Anyone can manage their business finances better: attend our upcoming Spark Fest event for “DiY CFOs”
We’re excited to be hosting an upcoming event on October 21 for Spark Festival on “CFO thinking” for startup founders and small business owners.
We’ll hear from three highly innovative young business owners on how they create value in very different businesses: car park sharing, designer dress rentals and a world-first satellite inspection service!
Our own Mark Copsey will be moderating the panel and can’t wait to share these stories from up-and-coming forces in Australian business with you.
MEET THE PANELISTS
Lisa Qi – Share with Oscar
Lisa cofounded Share with Oscar, Australia’s largest platform for booking and sharing private car spaces. She has a passion for the sharing economy, and a mission to change the way assets and resources are utilised to create greener, smarter cities. The idea for this platform occurred years ago when Lisa was struggling to park at Bondi Beach. After searching the area for almost an hour, she pulled into a random driveway and asked the owner (a kindly man named Oscar) if she could park there for the afternoon for $20. He agreed and the app idea was born!
Like all marketplace startups, there are benefits to both sides. Drivers enjoy greater choice and flexibility when it comes to their parking options, especially in congested and densely populated areas, and property owners with an empty garage or driveway (even just during the day while they’re out) can earn a passive income simply by sharing – all handled seamlessly through the app. On a broader scale it’s hoped this can lead to a more efficient cities with less space devoted to vast concrete parking structures. Lisa and her cofounder Louise are determined to make the most of the resources already available for a more sustainable future.
William Crowe – High Earth Orbit Robotics
We’re also keen to chat with William, who cofounded High Earth Orbit Robotics with Hiranya Jayakody in 2016, with the mission of building the world’s first in-orbit satellite inspection service.
The groundbreaking Aussie company helps satellite operators (major corporations and governments) visually monitor their spacecraft and other objects using a series of Earth observation satellites, which are transformed into in-orbit inspection platforms using HEO’s proprietary software.
The team at HEO Robotics is passionate about supporting humanity’s expansion into space through their own efforts as well as connecting the space sector with other industries that will be needed to sustain life off Earth.
Recently, they were funded by Y Combinator (a world-leading startup accelerator program) as part of the S21 batch. This allowed the company to take part in Y Combinator’s core program, which has the reputation of being more difficult to get into than Harvard University! During this, HEO Robotics increased its growth and customer engagement, and had the chance to perform live in-orbit demonstrations. They were one of two Australian companies accepted into this batch.
Roxy Lehmann – Dress for a Night
Also joining us is Roxy, who founded Dress for a Night in 2015, enabling customers to rent designer dresses for all occasions by browsing an extensive online collection or visiting their North Sydney boutique. Having started working nights and weekends, she progressively grew it into the popular brand it is today – with over 76k followers on Instagram alone!
We chatted with Roxy about the origins of Dress for a Night, which stemmed from her own wants and needs; she wanted to be able to wear high-quality designer dresses to events, without having to spend astronomical amounts or harm the environment and contribute to wastage in the fashion industry with high levels of purchasing and one-time usage. She wanted to offer greater choice to like-minded, ESG conscious consumers who love fashion but also care about their impact on the planet and people alike.
Roxy initially built her business acumen in the corporate world, especially in managing budgets and teams of people. She’s a big believer in learning every aspect of your business and recommends getting a mentor to assist you with what to prioritise when dealing with the unknowns of a startup.
Register now to join our free online event for Spark Festival
See you soon!
