Women in Tech WA (WiTWA), Tina Ambrose. Growing up in south London, she took on various jobs, found herself homeless at one stage, then later made “the best decision in [her] life” to move to Perth, Western Australia. Working in recruitment, she devised and then set up her own company, and also champions women in technology through her work with WiTWA. “ If I knew then what I know now, would I have started?! There’s a lot of challenges you face. And the answer is yes, absolutely …” ~ Tin ..read more

Australia’s number 1 startup podcast (1) breezes into episode 101, with Rob Kelly, managing director of Agora Livestock, a price discovery marketplace for sheep, cattle and goats. Growing up on the family farm in Kojonup, in the Great Southern, 250 kilometres south from Perth, Rob was into maths and science at school, and studied ag science at university. After a decade in grains trading, he saw that banks had no efficient, real-time way of valuing livestock, which became the idea behind Agora. After five years as a pure B2B subscriptions business, the business has recently launched its online ..read more