This class is an orientation to help newcomers to the startup scene get acquainted with the exciting world of tech in Sydney. We will give you the inside scoop on key events/meetups to attend, people, companies, VCs, blogs, incubators, programs, hot issues, and more. Learn the role of key players such as Pushstart, Startmate, Fishburners, Blue Chilli, Innovation Bay, Silicon Beach, Sydney Angels, Syd Start, ATP and others.

2. INTRODUCTION
TO THE SYDNEY
STARTUP COMMUNITY
GENERAL ASSEMBLY

3. What is General Assembly?
INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
Established in early 2011 as an innovative
community in New York City for entrepreneurs
and startup companies, General Assembly is
an educational institution that transforms thinkers
into creators through education in technology,
business and design at nine campuses across four
continents.

4. Our locations
INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY

5. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
“A startup is not a smaller version of a large
company. It’s a temporary organization designed
to search for a scalable business model.”
–STEVE BLANK

6. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
TECH + [ ]

7. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
‣Startups
‣Investors
‣Talent
‣Mentors
‣Partners
‣Service Providers
What defines an ecosystem?

8. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
Common misconceptions
FOUNDING A
COMPANY IS THE
BEST WAY TO
GET INVOLVED. IT’S TOO HARD
TO GET “IN” OR
CATCH UP.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
IS TOO RISKY OF
A CAREER PATH. ONLY
DEVELOPERS
CAN GET A
GOOD JOB AT
STARTUPS.
I JUST NEED
A CODER
TO BUILD MY
PRODUCT.
WRITE A BUSINESS
PLAN = GET FUNDING.
WITHOUT AN
NDA PEOPLE
WILL STEAL
MY IDEA.
SILICON VALLEY IS
ALL THAT MATTERS!
THE LOUDEST
PEOPLE ARE
THE SMARTEST!

9. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
FOOD FOR
THOUGHT

10. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
Help other people achieve their goals and aspirations.
Generate karma. Bring people together. Give back.
To a certain extent, we’re all in this together.
Give back to the community

11. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
Roll up your sleeves and learn new skills. Try your hand at
building something — anything — and share it with people. Think
about how to best position your abilities & interests.
Try to become a creator, not just a thinker.
Learn, practice, and participate

12. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
There’s no “one size fits all” experience in startup world. Think
hard about what kinds of environments suit you.
Vertical, company size, team culture, role, time commitment, and
product are just some of the factors to consider when pursuing
opportunities.
What do you (really) want?

13. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
Don’t get into the startup world because it’s cool, or because it’s
an easy way to make money. (Oftentimes it’s neither.)
Instead, join a startup or start something new for reasons that
resonate with you on a deeper level. What will keep you going
when times get tough? (They will.)
It’s not all about the scene

14. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
You will fail. Probably multiple times.
Don’t get discouraged though — this happens to everyone, and it’s
what allows true innovation to happen.
All successful entrepreneurs have been through tough times... but
they kept building, kept learning, and eventually found success.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint

15. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
Sydney’s startup community is still young and still growing.
The traditions, culture and precedents we set now will have
an impact in the long-term.
Celebrate the positive, and crowd out the negative. Balance
ambition with humility.
We all have a lot to learn from each other.
The journey has just begun

16. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY

17. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
‣Sign up for events newsletters
‣Attend meetups, happy hours, and demo days
‣Take classes and workshops to develop your skills
‣Learn how to code/design — and then create something
‣Participate in hackathons and Startup Weekends
‣Ask for help, guidance, advice, and introductions
‣Take interesting people you meet out for coffee
‣Give constructive feedback
Get involved in the community

18. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
‣Make (useful) introductions to help people you meet
‣Meet new people and develop personal (not just professional)
relationships with them
‣Blog about your experiences, adventures, and learnings
‣Teach a class — find a way to share with others
‣Bring new people from other industries into the fold
‣Be open-minded to new approaches and new ideas
Get involved in the community

19. Notable Sydney startups
INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY

20. VCs:
‣South Cross
‣One Ventures
‣Starfish
‣Right Click Capital
!
!
Funds:
‣Future Capital
‣Innovation Capital
‣Black Bird
‣Optus-Innov8
‣Sydney Seed Fund
!
Angels:
‣Sydney Angels
‣Innovation Bay
‣Green Lane Digital
‣Australian Investment
Network
‣Individual Angels
Investors
INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY

21. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
Accelerators and Incubators
The Fetch
thefetch.com
AngelCube
angelcube.com
Blue Chili
bluechilli.com
Founder Institute
fi.co
muru-D
muru-d.com
Startmate
startmate.com.au
Pollenizer (The Hive)
pollenizer.com
Pushstart
pushstart.com.au

22. Events
INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
SydStart
sydstart.com
Sydney Tech Startup
Meetup
meetup.com/cities/au/
sydney/
Silicon Beach House
siliconbeachaustralia.org
Startup Weekend
sydney.startupweekend.org

23. Find a job at a startup
INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
AngelList
angel.co/sydney/jobs
Indeed
http://au.indeed.com
Silicon Beach Jobs
siliconbeachaustralia.org/jobs

24. Silicon Beach Jobs
siliconbeachaustralia.org/jobs
Meetups
INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
Meetup Lean Startup
Sydney
meetup.com/Lean-
Startup-Sydney

25. Co-working spaces
INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
ATP
atp-innovations.com.au
Fishburner
fishburners.org
Hub
hubaustralia.com/spaces/
sydney
Tank Stream Labs
tankstreamlabs.com
StartNest
startnest.com
Pollenizer (The Hive)
pollenizer.com
Silicon Beach House
siliconbeachaustralia.org
Office Space Coworking
officespacecoworking.com
The Workbench
theworkben.ch

26. Hacker News
news.ycombinator.com
Startup Digest
startupdigest.com
Startupsmart
startupsmart.com.au
INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
Blogs and newsletters to read
Chris Dixon
cdixon.org
Fred Wilson
avc.com
General Assembly
generalassemb.ly/blog
Paul Graham’s Essays
paulgraham.com
PAUL GRAHAM
Mark Suster
bothsidesofthetable.com
Mumbrella
mumbrella.com.au
Shoe String Startups
shoestring.com.au
The Fetch
thefetch.com
TechCrunch
techcrunch.com
VentureBeat
venturebeat.com
Venture Hacks
venturehacks.com

27. INTRODUCTION TO THE SYDNEY STARTUP COMMUNITY
THANK YOU.
‣@SydneyGA
‣generalassemb.ly
‣facebook.com/gnrlassembly