Jodie Imam

🎊 Big News from Our Team at Titanium Ventures! 🎊 Today, we’re thrilled to share that we've evolved from Telstra Ventures to Titanium Ventures! Why Titanium? Because it captures the essence of who we are and aspires to be—a firm that supports exceptionally strong and resilient entrepreneurs, those who thrive under pressure. Titanium is not just a metal with the highest durability and strength-to-weight ratio; it represents the extraordinary capability and determination of the leaders we back—leaders who consistently punch way above their weight. Our commitment remains steadfast: to unearth and scale the most promising ventures in AI, digital, and software sectors. With 99 investments, including 12 IPOs, 17 unicorns and 42 liquidity events, we’re just getting started. Holding almost US$1B in funds under management and having returned US$678M to our investors, we are more driven than ever. This is more than a name change—it’s a reaffirmation of our promise to accelerate the extraordinary, fueling the growth of standout disruptors. We've been doing this for over a decade, and it's what our investors and founders expect us to do for many more to come. Here's to the next chapter in our journey with all of you! #VentureCapital #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #TitaniumVentures

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We know there's a pay gap. And a wealth gap. And a fundraising gap. 💸 Now, check out the work Carrie Kerpen is doing around the Exit Gap. This is why it's so important that female founders have resources and connections ahead of selling your business. Understanding this opaque world will position you to increase the value of your business, so you can sell for more. https://lnkd.in/ejv62Cj3

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In the often VC-fundraise obsessed environment that Tractor Ventures operates in, one obvious way to build our brand and increase the number of companies that we fund is via the financial storytelling - how to use $1 of debt funding such as ours to return multiple $$ without dilution etc etc. Been banging on about this for a few years now, and that will just continue on as the message continues to land. In Aus and NZ, debt as a funding instrument is very nascent compared to overseas ecosystems where it has been accessed for decades. But the other, also obvious one, is truly simple. Difficult to coordinate sure, but 'makes sense.' That is: Storytelling. Showcasing the different types of financial decision-makers that access debt funding for their various purposes and utilise it in their own way to generate ROI without dilution. Smart operators, clever way of business-ing, and who feel some affinity with our Tractor brand. If they're agreeing to the interview, I guess they are happy with their personal Tractor experience, and that fits with our little throwaway byline: 'Here for a long time, not a loan term.' When the addressable market for Tractor gets raised, profiling stories such as these can be more eye-opening and start to illustrate all the opportunities for our continued growth and expansion. What was once believed to be a funding vehicle for B2B SaaS companies has certainly changed over time. So too has some misguided beliefs that venture capital funds *those companies* and debt funds *these companies* In certain scenarios, the two can go hand in hand. And just the same way that VC won't fund a majority of companies, Tractor's debt is for a certain type of company that is revenue-generating AND running sustainably, and that's an important factor to continue to reinforce. Whilst we do say no plenty, we say a very quick no, and that is always appreciated. So, we will be rolling out a number of stories upcoming c/o Stephanie Palmer-Derrien interviewing and myself curating. Very much looking forward to showcasing what a 'tractor' is, which based on these first articles, would be: 🚜 E-Learning Creation Tool 🚜 Real Time Media Monitoring 🚜 Full Service Innovation Studio 🚜 Renewed Goods Social Enterprise 🚜 Remote Monitoring Agriculture Tech 🚜 Reimagined House Rental Experience 🚜 Luxurious Skincare and Aromatherapy 🚜 Underground And SubSea Inspections 🚜 Environmentally Friendly Period Products And seeing as this batch are based in Auckland and Brisbane and Byron Bay and Melbourne and Sydney and Wellington, I think that's a good indicator that the brand-building and awareness is doing the thing its meant to do. Nice 😎

