Mat of Act Capital Partners, a fascinating Melbourne based, Media focused VC called into the show in Mid-March 2021 to share some right gems of wisdom, to a early morning (coffee’d up), PJ wearing Chris and perfectly properly attired Ant.
During the episode, Mat openly shared his perspective on many areas including:
# The move from being a Founder to a VC and the trials / tribulations of doing this, where on one occasion he was involved a boxing match with a leading unnamed Tech giant
# How timing is so important for Founders, around your first investor, your first product and also most importantly, your first piece of luck
# The impact of Covid-19 where Mat references Hopin, a very successful company which is discussed at length in the episode
# He delves further into his perspectives on the Future of Work and beliefs on how this Media will evolve beyond the two-dimensional experience of current virtual experiences.
On the investment side, he pitches in on..
# The collaborative aspects of VC & how Act Capital shares brain-power with other VC’s around the globe
# The hands on approach to the Founders they work with, leveraging the power of the strong Global Media network and experience of the Partners and Principles
# The topical trend of SPACs – their flaws, the Hype and lack of traction so far in Australia
# Also NFTs (not to be left out) as they were at their peak in value in March (when filming), discussing their benefits within the blockchain, in building trust & the over-arching impact of tokenisation exciting him
Finally, on the Talent Driven platforms – like Clubhouse. Mat highlights “They are good only if the person leading the conversation has talent … and few people on Clubhouse do”!
He speaks Australia,
Proudly eschewing about his home scene and also highlights how diversity and inclusivity is opening up in Australia, especially assisted by Lauren @ Startmate is “doing a fantastic job”.
In conclusion…
Its a fascinating chat, with a fascinating chap … a must listen/watch for any Founders or followers in the Media-Tech space especially. Plus a lovely hat-tip to Notwics at the end, from a true gent..
The Quote of the Episode:
“On Black Swans, I’ve learn ’t everything plays out in cycles and this time it’s going to happen again. I think we will have another pandemic in the next 10 years. The way we are moving globally and the way we are putting pressure on the Earth, supply chains and population growth is creating unforeseen pressure on the world, which will create another Pandemic or change in weather pattern, or another velocity of unforeseen events happening. The next trillion dollar start-up will be a climate change start-up that succeeds in helping fix this”.