The Sydney Founder Institute, the local chapter of the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator, is proud to announce the newest Alumni from the first of two Australia & New Zealand 2022 program.
Over 500 prospective entrepreneurs applied to the program, and after an intense four months of aggressive business-building sprints and constant evaluation and feedback from investors and mentors, just nine startups were able to make it through.
Each of these Founders have demonstrated a high level of perseverance and creativity, and their businesses have been thoroughly vetted and supported by a panel of Australia's & kiwi top startup experts and investors.
The new Alumni invite the Australian startup ecosystem and members of the public join them live on Tuesday, June 14th for a special online Showcase Event - RSVP free here!
Without further ado, we proudly present the newest FI Australia program Alumni:
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GForce Digital
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GoWell Health
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Hyphen ( soon https://hyphen.homes )
The Australia & NZ 2022 program would not have been possible without help, because it truly takes a city to raise a startup. We would first like to thank the Local Leaders of the Sydney Founder Institute: Benjamin Chong (Partner, Right Click Capital), Cheryl Mack (Head of Community, Stone & Chalk), Chris Clark (Managing Director, Chasm Digital), Paul Krajewski (Product Management, sales-enablement-tools.com), and Phoebe Zhang (Ambassador, Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center). Our Co-Directors play an incredibly important role in building the local Founder Institute program, and creating an environment and network in Australia that is conducive to building to great companies.
In addition, the Australia & NZ 2022 program was supported by some of the country's top technology organizations, including:
Some of Australia’s top startup mentors helped our founders in the program, including:
- Adam Long: CEO, TheEthicalCEO.com
- Adeline Chu: Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Western Sydney University
- Adrian Bunter: Corporate Advisor | Angel Investor | Non-exec Director, Modus Partners
- Aivee Robinson: Co-Founder, Catalyser
- Albert Bielinko: Venture / growth investor, Titanium Ventures (Former Telstra Ventures)
- Alejandro Patterson: Principal Product Manager , Honey Insurance
- Alex Samson: Founder & CEO, dvhb
- Alex Guyer: Partner Firemark Ventures, Associate Partner Black Nova Venture Capital
- Alex Sy: Managing Director, ATLAS Business Consulting and Mentoring Services
- Allan Lalic: Co-founder, Kebloom
- Amit Verma: Senior Manager, Listings, ASX
- Anna Cheng: Head of Growth & Engagement Marketing, Turo Australia. Ex HealthMatch Ex Brighte Ex Spaceship
- Anne Marie Elias: chief disrupter, Founder, PrimeLife Partners, innovating longevity & care
- Annie Le Cavalier: Venture Partner, FI and Former GM & Community, Stone & Chalk
- Ant Moorehouse: CEO and Co-Founder, EarthTech
- Ash Ma: Product Manager, Zip Co.
- Asher Vukelic: Chair, Southwest Angels
- Ben Pecotich: Design & Innovation Director/Founder, Dynamic4
- Benjamin Ranck: Principal, MacroReactor
- Benjamin Chong: Partner, Right Click Capital
- Bill Trestrail: CEO, Market Momentum Pty Ltd
- Bill Trestrail: Venture Partner, Black Nova Venture Capital
- Bjorn Halfmann: Founder & Experience Design Director, muteo.co
- Brendan Yell: Former Director, Twilio Startups
- Brodie Mc Culloch: Founder, Spacecubed, Perth, WA
- Brodie Mc Culloch: Founder and Managing Director, Spacecubed
- Bronwen Kaspers: Customer Success Coach, Culture Amp cultureamp.com
- Cam Walshe: Director, Pitchblak
- Carl Maiorana: Founder, Business Growth & Change Consultant, 5Y
- Caroline Lepron: CEO & Founder, Skoutli