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"𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆." There's a reason Kairos works with Start-Ups! There's even more of that same reason, that got me building Aussie Founders Club. And while I think a lot of the time, Elon is a knob, he's articulated it here. I've worked with large enterprise, I've spoken to many big business hiring managers, I have placed 100s of candidates into mature businesses. 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐔𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 & 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. And we need smaller companies to lead the way! Because, as perfectly said by Elon, what is the constraint for innovation? Its not money, money is not a scarce commodity - the world is awash with money. The scarce commodity is the ability and willingness to take risks. Which leads me to think: 1) 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓-𝐔𝐏𝐒 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 2) Start-Ups are important and we need to be supporting them

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Brand new Shopify Plus B2B website launch for Allied Medical. Allied Medical Ltd, a family-founded New Zealand company established in 1998, is dedicated to providing Kiwis with access to the world's best assistive technology. With a passionate team spread across the country, they empower New Zealanders of all abilities to live their lives with dignity. We were stoked to partner with Allied Medical to launch their brand new Shopify Plus website, designed to enhance the customer experience and streamline their online presence. The site leverages the latest Shopify Plus B2B features to provide a seamless and personalised experience for their business customers. Key features of the new site include: - Migration and consolidation: Seamlessly migrated and consolidated content from their previous Umbraco website, ensuring a smooth transition for both Allied Medical and their customers. - Enhanced product filtering and search: Implemented robust filtering and search functionalities, making it easier for customers to find the right products for their specific needs. - Streamlined checkout process: Optimized the checkout process for a faster and more user-friendly experience, reducing friction and increasing conversions. - Custom design and development: Crafted a visually appealing and functional website that aligns with Allied Medical's branding and values. Shopify Plus B2B functionality: Implemented advanced B2B features, including: - ERP integration via InSyncer: Our InSyncer app seamlessly integrates with Allied Medical's MYOB ERP system, syncing pricing and product data directly into Shopify Plus B2B price lists. This ensures accurate and up-to-date information for customers and creates personalised catalogs for each customer, showcasing only the products and pricing relevant to them. - Streamlined ordering for business customers: Enabled quick order forms, purchase orders, and other features to simplify the buying process for businesses. - Invoice and invoice status display: Integrated the display of invoices and their statuses directly from MYOB Exo, providing customers with real-time visibility into their order history and payment information. - Ongoing support and maintenance: Provided ongoing support and maintenance to ensure the website remains up-to-date, secure, and optimised for performance. We're proud to have played a part in Allied Medical's continued mission to make a positive impact on the lives of so many New Zealanders. #assistivetechnology #ShopifyPlus #ecommerce #NewZealandbusiness #websitedesign #UXdesign #ERPintegration #B2B

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Many Aussie/Kiwi founders eventually face the decision of: what market should I go to next? Often, the answer they land on is the US. The key decision points then become: 1) when should I enter the US? 2) how should I break in? I spent the last 2 weeks with US VCs in San Francisco and New York, exploring those two questions and understanding what they've seen work and what they've seen fail. If you're in the early stages of building a venture scale business, I wrote the below as a simplified guide for thinking through those two decision points: https://lnkd.in/gY2JzByV

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📢 Vote for my panel at SXSW Sydney before voting closes on Monday 22nd! It's called: "Rethinking the Status Quo: Alternative Funding for the Disruptors." 😍 I truly love Australia's #startup ecosystem. And funding is its lifeblood. Nothing dismays me more than seeing Founders do bad deals ... that potentially make them uninvestable ... ever again. 🤷‍♀️ But if you've never trodden this path before, how are you supposed to know that in advance? As a former investment banker, an active angel investor, an experienced startup mentor, and a #PR pro who specialises in startups and scaleups, let me just say that "I've seen things." 🙄 I've got three amazing expert guests lined up for this panel - Jonny Wilkinson Frank Greeff and Jodie Imam - and I guarantee you won't be disappointed! We're going to ditch the old playbook and flip the script, exploring non-VC funding options that empower #startups to get the right funding, at the right time, in the right way. (Detailed voting instructions in Comments). #SXSWSydney Equitise Realbase Tractor Ventures Reputation Edge

