Startup 360

Startup Daily
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Every Friday, Startup 360 hosts Simon Thomsen and Majella Campbell, dissect the news of the week in ANZ startups, before they’re joined by a guest to explore what makes them tick. Think of it as your startup guide to staying human. It’s all about lifting the bonnet on people to understand how they see the world and what inspires and drives them, and what they’ve learnt from both success and failure.

  1. 1 day ago

    Australian startups ‘punch above their weight’ - and why tax changes are a blow to the head

    Startup 360 hit the road for episode 63, recording in front of a studio audience for the first time from Growth Summit Sydney. Simon and Majella’s guest was Ben Grabiner from Side Stage Ventures, taking them through the findings of the Australia Venture & Startup Report 2026 , which looked at the past decade of the local VC-backed ecosystem.It’s now grown 13.7 times faster than any other major global hub, creating more $10 billion companies per dollar invested than anywhere else in the world. But amid the success there are still challenges, and the conversation took place just as the federal government released its startups consultation paper in response to concerns about the impact of capital gains tax changes to the ecosystem. Ben talked about tackling Australia’s productivity slump, the flywheel of successful exits and the policy settings the country needs to encourage innovation. “You should be encouraging young people to start businesses,” he said. "If you want to discourage speculative investment in property, then you should change the tax settings of property relative to other asset classes."Tax settings drive incentives, Ben explained and the danger in the current plan is that the government is “going to make this a less attractive place to start a business." There’s plenty to unpack in the macro view of Australia’s start sector and Ben brings some clear thoughts to the conversation. Startup 360 is a SmartCo. Media production, produced and edited by Matt Jackson, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay – anyone, anywhere.Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and read StartupDaily.net for all the ANZ tech news for free!

    42 min

  2. 19 June

    Lessons in leadership with a gun on the table and your share price plummeting

    Vision gets a lot of attention in startups. It's the thing founders pitch to investors, talk about with customers and use to inspire teams. But as Dane Hudson argues, vision alone isn't enough. After more than 25 years leading businesses across five industries and mentoring more than 150 founders and CEOs, Dane learnt that scaling a company requires something less glamorous but ultimately more important: discipline. This week on episode 62 of Startup 360, Simon and Majella sit down with the founder of Impactful Leadership and author of Discipline Beats Vision to talk about what it really takes to lead as a business grows. Dane isn't speaking from theory. He has the scars to prove it. There was the time he was running KFC in Southern Africa and a franchisee came to a meeting with him, put a gun on the table and named Dane’s three daughters. And also watching as CEO of a listed wine company as its share price fell 97%. Those experiences shaped the leadership lessons he now shares with founders, CEOs and executive teams across Australia and Southeast Asia. Simon and Majella ask about the difference between grit and resilience, the mistakes leaders make as companies scale, why transparency matters more than most founders realise, and what boards and CEOs often misunderstand about each other. They also unpack some of the key lessons from Discipline Beats Vision, including why leadership is ultimately a set of behaviours rather than a title, and why the habits that get a business started are rarely the same ones that help it scale. It's a candid conversation from a veteran leader about how to be disciplined and what you need to do when the pressure is really on. Startup 360 is a SmartCo. Media production, produced and edited by Matt Jackson, with Ciarán Harte, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay – anyone, anywhere. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and read StartupDaily.net for all the ANZ tech news for free!

    1hr 10min

  3. 12 June

    Cicada’s Liza Noonan on R&D’s new valley of death & the ‘missing middle’ for deep tech

