In this interview, we’re joined by Dickie Currer, Co-National Lead of Tech Australia Advocates. Currer is dedicated to enhancing Australia’s Tech and Innovation ecosystem on a global scale through community building, content creation, and storytelling. As the Co-National Lead of Tech Australia Advocates, he plays a pivotal role in fostering the growth of Australia’s innovation economy internationally.
Tell us about the Global Tech Advocates network and the mission behind creating this community.
Global Tech Advocates is the only truly international grassroots tech community uniting the private sector in multiple cities and regions worldwide. More than 30,000 business leaders, experts, and investors volunteer their time to campaign for the betterment of the global tech industry. The Founder, Russ Shaw CBE, was passionate about championing global collaboration and creating a platform for it to take place; this was the driving force behind GTA.
Who is the Tech Australia Advocates community for, and why would a brand or individual join this Community?
Tech Australia Advocates is for anyone who is passionate about Australian Tech & Innovation and wants to contribute to making it thrive both domestically and internationally. The network is free to join and open to anyone regardless of their industry, experience or location. As long as you're a good person who cares about making our ecosystem stronger, then you're welcome. The Community currently has people across all aspects of the ecosystem, including Government, Investors, Operators, and Founders. And is representative across the whole country from the Northern Territory to WA and Tasmania. We even have members in Vietnam, the UK, and Singapore!
How is Tech Australia Advocates related to the financial and fintech sectors?
Fintech is still one of Australia's strongest tech verticals. As an agnostic association, we want to help showcase the best Australian Tech exports to the world. This naturally means that we collaborate with some of the leading FinTech Startups and Associations and a large cohort of our membership comes from that space.
What are the foundational pillars for building a robust startup ecosystem in Australia?
There are a few key elements that you need for an ecosystem to grow. Firstly, access to Capital and, importantly, different types: equity, grants, loans, etc. Secondly support from the Private and Public sectors, as early adopters/investors or supporters. Thirdly a robust and diverse set of operators to support the sector, think Lawyers, Accountants, Mentors. Next I would say the right ingredients to aspire budding entrepreneurs; this could be Universities, incubators or simply a supportive business culture. And last but certainly not least is community. I'm biased on this one of course but I think it's hugely integral to helping provide trusted advice and connections and the emotional peer-to-peer support when times inevitably get hard.
How important is community engagement for financial services and fintech startups?
As important as it is for any other Startup vertical. Community engagement is really critical to getting your Startup off the ground and keeping it alive. Communities like FinTech Australia also do incredible work representing our Australian Startups at policy level to make sure they have every chance of success.
What are some emerging trends shaping the future of financial services/fintech in the APAC region
I'm still really excited about decentralisation. I think we're some way to go, especially after recent events in the Crypto space though we're moving closer and closer to this concept as a society and I think the Financial Services space will lead the way. I was also really just in Vietnam and hearing about the opportunities there to disrupt the space is incredibly interesting. This is the same for a lot of the region, so I'll be keeping my eyes closely on what is happening.
Don’t miss the chance to hear more from Dickie in person at the upcoming Finance Magnates Pacific Summit this August 27-29, where he will be sharing his valuable insights as a keynote speaker. Register Now to secure your spot and join us for an inspiring session with one of the leading voices in the industry.
About Dickie Currer, National Lead of Tech Australia Advocates
Dickie Currer is on a mission to make Australia's Tech and Innovation ecosystem more competitive on a global scale. He does this through building community, content creation, and storytelling. He is the Co-National Lead of Tech Australia Advocates, a grassroots community supporting the growth of Australia's Innovation economy internationally. He is also the Founder of the "Hype Man" and "Startup Vagabond" Newsletters, helping to educate readers on domestic and international Innovation trends.
For more information on Tech Australia Advocates, visit their website.