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Which international VC has invested most actively in NZ? Here's the slide we prepared recently for our Investor Masterclass. Let me know who I'm missing. Four more sessions coming up including: Valuation, Terms, Governance, and War Stories. Join the fun by registering here: https://lnkd.in/ghJJpdR4

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It’s a great time to be a Queensland startup founder. In case you missed the news, QIC has established the QVCDF with $130 million in commitments from the Queensland Government. So what does this mean for you as a founder? 💰💰 Investment capital: To date, QVCDF has invested in Antler, Five V Capital, Main Sequence, Mandalay Venture Partners, and Salus Ventures. These firms are obligated to deploy the capital to back Queensland startups. 🚀 📈 Accelerators and programs: EnergyLab, Farmers2Founders, Cohort Innovation Space, UQ Ventures, and 77 Partners will run programs supporting exclusively Queensland founders. Be sure to connect with these firms and programs; they want to hear from you. Nicola Wightman, Stefan Knight, Ed Bigazzi, Alezeia Brown, Mark Gustowski, Timothy Hui, Philippe Ceulen, Dan Bennett, Marten Peck, Megan Fisher, Dren Xërxa, Nimrod Klayman, Tyson Jennings, Brent Watts #founder #entrepreneur #startup #venturecapital #vc"

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"Consumer expectations level up every year." Wise words from my friend Adam Sharon-Zipser as he kicked off a panel at Elephant Room's 10th birthday event with pretty much every incredible Australian fashion label in one room celebrating him, his business partner Matthew Ding and the team. A few more key takeaways from an incredibly experienced panel: "Your product is your best retention tool" said Shaun Greenblo from Boody. It was then interesting to hear him talk about the rise of Temu and I thought to myself, how will this not impact his best retention tool in 2024? Suzy Nicoletti talked about her time at Google where she spent her days convincing customers Google was a thing! When I look back, I feel this is not too far from those who still need convincing that AI is going to change our world as we know it. Leonie Faddy from Go-To Skincare Pty Ltd was joined with a lot of head nodding when she talked about how competition is more than 20x today what it was pre-covid and the barriers to entry are now non-existent. Discussion then turned to the future and I had two key takeaways outside of the obvious AI: 1. A consolidated single customer view across channels that is simple to use, understand and achieve ROI with is an area ripe for disruption. -> I couldn't agree more, why should you have to pay 6 figures to understand how your customer shops across channel in your business? 2. The fastest growing ecommerce businesses on Meta are run by analysts not product centric operators. -> What's the difference? Analysts are focused on unit economics and aren't tied to selling any particular product tomorrow or in the future. They are nimble and focused on being a profitable business. What do you think the future holds from ecommerce?

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🌟 Australian Startups 2023: A Year of Strategic Shifts and Emerging Opportunities 🚀 In 2023, the Australian startup landscape navigated a cautious investment climate, recording a total of 413 deals with an overall investment value of $3.5 billion. Despite a significant drop in deal value from previous years, there was a notable shift towards robust activity in the early stages of investment. Angel and Pre-Seed rounds not only resisted the broader downturn but actually increased, highlighting a vibrant seed funding environment that underpins a dynamic market for emerging technologies. This heightened competition at the entry-level indicates a strategic pivot within our ecosystem, investing in the foundational potential of new ventures. Such insights are crucial as we steer towards nurturing a resilient and innovative startup community ready to tackle future challenges. Dive deeper into the full analysis and explore how these shifts are shaping the future of Australian innovation. https://lnkd.in/gc4gNtGc #AustralianStartups #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem #Innovation