    R&D investment and commercialisation can't be treated as separate issues, says Liza Noonan, CEO of Sydney deep-tech hub Cicada Innovations, on episode 61 of Startup 360. Liza unpacks deep tech — think quantum computing, medical devices and advanced manufacturing — and the unique challenges the sector faces with Simon and Majella on this week's show. Unlike software startups, where founders identify a customer problem and build a solution, deep-tech startups often begin with a breakthrough invention and then work to find its commercial application.  The result is longer development cycles, greater capital requirements, and a need for different founder skills, investors and support structures. It's not the Silicon Valley SaaS playbook. Australia's research engine is stronger than many people realise, but there remains a bottleneck in turning ideas from the lab into large, globally competitive companies. Government procurement, infrastructure and scale-up support can matter just as much as venture capital. Simon describes the Budget's proposed changes to the R&D Tax Incentive as creating a new "valley of death" for deep-tech startups. Liza argues the challenge isn't simply funding research. It's helping companies move from "0 to 1" (proving the technology), then from "1 to 10" and "10 to 100" (building a business around it) so the productivity gains, jobs and economic returns are realised in Australia rather than ending up offshore. Liza also shares the experience of losing her father while raising three children, as Startup 360 once again explores the human side of tech. Simon also discusses his submission to the Senate Economics Committee examining the Federal Budget's proposed capital gains tax changes and their potential impact on startups, founders, investors and employees receiving equity. Startup 360 is a SmartCompany production, produced and edited by Matt Jackson with Ciarán Harte, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay anyone, anywhere. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify and YouTube, and read StartupDaily.net for the latest ANZ tech news.

    59 min

  4. 4 June

    Australia’s lagging innovation metrics; a new owner for Fishburners

    Fishburners has a new owner. And episode 60’s guest is Carolyn Breeze, CEO of the buyer, ASX-listed Scalare Partners. Scalare bought Fishburners from the voluntary administrators this week and the startup community and its members will leave the Tech Central Innovation Hub to become part of Tank Stream Labs. The move also brings change for cohost Majella Campbell, who’ll wrap up as Fishburners CEO and take a break after 15 torrid months working to right the ship. Carolyn takes us through her plans for Fishies - pitch nights and a new investment fund to back those startups are afoot, and explains her vision for Scalare, which owns Tank Stream, the Australian Technology Comp, Tech Ready Women and several other brands. She's also recently taken a deep dive into how Australia’s startup ecosystem performs globally in key metrics such as investment, liquidity, experience and first customers and shares some sobering stats. Only 34% of startup investment is domestic, she explained, compared to 60-70%. Overseas investors love Aussie startups, but as Carolyn points out, especially in the context of the government's capital gains tax changes, when there’s a liquidity moment, “the international money, and then the operators and the IP are staying over there”.  That hurts Australian startups. “Our tech workforce is contracting. In every other market it's expanding,” she said. The Scalare CEO also has some thoughts on the short-term thinking of politicians and the uncertainty created by constantly changing government priorities. Startup 360 is a SmartCo. Media production, produced and edited by Matt Jackson, with Ciarán Harte, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay – anyone, anywhere. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and read StartupDaily.net for all the ANZ tech news for free!

    1hr 6min

  5. 29 May

    The budget: The facts on capital gains tax, family trusts, shares and the impact on startups

    After 3 non-event federal budgets for the startup sector, all hell broke loose on May 12 when treasurer Jim Chalmers announced capital gain tax changes that will reduce the size of the cheque startup shareholders receive in a liquidity event. The backlash has been enormous and the sector is hoping Treasury will hear their pleas and create carveouts for startups and their investors, as well as small business. But amid the sound, fury and 47% equity social media memes, what does it all mean? That’s what Jack Qi, partner from startup advisory and accountancy firm William Buck explains on episode 59 of Startup 360.Will founders go overseas? Is this the end of Australian innovation? Who are the winners and losers from the government’s changes? Qi unpacks it all in this special edition of the show that puts the sexy back in the Tax Act. And because Startup 360 is all about staying human and finding out what makes people tick, Qi reveals he really wanted to be a fighter pilot - but ended up ensuring startup founders and their employees and investors pay no more tax than they have to, instead. And loves it. f you want to know the facts amid the fury, this episode is essential listening.Startup 360 is a SmartCo. Media production, produced and edited by Matt Jackson, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay – anyone, anywhere. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and read StartupDaily.net for all the ANZ tech news for free!

