9 ms·

Melbourne Startups to Watch

63 points by gonsanchezs 9y ago

opportune 9y ago
Am I correct in assuming that Unlockd's business model is paying people to watch ads? How is this company raising so much funding?
- gonsanchezs 9y ago
  In a way, yes. But they do it in a "fancy" way. They raised $40m, so they MUST have some traction....
  - opportune 9y ago
    I mean if someone pitched that idea to me I'd probably laugh in their face, but I agree that you can't argue with that amount of funding. I guess I'm just really surprised that they've been as successful (at least in the funding world) as they are. No harm meant to them; clearly they understand their sphere of business much better than I do.
    - gonsanchezs 9y ago
      absolutely. Apparently, they offer free data in exchange for seeing ads. some people might dig that. Also, fundraising success is different than actual business success. Completely different case, but just look at Clinkle or Theranos. I'm not saying Unlockd is like that (I have zero info on that), just pointing out the fact that it is possibe.
    - shrewduser 9y ago
      I think there's a lot of markets that people from wealthy cities like SF or Melbourne don't really understand.
laktek 9y ago
Can anyone share their experiences in building an early stage startup in Melbourne? - Where were you based? Near to the city or a suburb? - How was the internet speed? - From where did you work? Co-working spaces / coffee shops? - Is it easy get connected with VCs? - Is it easy for someone moving from outside to blend in? - Are other founders are helpful to each other and share their experiences?
- marsRoverDev 9y ago
  I cannot speak from experience having created a startup in Melbourne, but I am Australian and can perhaps give some perspective. - How was the internet speed? If you choose the right suburb you might end up with fibre to the home, which is fast. If you don't, you'll end up with ADSL2, which sucks. Be careful - though the inner city will likely have at least adequate speeds for streaming. - Where did you work? There are lots of coffee shops and co-working spaces in Melbourne. - Is it easy for someone moving from outside to blend in? Yes, I have American friends who have moved to Melbourne and decided to stay forever. It is a very multicultural city which overall is accepting of everyone. You will find bad eggs on the outskirts, but that is the case almost anywhere.
  - ulfw 9y ago
    Accepted by the locals? Yes! A wonderful place to live? Oh yes! But is it easy to move here? No. Visas are a pain and things are only getting worse it seems.
    - toyg 9y ago
      Can confirm. My wife was refused state sponsorship for "lack of jobs demand". She has a PhD (and master) in computational chemistry and molecular modelling, and works in her sector. I work with financial software, we both make pretty decent money. If Victoria doesn't want us, I'm not sure whether they want anyone at all.
      - ganeshkrishnan 9y ago
vorian 9y ago
Someone should tell Passel they are far from the world's first crowd-sourced delivery company
kfjg980 9y ago
Thinking of moving a small startup/consultancy to Melbourne from London. Would be interested to know about - real estate prices - How does healthcare compare to UK - is it as painful as in UK to get kids into kindergartens/schools - corporate taxes and regulations, anything one needs to pay special attention too - is the market for jobs/contracts similarly fluid as London, where I find it relatively easy and quick to find clients - are there a lot of different tech niches in AU or is mining/finance where most jobs come from
- brad0 9y ago
  Real estate - terrible. Most young people believe they can't afford a house ever. Healthcare - is London healthcare similar to Scotland? Aus isn't as good as Scotland but it is very close. Niches - there's a lot, especially in Melbourne. Australia is a pretty remote country so we have a lot of our own websites. REA, seek etc.
- cylinder 9y ago
  There are lots of agencies as well as recruiters in Australia which will push out contracts. You can use that as a springboard into selling into enterprise / business if you want. Can't speak for UK healthcare, Australian healthcare is good but has a private component. you will probably buy private for the tax incentives. there are also going to be out of pocket costs which may be unusual for a Brit but comical to an American. Schools... in Melbourne I haven't heard of that kind of competitiveness. Sydney, sure. You should figure out visas and ensure you can get on a path to PR. You should also visit if you never have before bringing your family all the way over. You want to be 100% committed to the move or else you will probably give up and move back.
- shrewduser 9y ago
  Melbourne ranks top of the livability index almost every year, so while locals will grumble about this and that, most of them really have nothing to compare it to. on the whole it's the most liveable place on earth if you believe the data.
- askvictor 9y ago
  Real estate is bad. Renting is very expensive, house prices too. There are, however, a few affordable pockets here and there. Health care is pretty good, though not quite as good as UK (dental, for example is not covered by Medicare). Some doctors charge more than the govt rebate, so you may be out of pocket if you have a particular doctor you want to see. YMMV. Schools are pretty good. There will be at least one state school in your zone which you are entitled to enroll your child in; beyond that it depends on demand. Childcare (i.e. the years before school) is a different matter, and you sometimes wait for a year or so for a place in a particular centre (apply early). Private childcare providers tend to be pretty bad; community/council centres tend to be good.
Apocryphon 9y ago
Obligatory SV-centric question: can anyone who's worked in both Australia and in the U.S. tech scenes share their experiences comparing both?
- brad0 9y ago
  Sure. I'm an Aussie that has lived in both Melbourne and Seattle. Melbourne is a great tech hub, but nothing compared to SF, SEA Aand NY. There is no real way to get funding from public investors, you have to talk to "old money" (though this was a couple of years ago, this may have changed). There was a great article I read a while back talking about Atlassian's move from AUS to USA. When they were starting up JIRA they had to do it from $10k credit card debt. No investors in Australia wanted to touch them. So they moved to the USA and got funding almost immediately. From memory Atlassian was profitable very early on. I'm not sure what's wrong with investors there. A lot of our economy is run from raw materials, so maybe they just don't get it? EDIT: My experience is that software engineers are very intelligent there. I've worked with a lot of smart people in the gaming industry and mobile. The issue is a lack of leadership and funding.
  - jwilliams 9y ago
    Atlassian was founded 15 years ago, so the funding scene is quite different now -- notwithstanding that the Atlassian founders and employees themselves are now active investors. Blackbird is a good (and long standing) example. Atlassian did take money, but was actually quite far down the road. Something like 7 or 8 years in. Even then it wasn't a very standard VC deal. They're naturally a global company, but they're still very much an Australian company -- so I don't think the moving from AU to US for funding narrative is representative (or really generalizable for other AU startups). I totally agree there is lots of good technical talent in Australia. As good as anywhere, but the culture of risks and startups is only just starting to germinate. Seems to be taking root now though.
  - Apocryphon 9y ago
    Shame, sounds like the same problems that Canada's tech scene also has.