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Thanks to Blackpeak Capital Pty Ltd for their Technology Sector Update. Public market conditions flow through to private markets (especially important for growth stage startups) so it's good to be aware! We summarised their latest report for you. Details in comments. - Global equity markets are reaching new highs due to investor confidence that the rate rise cycle is over, despite lingering uncertainty over rate cuts . - Public market valuations have improved in FY24, driven by falling inflation. Companies with positive earnings profiles outperformed the small cap sector, reflecting a 'flight to quality' theme . - Investors are favoring companies with positive cash flow and earnings over those with high cash burn. The 'Rule of 40' has become a more prominent focus, emphasizing earnings margin over revenue growth. - Private companies seeking to raise funds need to demonstrate a near-term path to cashflow breakeven with strong unit economics. There is significant dry powder in venture capital and growth equity funds, but recent deployments are focused on existing portfolio companies . - M&A activity has seen a decline in the number of transactions, but the transaction value has increased due to large deals. Notable acquisitions include Renesas’s acquisition of Altium and Par’s acquisition of Task Group . - US tech M&A activity has continued to decline in FY24, attributed to higher funding costs and macroeconomic uncertainty. However, the value per deal has increased . - The IPO market remains largely shut, with no notable ASX technology IPOs since December 2022. There are early signs of recovery, but investors remain cautious and selective . - Secondary raisings have recovered in FY24, but investor caution persists. Private raising activity remains below FY22 highs, reflecting a shift in investor expectations towards stronger financial metrics . - The IT sector has rebounded strongly, outpacing broader tech sector gains. ANZ Software and SaaS valuations are trading around their long-term averages. - Geopolitical tensions and sustained weakness in the Chinese economy pose persistent risk factors. The liquidation of Evergrande is likely to remain a drag on global growth . Callum Davidson Cake Equity

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10 people to follow 👀 on LinkedIn if you want to follow commentary on startups and subsequent verticals in Aus : In no particular order and there are heaps more so please don’t be offended 🤔 but this is a start :) Emily Casey 🚀Gemma Clancy Dickie Currer Jacqui Duncan 😱 Rayn Ong Cheryl Mack Maxine Minter Haris Qureshi Simon Thomsen Sophie Robertson By following them and reading their material not only keeps them posting but keeps you up to speed 🚝 with what’s happening…. Thank you to all for ongoing learning !! #startupaus #lists #learning #fintech

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Warwick D. raises an old chestnut in his post below we hear all too often often. But is it fair? I have now personally met with over 200 founders in the past year and spent considerable time with each of them. 195 of them fall short in some or all of the following typical areas: 1) validated market opportunity. Is it a problem paying customers actually want fixed and what compelling evidence do you have to support this. 2) either poorly constructed, untested or non existent Commercialisation strategy. That is, the GTM strategy, pricing, product roadmap that supported the GTM. Most are generic unfocused strategies. 3) they have built what should be correctly called a POC and not an MVP. 4) and worse in my view, few can articulate what core metrics will drive accelerated growth for their business and why. I could go on, but the fact that so many are weak in these areas doesn’t help with their prospects for raising capital from investors. While I can’t speak for other VC’s, we build conviction by weighing in on those opportunities we like and where we think we can help in these key areas. It’s also a chance to see how well we might work with a founder prior to any possible investment. My own experience is that all too often little value is provided in meetings by investors to founders. We seek to be different by trying to impart value in each meeting, including asking the hard questions or pointing out our view of the likely challenges that lay ahead that their strategy should address. Being a founder is tough and being challenged isn’t always welcomed. But as I have been saying for decades to my teams, we can’t do anything with praise but we can with negative or challenging feedback. This is all to often where the pots of gold can be found! What do you think? #founders #capitalraising #venturecapital

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Hey all, if you know anybody who might be interested in benefiting from learning about this research, please read further below or pass on advice of this research.