    1hr 15min

  6. 22 May

    The hidden cost of startup hustle: Burnout, breakdown and leadership

    Startup founders are told to hustle harder, push through and never let the cracks show. But what happens when the pressure becomes too much? This week on Startup 360, host Simon Thomsen sits down with workplace mental health advocate Graeme Cowan for a candid conversation about burnout, psychological safety and the hidden emotional cost of building a business. Graeme, a founding board director of R U OK? and host of the Caring CEO podcast, shares his own experience of crashing after the dotcom collapse and spending five years out of work with severe depression. From that journey came a mission to help leaders create healthier, more resilient workplaces. “The old saying, a problem shared is a problem halved,” Graeme says - a simple idea that sits at the heart of this week’s episode’s message about vulnerability, connection and asking for help before burnout takes hold. This episode dives into why startup culture’s obsession with resilience can sometimes fuel burnout instead. Graeme shares practical ways founders can check in with their teams, recognise early warning signs and build sustainable habits before things spiral. Startup 360 is all about staying human and finding out what makes people tick. This show is a SmartCo. Media production, produced and edited by Matt Jackson, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay – anyone, anywhere.Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and read StartupDaily.net for all the ANZ tech news for free!

    58 min

  7. 14 May

    OpenAI’s Thomas Jeng on why AI won’t replace founders anytime

    OpenAI’s APAC startups lead Thomas Jeng has a warning for founders worried AI is about to replace them: calm down. The tools are getting smarter at breakneck speed, but the people building the future are still very much in the driver’s seat. Speaking with Startup 360 co-hosts Simon Thomsen and Majella Campbell, Thomas - a former founder, VC operator and now OpenAI’s first startup hire across Asia Pacific - unpacked what AI can actually do for startups right now, where the hype goes too far, and why Australia’s startup ecosystem continues to punch above its weight globally. Throughout the conversation, Thomas’ core message remained consistent: AI is an incredible accelerator, but not a substitute for human insight.“If you’re breaking new ground, there will inevitably be things the AI does not know,” he said, pointing to the irreplaceable value of customer conversations, market intuition and founder conviction. The discussion also veered into the increasingly human side of AI adoption. Thomas shared that he uses ChatGPT to help explain Singapore maths to his children, plan family holidays, analyse parenting advice and even think through relationships. But he’s also cautious about over dependence, particularly for kids. For founders overwhelmed by the pace of AI, his advice was refreshingly practical: don’t try to automate your entire business overnight.“Probably pretty much everyone can take one step forward,” he said. Whether it’s improving one workflow, connecting a new data source, or simply learning to prompt better, the biggest gains often start small. Startup 360 is all about staying human and finding out what makes people tick. This show is a SmartCo Media production, produced and edited by Matt Jackson, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay – anyone, anywhere.Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and read StartupDaily.net for all the ANZ tech news for free!

    54 min

  8. 8 May

    Humanitix’s Josh Ross on putting the human in impact tech

    A decade ago, Joshua Ross and his good mate Adam McCurdie went looking for an idea that would have maximum impact in doing the most good. So they decided to take on the global ticketing industry and launch Humanitix. Their second crazy big idea was to give away all the company’s profit. They’ve succeeded on both fronts. Since Humanitix was founded in Sydney in 2016, it’s given away $21 million to charities and projects, including ethicist Peter Singer’s The Life you can Save. The Atlassian Foundation has helped the pair take on a cutthroat industry and thrive. Humanitix now operates in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and UK, and Hollywood superstar and kindred spirit Hugh Jackman recently signed on as head of impact. Josh sits down with Simon on Startup 360 this week to talk about that adventure and what it means to have a not-for-profit social enterprise - something that doesn’t fit the normal philanthropic model. It’s inspiring and uplifting story of how impact and happiness comes not from the money you make but what you do with it next. And it turns out that Josh and Wolverine read the same books. Startup 360 is all about staying human and finding out what makes people tick. This show is a SmartCo Media production, produced and edited by Matt Jackson, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay – anyone, anywhere.

    53 min
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About

Every Friday, Startup 360 hosts Simon Thomsen and Majella Campbell, dissect the news of the week in ANZ startups, before they’re joined by a guest to explore what makes them tick. Think of it as your startup guide to staying human. It’s all about lifting the bonnet on people to understand how they see the world and what inspires and drives them, and what they’ve learnt from both success and failure.

Information

  • Creator
    Startup Daily
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Private Media. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction, distribution, or use of this podcast, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited.
  • Show Website
    Startup 360

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