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Eavesdropping on Sydney Startups: 6 quotes you might have missed in September

Eavesdropping on Sydney Startups: 6 quotes you might have missed in September
The Sydney startup scene moves fast. So, you can’t be blamed for missing a few golden nuggets of information over the last month. Here’s what we heard in September...
“The market is moving to shared mobility regardless of what Hyundai Motor’s strategy or will is, so it is clear that our best option is to pursue what customers want rather than what we might like in our ideal world.”
- Keith Noh, Deputy General Manager, Hyundai Corporate Venture Capital Team

Car-sharing startup Car Next Door recently announced a $6.2 million investment from Hyundai, which takes its total investment to $8 million over the past 12 months. With over 3,000 cars listed on the platform, the funds will support an increase in the number of ‘sharing-ready’ cars available across Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth and see its expansion outside urban centres. The investment might seem like a counter-intuitive move from the automotive manufacturer, however Noh adds, Hyundai wants to be “...part of innovation through collaboration,” with the company seeing a future where cars are built for use by multiple people. 
“The more we get into the problem we’re trying to solve, the more we see myriad problems that need solving.”
- Zara Lord, Founder, uPaged

Zara Lord, registered nurse and founder of uPaged, an on-demand nursing shift platform, reflects on building a startup and catering to the needs of its users, the nursing community. Self-described as cross between Uber, TripAdvisor and the traditional nursing agency model, uPaged assists its users in building a professional profile and then allows them to pick from available on-demand shifts. The platform is tackling a variety of challenges across the system by placing nurses at the heart of their model.
 “It’s like going from learning how to drive a car to learning how to drive a plane.”
- Paul Weingarth, Co-founder, Slyp

Paul Weingarth, co-founder of Slyp, a digital receipt fintech startup, describes the transition between proof of concept and production. In his experience working with banks locally to bring Slyp’s tech to market, Weingarth shares the importance of aligning with the right person within the business to drive progress, “...if you get stuck in the ‘innovation’ part of the business, they may not actually have the funding to take that product live, or get it into the real world.” After securing $4 million in funding to expand its offering, and with a technology that offers both customer experience and environmental innovation, Slyp is sure to be supporting digital transactions on a broadscale before too long.
“Through the Acceleration Program, we hope to see even more smart-thinking entrepreneurs bring their visions to life and continue to grow the clean energy innovation ecosystem in Australia.”
- Linda Koschier, Head of Partnerships, Origin Energy

EnergyLab has recently announced its new nine-month national acceleration program for later stage clean energy startups. With the support of long-term partners, such as Origin Energy, the program will focus on product launch, securing customers and capital raising to fund future growth. Each stage of the program will be supported by the guidance of mentors, partners and investors. Applications close on November 7 and the acceleration program commences in February 2020.

For more information visit: https://energylab.org.au/acceleration. 
“This year’s list has seen 19 new entrants from a variety of industries – highlighting the competitive make-up of Australia’s fast-paced startup scene. These startups offer great job opportunities for professionals who are keen to grow their careers fast.”
- Natalie MacDonald, News Editor, LinkedIn

Earlier this month LinkedIn released its Top Startups list revealing the 25 hottest Australian companies to work for now. Drawn from companies that were over seven years old and had at least 50 employees, LinkedIn’s team of editors and data scientists reviewed the activity on its platform across four key pillars; employee growth; jobseeker interest; member engagement with the company and its employees; and how well the startups attracted talent. Fintech is strongly represented across the list with neobanks Judo Bank, Volt Banking and Xinja securing top spots. Tech ‘unicorn’ Canva secured second position and adding industry variety to the list, cosmetics and oral care company HiSmile came in at number 24.

To view the full list visit http://bit.ly/TLSLinkedin25 
“The NSW Government is backing innovative solutions that will help transform accessibility and open up public spaces to the blind and vision-impaired community.”
- Stuart Ayres Minister for Jobs NSW

Changing the world of indoor navigation Australian startup BindiMaps has installed its indoor wayfinding technology in the Sydney Startup Hub building providing better access and inclusivity for vision impaired guests. In a Sydney Startup Hub statement, BindiMaps co-founder and CEO Dr Anna Wright said she was proud to be working with the Sydney Startup Hub and pleased that such an important NSW Government facility was embracing innovation when it comes to accessibility, "...with BindiMaps, the technology is there to provide independent access to people who are blind or have low vision, something that has not been possible before."
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