- Cheryl Mack: CEO & Founder, Aussieangels.com + Activator at SheEO™
- Chris Clark: Serial Entrepreneur , Teem Inc. www.teem.inc
- Chris Clark: Chris Clark, Teem / GeoSnapShot
- Chris Braine: Founder, Cellr
- Chris Gillings: Venture Capital @ Five V Capital, & Founder @ Cut Through Venture
- Christopher Krainer: Director of Hardware Engineering at Zoomo, & co-founder at rk-collective.com
- Damien Messina: Manager, Impact Angel Network
- Dane Eldridge: Founder & CEO, StackUp www.stackup.tech
- Daniel Lohrmann: Managing Director, ikaros
- Darsel Keane: Director, University of Auckland
- David Kenney: Director, Start Growth Pty Limited
- Dean Mc Evoy: Non Executive Director, Investor and Adviser, TechSydney
- Debra Taylor: Non Executive Director, Stone and Chalk
- Dennis Kibirev: Chief Growth Officer, Mesh Ai
- Dmitri Voronenko: Technology Leader | Advisor | Mentor, virtualintegrity.com.au
- Dylan Mc Donnell: CEO, Foodini
- Edward Liu: Mr, EasyIOT
- Eitan Bienstock: Managing Director, Techbench Capital
- Elizabeth Kaelin: MSc, RDN & Finance Lecturer, UTS Business School
- Erwin Van Der Koogh: Founder/CEO, Linc
- Franziska Iseli: Founder, Basic Bananas
- Gautam Mishra: Founder / CEO, inkl
- Gawin Fernando: Co-Founder, CreativeCubes.Co
- George Hedon: Founder & CEO, Pause Fest
- Greg Campbell: entrepreneur, former Ops Director, information security specialist, Current Head of InfoSec and Compliance
- Harshu Deshpande: Start-up & Scale-up Advisor, Google
- Hendrik Remigereau: Venture Partner, NZVC
- Hugh Treseder: Founder, Floatspace
- Jack Qi: Director, William Buck
- Jakomi Mathews: CEO, goto.health
- James Moody: CEO, Sendle
- Jane Cockburn: CEO and Founder, Kairos Now
- Jeeva Suresh: Founder & CEO, Helix
- Jeremy Chetty: Co-founder, Student Edge
- Jo Ucukalo: CEO, Handle My Complaint
- Jo Ann Suchard: Angel investor, Sydney Angels
- Joanne Jacobs: Co-CEO, Disruptor's Handbook
- Jonathon Wilkinson: Co-founder, Equitise
- Julian Luca: Startups | Investments | Community Building, Previously Fishburners & Innovation Bay
- Kate Ringvall: Co-Founder, Galactic Cooperative
- Katherine Gokavi Whaley: Founder, SheLeads Coaching
- Kenny Wong, 1in100 Ventures
- Kim McGuinness: Strategic Relationships Director, SBE Australia
- Leila Alem: Chief Innovation Officer, ArcSense
- Libby Roberts: Founder, LeapForward.ai
- Lisa Cotton: Fractional, Advisory and Coaching, Lisa Cotton
- Magdalena Reith: Startup- and Business Consultant, Magdalena Reith Pitch Decks
- Marshall Hughes: Freight Manager, Freight Companies Australia
- Marshall Hughes: Consultant, Freight Companies Australia
- Matt Allen: CEO, Tractor Ventures
- Matthew Browne: Co-Founder @Upflowy upflowy.com, @Donesafe donesafe.com, @Whispli, Investor @Black Nova Group etc
- Maxine Lee: COO & Investment Director, Skalata Ventures
- Michelle Gilmore: CEO, heyjuno.co
- Mitchell Pham: Chairperson, NZTech
- Neil Smith: CTO, Simple KYC
- Neil Smith
- Oliver Ranck: Co-Founder | CMO | Exec Director, Future Neutral | MYSALE | Octomedia
- Paul Wenck: Chair, Co-Founder Checkbox
- Paul Krajewski: Product Management professional, Co-Director Founder Institute Australia+NZ
- Paul Grimes: CTO & Founder, OK200
- Paula Taylor: Executive Director and Co-Founder, West Tech Fest
- Pavel Reddy: Former Managing Director, Clearpoint Ventures Pty Ltd (Formerly)
- Pete Cooper: Founder, The Start Society
- Pete Cooper: Former CIO, KBZ Bank
- Peter Van Bruchem: Co-Founder, Techboard
- Peter Browne: Owner, Intangible Communications
- Peter Mc William: Fractional CFO, Former CFO, jayride.com
- Prashant Gami: CEO & Founder, x•enabler
- Rachel White: CFO, Part time CFO / fractional CFO
- Rajeev Gupta: Managing Partner, Alium Capital
- Rayn Ong: Director, Ong Heng Investments
- Rebecca Dooley: Partner, Addisons
- Reheen Guin: CEO and Co-Founder, Finoya.ai
- Richard Dale: Committee Member, Sydney Angels Inc.