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Is the 35 yr age limit necessary? Does it seem outdated? Vogue Australia announced its annual VOGUE CODES which gives $10,000 grants to female founders under 35yrs in partnership with Commonwealth Bank. Firstly, applause for doing this: Great to elevate founders and position tech and innovation as always being in style. BUT… Question for you all. What do you think about the age limit? Given the fact the average age for first time mothers in Australia is 30 and we know through countless studies that having a child can be a major disrupter to career journey and progress, and statistically speaking has been found to be a reason women put their start up ideas on hold for a few years, this means women have about 8 years since university (12 yrs since high school but to work in tech usually requires tertiary level knowledge and credentials) so let’s call it 8 years… they have to gain relevant work experience to identify a problem worth solving, demonstrate they are credible with a resume to impress vogue, build up enough savings to fund a start up, and keep that job because start up founders needing $10k probably need the stable income until a bigger investment round kicks in. One more bit to chew on: it’s been shown in study after study the most successful female founders are usually in their forties. However they are more overlooked at 40+ than female founders under 30. Drop your vote. 1️⃣ remove age limit 2️⃣ keep age limit

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A recent UTS business study showed that 82% of Australian consumers crave more personal interactions. As the CEO of Reach Alternative Investments, a tech-enabled private equity platform, I am conscious of the delicate balance needed for efficiency vs old-fashioned relationship building. While we strive for efficient, no-fuss service, we also value good old-fashioned face-to-face meetings over a cup of coffee or tea for a chance to really get to know each other. This is in our DNA. So, if you have an interest in a chat to better understand what we are doing with the world's leading asset managers, and how we enable investors to retire better, reach out. Myself, Jess Collins or other members of the team would welcome a chat. www.reachalts.com.au

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Target acquired: From an unlikely startup to a major acquisition for a global software solutions company, Ideagen Op Central has changed the game in the world of compliance and changed the life of its Founder Josh Cairns. The acquisition of Australian independent software vendor Op Central by Ideagen in November 2023 was the third purchase of an Australian company the multinational software solutions provider made that year. It may well have been the most significant. Ideagen believes Op Central’s innovative AI technology has the potential to revolutionize the practice of compliance among organizations. “Productivity is a huge concern for businesses globally and is increasingly being discussed at a board level as reduced productivity impacts both the top and bottom line,” Ideagen CEO Ben Dorks said at the time of the purchase. Read more HERE: https://lnkd.in/gQXFwUMr Written by Michael Wayne Alicia Johnston The CEO Magazine Global #ceo #business #tech #innovation #leadership #productivity #ai #acquisiton #theceomagazine #inspiringthebusinessworld

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Sea, Sand, Stories Being a founder or aspiring founder can be so isolating, so the combo of your environment + community is key. When I started Newsary, I had an obsession to solve a problem, a vision of how we could use AI differently to solve that problem and an eight month old. So the beginnings were as lonely as they were hectic. There are many many times when sleep-deprived and bordering burn out, the thoughts it'd be more sensible to go back to the stability and salary predictability of a 9-to-5 crept in my mind. In these moments, I put my running shoes and head to Bondi via Bronte and Tamarama. I have never been a great runner - I like how it makes me feel after, hate the part where I have to run. But on the Bondi to Coogee walk, I hear the waves, see faster runners, and I keep going. When I go back, I'm tomato-red, out of breath but more determined than ever. Because if founders are the sum of the five people they spend the most time building with, our happy place also influences us. Being near water has been found to positively impact mental health, wellbeing, and productivity. As an expat, there are many reasons why I chose Bondi as a home when we first got to Australia almost six years ago. And becoming a mum, and a Founder have just exacerbated that feeling of sheer luck, gratitude, and grounding from taking in the sound and the views daily. Little did I know Bondi is also an epicenter for innovation. I'm incredibly excited to be part of Bondi Innovation's vibrant community of entrepreneurs, VCs, and change-makers working on making Bondi epicenter where innovation meets lifestyle. Thanks for the opportunity to talk more about Newsary in what is my most relaxed interview - if you needed another proof of the numerous "blue space" benefits. Here's to the sea, the sand, and stories of innovation 📣 P.S. If you are a founder, VC, or change-maker in the eastern suburbs check out Bondi Innovation! #founderjourney #bondi #Australianstartup #startupstory

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