63 points by gonsanchezs 9y ago

Am I correct in assuming that Unlockd's business model is paying people to watch ads? How is this company raising so much funding?

gonsanchezs 9y ago
In a way, yes. But they do it in a "fancy" way. They raised $40m, so they MUST have some traction....
- opportune 9y ago
  I mean if someone pitched that idea to me I'd probably laugh in their face, but I agree that you can't argue with that amount of funding. I guess I'm just really surprised that they've been as successful (at least in the funding world) as they are. No harm meant to them; clearly they understand their sphere of business much better than I do.
  - gonsanchezs 9y ago
    absolutely. Apparently, they offer free data in exchange for seeing ads. some people might dig that. Also, fundraising success is different than actual business success. Completely different case, but just look at Clinkle or Theranos. I'm not saying Unlockd is like that (I have zero info on that), just pointing out the fact that it is possibe.
  - shrewduser 9y ago
    I think there's a lot of markets that people from wealthy cities like SF or Melbourne don't really understand.

laktek 9y ago

Can anyone share their experiences in building an early stage startup in Melbourne? - Where were you based? Near to the city or a suburb? - How was the internet speed? - From where did you work? Co-working spaces / coffee shops? - Is it easy get connected with VCs? - Is it easy for someone moving from outside to blend in? - Are other founders are helpful to each other and share their experiences?

marsRoverDev 9y ago
I cannot speak from experience having created a startup in Melbourne, but I am Australian and can perhaps give some perspective. - How was the internet speed? If you choose the right suburb you might end up with fibre to the home, which is fast. If you don't, you'll end up with ADSL2, which sucks. Be careful - though the inner city will likely have at least adequate speeds for streaming. - Where did you work? There are lots of coffee shops and co-working spaces in Melbourne. - Is it easy for someone moving from outside to blend in? Yes, I have American friends who have moved to Melbourne and decided to stay forever. It is a very multicultural city which overall is accepting of everyone. You will find bad eggs on the outskirts, but that is the case almost anywhere.
- ulfw 9y ago
  Accepted by the locals? Yes! A wonderful place to live? Oh yes! But is it easy to move here? No. Visas are a pain and things are only getting worse it seems.
  - toyg 9y ago
    Can confirm. My wife was refused state sponsorship for "lack of jobs demand". She has a PhD (and master) in computational chemistry and molecular modelling, and works in her sector. I work with financial software, we both make pretty decent money. If Victoria doesn't want us, I'm not sure whether they want anyone at all.
    - ganeshkrishnan 9y ago

