Danelle and Chris talk with Stephen Cornish, founder and managing director of Pentanet, a Perth-based internet provider providing super-fast speeds for homes and businesses.

A keen gamer, Stephen set up his first tower for himself so he could enjoy faster internet to play League of Legends. Years later, the company now owns the largest private fixed network in Perth, has listed on the ASX (‘5GG’), and even owns a professional League of Legends team.

“If you have an idea, you really have nothing to lose by doing it. You’ll have some challenges, things will get tough, and you’ll make sacrifices, but if you don’t do it, it won’t happen.” ~ Stephen Cornish.

For more: https://pentanet.com.au/ 

~
* OFFER from Dinner Twist for Startup West listeners in Perth: so you can focus on creating the next unicorn, let Dinner Twist worry about dinner. Here is $30 off your first box. Enter SW30 at the checkout. Go to https://www.dinnertwist.com.au to enjoy *

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Tekkon, Dinner Twist, RSM, the City of Perth, Spacecubed and Curtin University.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

88. Stephen Cornish - Pentanet

For the final episode of the 4th season of Startup West and 2022: a founders' panel recorded in front of a live audience in Fremantle as part of this year's Freo Startup Fest.

Charlie Gunningham chats with Dan Nembhard (Wolfit Box founder), Holly Bridgwater, (Humyn.ai founder) and Kevin Mitchem (Co-Architecture co-founder).

The session was titled ‘Pets, Property and AI’ for reasons that become clear in the discussion. Hear from 3 founders who have each launched (or re-launched) their startups in the past 18 months, some quirky facts, how 2022 went for them and their plans for 2023 and beyond...

Photos of event: https://startupnews.com.au/2022/12/21/startup-west-podcast-89-founders-panel-live-at-freo-startup-fest-2022/

For more:
https://wolfitbox.com.au/
https://www.humyn.ai/
https://co-architecture.com/

~

* OFFER from Dinner Twist for Startup West listeners in Perth: so you can focus on creating the next unicorn, let Dinner Twist worry about dinner. Here is $30 off your first box. Enter SW30 at the checkout. Go to www.dinnertwist.com.au to enjoy *

Startup West will be back in 2023 with more Western Australian innovators and startup founders who have “been there and done it, or are right here and doing it!”.

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Tekkon, Dinner Twist, RSM, the City of Perth, Spacecubed and Curtin University.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

89. Founders' Panel (Live) - Pets, Property and AI

A fantastic start for 2023 and our 5th season: Danelle and Brodie interview the Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy, Hon Stephen Dawson MLC.

Growing up in Ireland, the eldest of four children, he moved to Australia in his teens with his family, and became involved in student politics. His father had been active in the union movement. Starting out as a drama teacher, Stephen Dawson became a Labor member of the upper house of Western Australian government in 2013 becoming a cabinet minister in 2017, and Innovation Minister in 2021.

Minister Dawson talks about his hopes for the local innovation ecosystem, and what it needs now.

"The ideas are here. The expertise is here now as well. We’re growing it locally and we’re bringing it in from overseas. But money, if we had more money here we could do so much more quicker. Part of that’s my role, and we’ll have some announcements over the next 12 months – hopefully the next budget will be good to us – but certainly working with people in Perth who have got money, convincing them how good an investment this will be, is important." ~ Minister Stephen Dawson

For more:  https://www.wa.gov.au/nif 

~

* OFFER from sponsor Dinner Twist for Startup West listeners in Perth: so you can focus on creating the next unicorn, let Dinner Twist worry about dinner. Here is $30 off your first box. Enter SW30 at the checkout. Go to www.dinnertwist.com.au to enjoy *

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth, Dinner Twist and Tekkon.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

90. Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Innovation

Danelle and Brodie talk with the recently crowned WA Innovator of the Year, Kate Lewkowski, co-founder and CEO of medtech startup Neurotologix. 

Her company is developing a remote patient monitoring device for dizziness and vertigo, which afflicts 2.9 million Australians, prompting over 350,000 medical appointments.

An audiologist with over 20 years of clinical and epidemiological research experience, Kate holds degrees in computer science, mathematics and public health, and is determined to manufacture her device in Western Australia.

“She said ‘I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about it. And then I realised I was somebody.’ So I always wondered why were not monitoring the attacks. And then realising… oh I think that has to be me…!”  ~ Kate Lewkowski.

For more: https://www.neurotologix.com/ 

~

* OFFER from sponsor Dinner Twist for Startup West listeners in Perth: so you can focus on creating the next unicorn, let Dinner Twist worry about dinner. Here is $30 off your first box. Enter SW30 at the checkout. Go to www.dinnertwist.com.au to enjoy *

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth, Dinner Twist and Tekkon.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

91. Kate Lewkowski - Neurolotogix

Steve and Chris talk with Tim Jones, Managing Director of cyber security startup Hyprfire.

Starting out as a lawyer, he moved into technology law, worked in Sydney, and then moved back to WA to work on various startups in the ASX and private space. He did some advisory work, helped fund tech startups and worked for a time at HealthEngine.

Spun out of Curtin University, Hyprfire has raised some significant capital as well as an Accelerating Commercialisation grant, offering network threat prevention as a service.

“Enjoy the ride. Not many people get to do this. Just recognise that, and enjoy it as much as you can. Celebrate the great moments, and try and keep things in perspective.” ~ Tim Jones.

For more: https://www.hyprfire.com

~

* OFFER from sponsor Dinner Twist for Startup West listeners in Perth: so you can focus on creating the next unicorn, let Dinner Twist worry about dinner. Here is $30 off your first box. Enter SW30 at the checkout. Go to www.dinnertwist.com.au to enjoy *

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth, Dinner Twist and Tekkon.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

92. Tim Jones - Hyprfire

Chris and Steve talk with Esther Oh, founder and CEO of health tech and AI-vision startup Agili8.