- Roger Do: CEO, Co-Founder, Watchdog Cyber Defense
- Romain Bonjean: Founder, CEO, RoseRx
- Roman Kovalenko: Chief Data Officer, Reserve Bank of Australia
- Ron Hill: Managing Director, sunramp.co
- Ruben Martin: Co-Founder, GraniteStack
- Ryan Cross: Manager for Prototyping, AWS, ANZ & APAC
- Sam Richards: Managing Director, Brightlight Impact Advisory
- Sameer Babbar: Director, SVB Group
- Sandrina Postorino: Committee Member, Sydney Angels Inc.
- Scott Crowe: Lead Recruiter, Canva
- Scott Glew: Organizer, Morning Startup Perth
- Scott Dommett: Former Investor, Rampersand
- Sean Geoghegan: Cofounder and former-CTO, Sendle, Tech and People Leader, Iconoclast.
- Simon Litchfield: CTO, and serial Founder
- Simone Joyce: CEO/Founder, Paypa Plane
- Sorrel Kesby: Head of Global Commercial Operations, GumGum
- Srikanth Muthyala: Investor, Melbourne Angels
- Stefan Korn: General Manager, Callaghan Innovation
- Stuart Reynolds: CEO & Founder, Fullstack Advisory
- Tal Rotbart: Former Chief Technology Officer, Marketplacer (until Oct-‘23)
- Tim Silverwood: Co-Founder, Ocean Impact Organisation
- Timo Kugler: Co-Founder, NASH + BANKS
- Tom Dawkins: Founder/CEO, StartSomeGood
- Tomaj Bayat: previous founder & previously Growth, beforepay.com.au
- Tony Sinclair: Director of Venture Debt, Cataliize
- Vanessa Ronan Pearce: Head of Growth, Wych Money
- Vern Chan: Certified Startup Coach, Your Pivot
- Will Davies: CEO, Car Next Door
- Will Ericksson: Director, Trainer/Mentor, Momentum Academy / Momentumgroup.tech
- William Wang: Exited Founder/CEO, Scale Tribe
- William Mc Cahey: Partner, Think & Grow, and Growth Advisor
- Yash Varma: Founder & General Partner, Empress Capital
In the Founder Institute's pre-seed accelerator program, early-stage entrepreneurs and teams build their business alongside a critical support network of local startup experts that share equity in their success, and through a structured and challenging business-building process that has helped alumni raise over $1.85BN.
After Graduation, the new Australia Founder Institute Portfolio Companies now have a fast-growing company that has been fully validated by experienced startup founders, with access to the Founder Institute's global network and post-graduate support programs to continue building their business.
Leaders of the world’s fastest-growing startups have used the Founder Institute to raise funding, building a co-founding team, get into seed-accelerators, generate traction, recruit a team, build a product, transition from employee to entrepreneur, and more. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200+ cities and 100+ countries, the Founder Institute’s mission is to Globalize Silicon Valley and empower talented and motivated entrepreneurs to build companies that will create one million new jobs.
The next Sydney Spring 2022 Founder Institute program just opened up applications for pre-seed stage founders - to learn more, visit FI.co/sydney.
Alumni of the Founder Institute are creating some of the world's fastest growing startups, having raised over $1.85BN in funding, and building products people love across over 200 cities worldwide.
See the most recent news from our Grads at FI.co/news, or learn more about their stories at FI.co/graduates.
