How to make buying computers and software for your startup suck less

Worrying about buying people new computers isn’t one of the first tasks in a new tech startup but it sucks when you’re big enough that it becomes a thing. Here’s my thoughts on how to make it all suck less.

The mountain pass, the berries and the princess

A story about storytelling to help startup founders and their pitches

When did the first founder do their first pitch? My guess is: earlier than you think. If we can define a…

Why founder vesting is not a rip-off

Founder vesting gets a bad rap from a lot of founders but it can actually save you from lots of financial and emotional pain. It can protect you from your cofounders and even perhaps from yourself.

Wait: what’s vesting?

Should I apply to an accelerator? I’m not sure we’re ready

A: It doesn’t matter whether you’re ready. You should apply if you think you match the criteria

You’re a startup founder. You are from the future and you’re here to help

You have probably set yourself the wrong goal for your pitch. The goal is to paint a clear picture of the future.

Meet the startups from the QUT CEA Collider accelerator 2018 cohort

After a year of planning and three months of an intense accelerator program, this Thursday night we unveil the graduating 2018 cohort of 10 startups from the QUT CEA Collider creative tech startup accelerator, at…

How to be in the top 1% of startups pitching to VCs and angels

Just show that you’ve done your research on the investor or fund, understand their focus and can explain how your startup fits their criteria: you are now in the top 1% of cold pitches that investor or fund will receive…

Do VCs mind you pitching them on LinkedIn?

We haven’t closed the first fund for M8 Ventures yet. So anybody pitching via any channel right now is pitching to the wrong fund. Still, one day soon, we’ll welcome your investment pitch.

Don’t think of a pitch as a number of slides. Start with the story.

A great pitch is a story. All stories take the audience on a journey but your story can be told in many different ways, from many different perspectives. So start by figuring out how to tell the best version of…