Startup West

Startup News

We talk with West Australian startups who have been there and done it, or are right here and doing it! Recorded in beautiful downtown Perth, WA; produced by Startup News and brought to you by Wrays, Spacecubed, Curtin University and BDO.

  • 35 minutes 4 seconds
    118. The West Tech Fest Edition With Danelle Cross & Sarah Kahle

    In this episode of the Startup West podcast, hosts Jason Balchand and Adam Barrell are joined by Danelle Cross and Sarah Kahle to discuss the upcoming week of West Tech Fest — the favourite week on the calendar for anyone who works in the tech and startup world.


    We talk about 14 years of WTF, some of the most memorable speakers along the way, the challenges of organising such a large-scale event, the return of West Tech Wadjemup, and how to get the most out of the week.


    Recorded in Perth and hosted by Jason Balchand from Startup News and Adam Barrell from So Perth.

    4 December 2025, 3:22 am
  • 37 minutes 34 seconds
    117. Increasing Access To Highly Skilled Global Talent With Nicholas Chilton

    In this episode of Startup West, Nicholas Chilton from Venture Affairs shares his journey from federal politics to the startup world. He discusses the importance of government relations for startups, the challenges of navigating immigration policies, and the need for advocacy to attract high-skilled global talent.

    He provides insights into the future of the startup ecosystem in Australia and the importance of engaging with government to unlock opportunities.

    29 October 2025, 5:53 am
  • 53 minutes 28 seconds
    116. Building Communities with Paz Pisarski

    In this episode of Startup West, Paz Pisarski from The Community Collective shares her journey in the startup ecosystem, the impact of community during the pandemic, and her recent award at the Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards as Future Leader.

    She discusses the importance of community in business, shares strategies for building effective communities, and reflects on the lessons learned from her experiences. Paz emphasises the need for balance as a founder and offers valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

    8 October 2025, 7:43 am
  • 42 minutes 27 seconds
    115. Inside Politics & The Startup Ecosystem With Wilson Tucker

    This episode, we sit down and chat with Wilson Tucker about being an elected member of parliament, some of his achievements in the Legislative Council, and what he's now doing post-politics.

    18 September 2025, 2:50 am
  • 35 minutes 40 seconds
    114. Investing and Airtree's New $650M Fund With Dan Coughlan

    In this episode, Dan Coughlan from Airtree discusses his journey into venture capital, the dynamics of investing in startups, and the recent $650 million fund raised by Airtree. He shares insights on the importance of community in the startup ecosystem, the role of AI in shaping future businesses, and what he looks for when investing.

    2 September 2025, 7:10 am
  • 41 minutes 11 seconds
    113. The So Perth Origin Story with Adam Barrell

    In this episode, Jason Balchand and Adam Barell kick off the new season with the origin story of So Perth. Adam shares his journey from teaching himself to code at age 12, building a popular online wrestling website, to the "lightbulb moment" that led to the creation of the influential Twitter account, @tweetperth, and its evolution into the So Perth brand.

    3 August 2025, 5:58 am
  • 43 minutes 54 seconds
    112. Matt Vitale from Birchal on Crowd-Sourced Funding

    We chat with Matt Vitale, Founder and CEO of ⁠Birchal⁠ — Australia's largest Crowd-Sourced Funding (CSF) platform. We talk about WA being one of their leading markets and what makes a strong CSF campaign.

    This episode is an insightful listen for anybody who's considering raising capital through a CSF campaign or just interested in the story of Birchal.


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

    13 June 2024, 5:54 am
  • 57 minutes 6 seconds
    111. Sean Williams — AutogenAI

    On this episode, we're joined by Sean Williams, founder of AutogenAI. We talk about the world of generative AI and how he's using it to help companies write better proposals, faster.

    Sean is a serial entrepreneur and exited his previous company, Corndel Ltd, in November 2020 in a reported £40m+ sale. After a two week holiday, Sean founded AutogenAI which now operates with offices in UK, US, and Australia.

    He was in Perth for a few days so we thought we'd have a conversation with him to dive into the world of AI.


    Co-hosts: Jason Balchand and Adam Barrell.

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

    12 May 2024, 2:43 am
  • 27 minutes 8 seconds
    110. Founders' Panel (Live) - the Climate for Tech
    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. Meanwhile, Raaise is a platform connecting investors with climate tech startups, and Electro Ventures has raised $20M and funded 13 EV-related boat, plane and vehicle companies. Julia, Amy and Jonathan talk about their challenges and successes in 2023, the climate tech sector generally, and their plans for 2024 and beyond. For more: >> https://uluu.com.au >> https://raaise.co >> https://electro.ventures >> https://electronautic.com.au ~ 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. 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 will return in 2024.
    13 December 2023, 1:00 am
  • 37 minutes 7 seconds
    109. Dan Dawson - Paperly
    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.
    22 November 2023, 1:00 am
  • 32 minutes 13 seconds
    108. Jemma Iles - Lightbox Group & AIMI
    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.
    8 November 2023, 1:00 am
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