Spotlight #13 - Startups & Operators

Batko OS - increase your surface areas for luck to strike.

It’s a big update!

First off - Startmate!

We’ve got an epic line up at the fully virtual Liminal conference for you!

If you’re thinking about a career change - this is for you!

• Wednesday 8am - Assem Ongarbayeva, Chief Strategy Officer @ UPower (and Startmate Fellow!)

• Thursday 8am - Kristi Riordan, Former Global COO @ WeWork

• Friday 8am - Brianne Kimmel @ Founder Worklife Ventures

Anyone is welcome to join 👋
This is our precursor to the Fellowship to let you experience the Startmate magic 💫

It includes Breakfast club for you to meet lots of like-minded Fellows!

Secondly - Batko!

Apologies for slacking on my Substack writing.

I’ve been launching Puddle Pod - a little MVP to productise Productivity in a community of productivity geeks.

The first cohort is underway and if you’re interested in joining a future one - register below 🙏

Michael Batko @batkomichael

I'm test-launching Puddle Pod! Your productivity huddle community. What is it? (1) 6 week online content ~30mins-2h/week, (2) weekly homework with group accountability and (3) a community for life.

forms.glePuddle Pod by Batko - EOICohort 1 is underway. If you would like to hear about the launch of Cohort 2 in ~March/April - leave your details here! Puddle (Productivity Huddle) Pod is (1) 6 week online content ~30mins-2h/week, (2) weekly homework with group accountability and (3) a community for life. The content is a mix o…

Now - to the Spotlights!

💪💪💪

😇 Angel Spotlight

Do you want to be featured as an Angel? Fill this out (10mins)

💸 Startup Spotlight

Do you want to be featured to Angels/VCs? Fill this out (10mins)

🛠 Operator Spotlight

Looking for a job? Get featured in the next Operator Spotlight - fill this out.

Have an ops job you want featured? Hit reply and send it my way.

What’s in this Edition?

1. Get Investment - Angels keen to connect

2. Invest - Startups keen to connect

3. Hire - Operators ready for a startup job

4. Apply - Latest startup jobs

5. Join - Startups that just raised

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1) Get Investment - Angel Spotlight

Allied Venture Partners by Matthew Wilson

👉 Connect here.

Industry: Industry agnostic, but tend to avoid MedTech & BioTech.
Stage: Seed-to-Series A
Check Size: $100k - $250k USD, with the option to invest more at the founder's discretion.
Investments to date: I have been angel investing since 2012, now with more than 55 investments; most notably Pinterest and Lyft. In Q4 2020, I launched my angel syndicate: Allied Venture Partners, where investors can invest alongside and gain access to my deal flow.

My name is Matt, Founder & Managing Partner at Allied Venture Partners, an early-stage angel syndicate headquartered in North America. I recently relocated to Sydney and am looking to immerse myself in the local startup ecosystem, with the goal of syndicating one of more investments while I am here. I'll be in town until November 2021.

Mandate

Our investment thesis includes early-stage (Seed-to-Series A) software/technology companies, with strong teams and a desire to innovate. We are relatively industry agnostic but tend to avoid MedTech & BioTech. We look for post-product/revenue companies looking to gain access to a diversified network of North American angels & VCs.

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2) Invest - Startups Keen to Connect

🚨 Disclaimer* 🚨  This is not financial advice, nor a recommendation. Please connect with the founders directly to hear more.

🦎 Gecko

>> Connect here.

Gecko is a marketplace to hire event items easily and securely.

Problem

When booking out event items there are two options: Classified Advertising Sites and Brick & Mortar Stores.
- There is no security on Classified Advertising Platforms
- Brick and Mortar stores are only in one location
- Both don't have everything you need in one place
- Super difficult to book out

Solution

Gecko is a Marketplace that:
- Protects both Lenders & Borrowers
- All the items are close by and in one place for pick up
- Make a secure payment easily
- All whilst being cheaper

How do you know it's a problem?