Born in Singapore, and a top student at school, Esther was the only female software engineer at her consulting company. She moved to Perth in 2009 on a skilled migrant visa, as she wanted to raise her kids in WA. Agili8 was then set up after her son lost his eyesight. 

“The same thing with X-Ray vision. I actually see that this is the future of work. It is something we will definitely be living with, just like how we can’t live without our mobile phone.” ~ Esther Oh.

For more: https://agili8.com 

~

* OFFER from sponsor Dinner Twist for Startup West listeners in Perth: so you can focus on creating the next unicorn, let Dinner Twist worry about dinner. Here is $30 off your first box. Enter SW30 at the checkout. Go to www.dinnertwist.com.au to enjoy *

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth, Dinner Twist and Tekkon.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

93. Esther Oh - Agili8

Danelle and Chris talk with Nic Terpkos, co-founder and CEO of seasonal jobs site, Waytree.

Set up five years ago, the fledgling business had to weave around the COVID pandemic to provide a service to seasonal farmers where back packing part time workers were very thin on the ground.

Starting out as an engineer, Nic worked part-time on the startup until he and his two friends and co-founders (James Dernie and Harry Lowther) could quit work and go full-time. Established in Western Australia, the site is growing most in Queensland and NSW, and also in WA.

“ I recommend getting passionate co-founders. This a long journey, and you need to have people with you who share the same values, who you can lean on, (with) different skill sets.” ~ Nic Terpkos. 

For more: https://waytree.com/ 

~

* OFFER from sponsor Dinner Twist for Startup West listeners in Perth: so you can focus on creating the next unicorn, let Dinner Twist worry about dinner. Here is $30 off your first box. Enter SW30 at the checkout. Go to www.dinnertwist.com.au to enjoy *

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth, Dinner Twist and Tekkon.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

94. Nic Terpkos - Waytree

Danelle and Chris talk with the founder of social impact startup Donut Waste, Sharka Hornakova.

Born in Prague, Czech Republic, she arrived in Perth 13 years ago, and discovered “all the beautiful, happy, no worries people.” Having worked in magazines and digital media, she saw an opportunity to recycle coffee ground waste into new products, such as donut-shaped soaps, skin cream and even beer.

A graduate of the Curtin Ignition program in 2021, Sharka is also a yoga teacher, and works various jobs to keep the three-year-old Donut Waste business growing.

“ You can talk to your local café when you have your next caffeine fix, and tell them all about our services. You can get your local bottle shop on board collecting clips, you can bring your own clips to our 65 and more collection points…” ~ Sharka Hornakova.   

For more: https://www.donutwaste.com.au/ 

~

* OFFER from sponsor Dinner Twist for Startup West listeners in Perth: so you can focus on creating the next unicorn, let Dinner Twist worry about dinner. Here is $30 off your first box. Enter SW30 at the checkout. Go to www.dinnertwist.com.au to enjoy *

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth, Dinner Twist and Tekkon.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

95. Sharka Hornakova - Donut Waste

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. 

Last year, he was voted Startup News Most Admired Startup Founder, and in this episode he shares a lot from his journey and multiple startups.

“… Sometimes you have to say to yourself 'Hey, this stuff I can do by myself, this stuff I can't do at all, I need people on board'. It's not just about collaborating, it's about understanding your business better, and understanding where your skills are, and where your skills can be better focussed.” ~ Stuart Kidd.

For more: https://foodybag.com.au, https://www.blezz.co, https://www.familia.app, http://www.everythere.com.au

~
(1)	Feedspot Ranking of Australian Startup podcasts: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/australian_startup_podcasts/

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth and Tekkon.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

106. Stuart Kidd - Foody Bag, Familia, Blezz, Everythere et al

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 learnt in my roles in government was spending listening to the challenges that startups face, and being able to find a pathway to help them to access grants and funding, or just support, to bring their businesses to life.”  ~ Jemma Iles  

For more: https://aiminstitute.org.au and https://thelightboxgroup.com.au

~

Co-hosts: Danelle Cross (Curtin University) and Chris Tan (Spacecubed).

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth and Tekkon.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

108. Jemma Iles - Lightbox Group & AIMI

Danelle Cross (Curtin Uni) and Chris Tan (Spacecubed) talk with Dan Dawson, founder and director of edtech startup Paperly. 

Originally from New Zealand, Dan saw the need to reduce paper-based bureaucratic systems in schools. Coding 7 hours a night while holding down a full-time job, he was selected to join the Plus Eight Tech Accelerator in Perth in 2022. 

This year, the newly established early-stage VC fund Purpose Ventures invested in the business, and his goal is to get Paperly into 10,000 schools. 

“…It’s one thing starting a company. It’s another thing starting a company with a partner, or wife. It’s next level again, once you’ve got kids...”  ~ Dan Dawson

For more: https://www.paperly.io

~

Startup West is recorded at Riff studios in beautiful downtown Perth, Western Australia; produced by Startup News, edited by Carmen Yee Kai Wen and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth and Tekkon.

Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast was recorded, and pays respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

109. Dan Dawson - Paperly

Welcome to the Startup West podcast. We talk with West Australian startups who have been there and done it, or are right here and doing it! Recorded in beautiful Perth, WA; produced by Startup News, and brought to you thanks to support from Spacecubed, Curtin University, RSM, the City of Perth and Tekkon. Startup West acknowledges the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, traditional owners of the lands and waters of Perth, where this podcast is recorded, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

108. Jemma Iles - Lightbox Group & AIMI

Startup West

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