Hype Man - 19th May 2024

Welcome to edition #1 of the brand new Hype Man Newsletter!

Your fortnightly dose of everything you need to know about the Australian Tech & Innovation ecosystem.

Why now you ask? Well, I’ve been writing ad hoc long form pieces for some time and recently realised how much joy it brings me. I’ve also started to realise the privilege and knowledge I have about what’s happening in our world and want to make sure that I’m sharing that with others.?

A close friend recently called me the “Robin Hood of the Startup world”. And that’s what this newsletter is about, democratising what I know.?

It’s about championing the people less heard in our ecosystem, sharing exclusive events and opportunities and making sure that you Reader, don’t miss out!

So strap in and for once DO believe the hype.?

Things you might have missed

I’ve been a busy bee getting around the ecosystem, here are my top takeaways from the last fortnight:

• MAP Launch Day - Last Thursday, Australia's leading University Startup Accelerator put on an absolute show at Melbourne’s iconic Forum. The evening was a who’s who of the Victorian Startup ecosystem and most importantly intro’d the next cohort of the University of Melbourne’s program.

Check out the new MAP Startups and reach out to help them here?

• Digital Health Festival - I was blown away by the 140 Startups on show at this year’s DHF (including two featured in my Startups to watch this week). If you’re interested in the future of Health, be sure not to miss out next year!
• Vow Factory Tour - Sydney has been a wash with events for its very first Climate Action week. It’s been a mega impressive program, with my highlight being an exclusive tour of Vow, the Australian lab grown meat Innovator's, Sydney Factory.?

Read more about my takeaways and love for the Future of Food here

• Melbourne Sport + Innovation night - Last week I hosted an event with the Australian Technologies Network and iReel spotlighting the current evolution taking place in Sport and how Australia can be at the forefront of it.

Check out all the highlights here

• The Federal budget ? - This year’s budget was underwhelming, read about the slim pickings for the Tech sector here

Though what was spicy was the chat in the Tech Australia Advocates WhatsApp that followed its release.

If you’ve not yet become an Advocate then join for free here and be a part of the conversation

5 Startups that I’m excited about this week

I get to meet hundreds of Founders a week, here’s a few that have jumped out at me recently:

1. Subble - Stop wasting time & money on SaaS. For the first time ever securely gain visibility and control of your software spending and put that money to better use! Become one of Subble’s first customers today?
2. Mentwell - the world’s first digital gift card for health and wellness where the receiver gets to choose from any service provider Australia-wide. With a call to make it easier to look after each other through the simple act of gifting health. Check out their current fundraising campaign with Birchal
3. Newsary - Say goodbye to exorbitant agency fees, writer's block or tweaking GPT's prompts for hours: we help you craft compelling stories at the speed of AI, for less than 0.5% of the cost and without losing on your human story and expertise. Start sharing your story through Newsary today
4. Bloody Good Tests - Making? blood testing straightforward and accessible, letting you order comprehensive tests online and quickly receive results. Whether you're keeping tabs on your health, managing a condition, or just bloody curious, their tests give you the insights you need. Use code "HYPEMAN" and get 10% off any test – hype up your health today!
5. TapOnn - Your one-stop solution for complete networking. If you’re anything like me you spend hours a week writing your phone number or LinkedIn details in someone else’s phone. TapOnn gives you this time back and makes you look cool while you do it.? Join the future of networking and get your TapOnn card here

Want your Startup featured in a future newsletter edition? Fill out this form now

Events to watch out for

My favourite events coming up across the country, with a couple of cheeky discounts to help you get there:

21 May - Melbourne - Zeller -? Join the Fintech giant for a screening of their “Welcome to Inglewood” film & fireside chat RSVP here ?

23 May - Sydney - Startup & Angels - Fail to Scale: Navigating Pivots and Growth, Insights from Scaleups and Investors on Transforming Setbacks into Success Get 20% of tickets as a Hype Man subscriber

23 May - Sydney - Atlassian - Connect with the Aussie unicorn’s Not for Profit and Education Partners including Hex and Humanitix over lunch RSVP here

17-21 June - Cairns - A week-long innovation festival where the rainforest meets the reef - Come and join me in Far North Queensland with an exclusive 10% discount here

Want your event featured then tell us about it here

Get involved

A snapshot of the juicy opportunities that are out there supporting Aussie Innovators:

Australian Technologies Competition - In its 14th year, the national growth and awards program designed to showcase and promote innovative Australian technologies with global growth potential is open for entries

Enter for free before May 24 here

Catalyser Fellowship Program - The next program of Tailored support, mentorship, and resources to help international students, migrants, and refugees launch and scale their ventures in Australia is looking for participants

Start your entrepreneurship journey here

AO Startups -? Turbo charge your Startup at next year’s Australian Open. This is open to groundbreaking technology across the sport, health and entertainment verticals. Applications now open

TechStarts Tech Central Sydney Accelerator - Only 3 days to go until applications close for the second cohort of the globally recognised Accelerator program. Get in there quick with your application

Let us know about the opportunities that you’re working on here so we can share the love

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And if there’s something you’d like to see more of then DM me and let me know