- 10% Week on Week Growth since May 2020
- 110k in Annualised GMV
- 274 Sales to date at AOV of $100
- 2,500 Listings

What's your central unique insight?

- Event rental businesses target a young demographic that is technologically savvy.
- It is difficult to book out these event items through them.
- We're going to partner with these businesses by creating personalised landing pages to make their items easier to book out.
- This will increase the offline experience for Gecko customers and make it super easy for the demand side of the market to book out the items they need.

🚧 Anility

>> Connect here.

Financial health monitoring platform for the commercial, residential and civil construction sector.

Problem

Existing financial health assessment solutions fail to provide up-to-date data quickly enough to support procurement timelines at an affordable price.

Solution

Anility is a risk mitigation software that allows builders and developers to identify and manage the financial health of their contractors in near real-time through a customisable dashboard. The dashboard enables informed decision making through the marriage of financial health data, quote pricing, and other factors. Builders and Developers now have an easy way to make procurement decisions.

How do you know it's a problem?

In addition to discussions with over 215 property developers, builders, subcontractors and industry experts, we have 3 active pilots underway with Valen Project Services, Fugen Constructions, and ICG.

What's your central unique insight?

A construction project is as risky as its weakest subcontractor. However, few projects extend their financial due diligence beyond the principal contractor. While builders and property developers want a holistic view of risk, it isn't financially viable with the current solutions in the market. A more affordable, faster way to get financial health data is needed.

👶 Gheorg

>> Connect here.

Gheorg is the little robot who helps kids 7-12 years old with anxiety and to build resilience.

Problem

Childhood anxiety and severe stress went to record levels during the pandemic and lockdown, UNICEF estimated that it was at 50% of all children. Before the pandemic, rates were estimated to be 20% or 1 in 5, and rising at around 100% every 3 years. In addition, even at the lower rate, epidemiologists estimate that two-thirds miss out on a diagnosis or treatment or help of any kind. In addition, even if your child is one of the third that manages to be recognised as having anxiety, they wait an average of 5 years to be noticed and then around 6-9 months on a waitlist. This situation is worse right around the world, with Australia having the highest rates of psychologists to population. What's worse, childhood anxiety is the most challenging condition to get in childhood as it leads to the worst prognosis for adult mental health, as well as impacting learning and the development of relationships.

Solution

We tackle this problem through mentally healthy gamified therapy delivered through a friendly character called Gheorg and his sister Gheorg-e and their world filled with quirky friends. Gheorg has a child portal to help kids and a parent portal to help parents with symptom monitoring and expert information on how to help their child further.

How do you know it's a problem?

Facebook support groups for parents with children with anxiety are in the multitudes with around a quarter of a million parents subscribed. We also know childhood anxiety is doubling around every 3 years (pre-pandemic) and escalates each time there is an extreme weather event. In addition, childhood suicide is rising at 30% annually. Gheorg was launched late September and has well over 1000 downloads, we also have hundreds of daily, or near daily, active users.

What's your central unique insight?

Our founder is a psychologist of nearly 30 years and she has seen children and parents use every kind of "meditation" or calming app out there, and none of them currently work well enough to help. Firstly you need children to want to use the app as they get bored quickly with them, and parents don't like to nag. Secondly, you need something that helps parents at the same time as it helps kids because parents are big influencers of child mental health and that interaction can require accurate timing. Thirdly, children need help at home, and at school, so these worlds need to interconnect to really help.

💸 Negotium

>> Connect here.

Accurate, modern, and affordable, Negotium is the new gold standard software in business appraisals.

Problem

Inaccurate, poorly constructed and often wrong small business appraisals and valuations.

Solution

To do this, we’ve combined modern machine learning techniques with traditional financial methodologies which currently does not exist in small business appraisals. This is due to a lack of technical understanding and financial literacy.