vorian 9y ago

Someone should tell Passel they are far from the world's first crowd-sourced delivery company

kfjg980 9y ago

Thinking of moving a small startup/consultancy to Melbourne from London. Would be interested to know about - real estate prices - How does healthcare compare to UK - is it as painful as in UK to get kids into kindergartens/schools - corporate taxes and regulations, anything one needs to pay special attention too - is the market for jobs/contracts similarly fluid as London, where I find it relatively easy and quick to find clients - are there a lot of different tech niches in AU or is mining/finance where most jobs come from

brad0 9y ago
Real estate - terrible. Most young people believe they can't afford a house ever. Healthcare - is London healthcare similar to Scotland? Aus isn't as good as Scotland but it is very close. Niches - there's a lot, especially in Melbourne. Australia is a pretty remote country so we have a lot of our own websites. REA, seek etc.
cylinder 9y ago
There are lots of agencies as well as recruiters in Australia which will push out contracts. You can use that as a springboard into selling into enterprise / business if you want. Can't speak for UK healthcare, Australian healthcare is good but has a private component. you will probably buy private for the tax incentives. there are also going to be out of pocket costs which may be unusual for a Brit but comical to an American. Schools... in Melbourne I haven't heard of that kind of competitiveness. Sydney, sure. You should figure out visas and ensure you can get on a path to PR. You should also visit if you never have before bringing your family all the way over. You want to be 100% committed to the move or else you will probably give up and move back.
shrewduser 9y ago
Melbourne ranks top of the livability index almost every year, so while locals will grumble about this and that, most of them really have nothing to compare it to. on the whole it's the most liveable place on earth if you believe the data.
askvictor 9y ago
Real estate is bad. Renting is very expensive, house prices too. There are, however, a few affordable pockets here and there. Health care is pretty good, though not quite as good as UK (dental, for example is not covered by Medicare). Some doctors charge more than the govt rebate, so you may be out of pocket if you have a particular doctor you want to see. YMMV. Schools are pretty good. There will be at least one state school in your zone which you are entitled to enroll your child in; beyond that it depends on demand. Childcare (i.e. the years before school) is a different matter, and you sometimes wait for a year or so for a place in a particular centre (apply early). Private childcare providers tend to be pretty bad; community/council centres tend to be good.

Apocryphon 9y ago

Obligatory SV-centric question: can anyone who's worked in both Australia and in the U.S. tech scenes share their experiences comparing both?

brad0 9y ago
Sure. I'm an Aussie that has lived in both Melbourne and Seattle. Melbourne is a great tech hub, but nothing compared to SF, SEA Aand NY. There is no real way to get funding from public investors, you have to talk to "old money" (though this was a couple of years ago, this may have changed). There was a great article I read a while back talking about Atlassian's move from AUS to USA. When they were starting up JIRA they had to do it from $10k credit card debt. No investors in Australia wanted to touch them. So they moved to the USA and got funding almost immediately. From memory Atlassian was profitable very early on. I'm not sure what's wrong with investors there. A lot of our economy is run from raw materials, so maybe they just don't get it? EDIT: My experience is that software engineers are very intelligent there. I've worked with a lot of smart people in the gaming industry and mobile. The issue is a lack of leadership and funding.
- jwilliams 9y ago
  Atlassian was founded 15 years ago, so the funding scene is quite different now -- notwithstanding that the Atlassian founders and employees themselves are now active investors. Blackbird is a good (and long standing) example. Atlassian did take money, but was actually quite far down the road. Something like 7 or 8 years in. Even then it wasn't a very standard VC deal. They're naturally a global company, but they're still very much an Australian company -- so I don't think the moving from AU to US for funding narrative is representative (or really generalizable for other AU startups). I totally agree there is lots of good technical talent in Australia. As good as anywhere, but the culture of risks and startups is only just starting to germinate. Seems to be taking root now though.
- Apocryphon 9y ago
  Shame, sounds like the same problems that Canada's tech scene also has.