How do you know it's a problem?

We have validated this idea in UNSW Peter Farrell Cup (2nd place) where we got over 40 expressions of interest from business owners. Since then, we have spoken to over 30 business brokers, appraisers and business owners with 3 rounds of beta testing. Since launching this week, we have seen an increasingly large amount of interest from the business broking community (already 10 brokers have signed up).

What's your central unique insight?

Expansive datasets and advanced appraisal techniques derived from founders backgrounds in investment banking and advanced physics.

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3) Hire - Operators ready for a startup job

Nobody this week.

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4) Apply - Latest startup jobs

These are new roles which were posted in the last two weeks.

Startmate Alumni

• Marketing Lead @ Milkdrop (Remote)

• Senior Tech Recruiter @ HappyCo (Adelaide)

• Social and Video Content Marketer @ Smartrmail (Remote)

Startups

• Growth Manager @ Driven (Sydney)

• Product Manager @ FreshEquities (Melbourne)

• Product Manager @ GlamCorner (Sydney)

• Account Manager @ Karst Stone (Sydney)

• Head of Marketing @ Dovetail (Sydney)

• Marketing Manager @ Fund a Future (Auckland)

• Brand Marketing Designer @ MadPaws (Sydney)

• Customer Success Manager @ Matrak (Melbourne)

• Customer Success Associate @ Loop+ (Sydney)

• Head of Sales & Partnerships @ Brighte (Sydney)

• Marketing & Growth Analyst @ Linktree (Melbourne)

• Recruiting Ops & Insights Lead @ Canva (Sydney)

• Business Development Manager @ Eugene (Melbourne + Remote)

• Lots of marketing roles + Product Manager @ Auror (Auckland)

• CRM Campaign Manager and Community Relations Specialist @ Like Family (Brisbane)

• Product Manager, Account Exec, UX, BDM, Data Analyst, Accountant @ Employment Hero (Sydney)

Ecosystem

• Program and Community Manager @ Cyrise (Melbourne)

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5) Join - Startups that just raised

Pro tip: Companies often time their fundraising PR when they are ready to hire.

• Fast - $102m led by Stripe - one-click checkout

• Phocas - $45m led by Ellerstone Capital - business intelligence

• AgriWebb - $30m led by Canadian telco TELUS - digital livestock management

• Jasper - $15.2m - commercial real estate investing

• Matrak - $5.85m led by rampersand - construction tech (also see roles 👆)

• 6clicks - $5m - Xero for compliance

• BCAL Diagnostics - $4m led Angels - breast cancer blood test

• Zoom Health - $2.6m - UberEats for medication

• Digitology - $900k - patient monitoring

• Guardhouse - $850k - security industry software

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* The information contained in this Startup Spotlight Series (the Information) is provided for information purposes only. No warranties or representations are made by Startmate or myself with respect to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the Information and no part of the Information may be relied upon for any purpose whatsoever.

The provision of the Information to any person does not constitute, and may not be used for the purposes of, an offer of securities or interests of any kind to that person or an invitation to any person to apply for the issue of securities or interests of any kind. In preparing the Information, neither Startmate or I have taken any account of the investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs of any particular person, and prospective investors must not construe the Information as tax, legal or financial product advice. Before making any decision to invest, prospective investors should:

(a) connect directly with the founders of each portfolio company to find out further information;

(b) seek and rely on their own professional advice, in particular by obtaining appropriate tax, legal, financial and investment advice in light of their own circumstances; and

(c) conduct their own independent investigation and analysis regarding the Information.

No responsibility or liability is accepted by Startmate, its related bodies corporate, or any of their respective officers, employees, agents or advisers, for any of the Information, any omission from the Information or for any action taken by any person on the basis of or in reliance on the Information; and

The Information is only intended for persons who are “wholesale clients” within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and to US persons who are “accredited investors” as defined in Regulation D of the US Securities Act 1933.