From Catalysr, this is Migrapreneur Stories. A show about migrant entrepreneurs who have found success in Australia and the stories behind the startups and businesses they built.
Starting a social enterprise in Australia as a migrant ft. Arianna Watson
Momentum is gaining for social enterprise all across the world. In this episode, we are having a chat with Arianna Watson.
Arianna came to Australia from Italy in 2020 just before the pandemic began. Passionate about social enterprise, she along with her co-founder started Think Enough. In this episode, we discuss what it is like to start a social enterprise as a migrant in Australia, what was Arianna's journey like, and some lessons she learned along the way.
5 Aug 2021
Building a space tech startup ft. Taofiq Huq
In this podcast, we have interviewed Taofiq Huq.
Toafiq is the founder and CEO of Spiral Blue. Spiral Blue is developing onboard processing hardware for Earth observation satellites. In this podcast, we are discussing how Toafiq built a successful startup in the space sector, what are some of the challenges that #migrapreneur face, and why an accelerator program can help your startup succeed faster.
22 Jul 2021
From being a pilot to becoming a serial entrepreneur! ft. Devan Sabaratnam
Devan moved to Australia with his parents when he was 11 years old.
Devan has done it all from being a pilot to a full stack developer to a serial entrepreneur! In this podcast, we ask Devan what it is like to start multiple businesses in Australia and some of the things startup founders should keep in mind in the early days of the startup journey. Moreover, Devan has been a part of Catalysr Accelerate program in 2018 and currently is a mentor to startups in Catalysr's pre-acceleator program.
14 Jun 2021
Australian Startup Ecosystem 101 with Marlowe Mackenzie
In this episode we have interview our very own operations manager Marlowe Mackenzie.
Marlowe has been a part of the Australian startup ecosystem for over 7 years now and has mentored hundreds of migrant entrepreneurs aka #migrapreneurs. In this interview, we have asked Marlowe questions about the Australian startup ecosystem, some of the mistakes early-stage founders make, and how to look for mentors when you are new to a startup ecosystem.
26 Jun 2019
Usman Iftikhar - There’s a lot of people who will tell you you can’t do stuff, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
Start Taking Action or “There’s a lot of people who will tell you you can’t do stuff, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”
For our final episode this season, we are joined by Catalysr CEO and co-founder Usman Iftikhar. Usman shares the story of Catalysr, and how his own struggle to find work as a skilled migrant led to him starting his own business - one that helps other people unleash their potential. He also gives us a glimpse into how he is democratising space with his new startup, and how people can prepare themselves for the future of work.
Bio: Usman is the co-founder and CEO at Catalysr. He was named Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2018, AMP Tomorrow Maker 2018 and Westpac Social Fellow 2019 and for his work to create a better future for us all through Catalysr. He is the Australian Lead for G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance, Associate Consultant for Foundation for Young Australians YLab, and Global Solutions Fellow from Singularity University. Usman is also the co-founder of startup Space is Easy, a platform making space more accessible for everyone.
25 Jun 2019
Naby Mariyam - You have to believe it will work out in the long run
From moving to Australia as a new mother where she knew no one, to building a software service as CEO of Coverhero, we chat to entrepreneur Naby Mariyam about her inspiring story, the social psychology of workplaces, and the importance of finding community. This episode was recorded at The Studio on Level 6 of the Sydney Startup Hub.
Naby Mariyam loves salsa dancing and InsurTech (in that order). When not salsa dancing, she runs Coverhero. An insurtech platform that specializes on delivering insurance in a simple, transparent and affordable way. She is also is obsessively focused on the needs of Millennials and Gen Z's. She has 18 years of experience in working across Senior level positions in Academia, Management Consulting, Documentary production, Travel and Destination Marketing. She has advised to the UNDP on building start up ecosystems and designed accelerator programs to drive innovation in developing nations. Naby also has a background in social science where she deeply studied human pleasure behind decision making.
8 Jun 2019
Anne-Marie Elias - Just do it
We chat to social entrepreneur Anne-Marie Elias about her parents’ incredible story of grit, her journey into the tech startup space and what it means to address real problems that need solving. This episode was recorded at The Studio in the Sydney Startup Hub during the 2019 Catalysr / Fishburners Demo Fair, at which Anne-Marie was keynote speaker.
Anne-Marie Elias is an Egyptian-born, Italian-Australian whose core focus is to be a catalyst for change, and through a collective effort, restructure the manner in which our social systems support those in need, having spent three decades breaking down the cycle of social disadvantage. She is the co-founder of TechFugees Australia, and the Business Manager/Lab Director of New Horizons, a disability, aged care and mental health service provider. She's founded The Collective NSW, a networking group that aims to protect the most vulnerable in our society through cross-sector and community collaboration. As a published writer and Ted X Speaker, she preaches the gospel of disrupting the status quo, and provides others the tools to do exactly the same.
24 May 2019
Long Phan - Walk the Talk
Long Phan is the co-founder of TTI Migration and Investment Consulting which specialises in providing business skills and migration pathways to overseas entrepreneurs and investors. Prior to TTI, Long has a storied history working for multinational corporations in multiple sectors.
We chat to long about his passion for his mother country Vietnam and his home here in Australia, and the role Catalysr played in his work which maximises opportunities for other migrants.
18 May 2019
Syed Mansoor - Changing a million lives by eliminating water poverty.
Syed Mansoor is an engineer and social entrepreneur who experienced Water Problems first-hand growing up in Pakistan. He wanted to do something about it as more than half a billion people worldwide lack access to clean water despite the technologies being available. As part of the Catalysr pre-accelerator program, Syed co-founded Water Democracy, a user-focused water purification solutions company with a goal to change a million lives by eliminating water poverty.
20 Apr 2019
Brian Lim - They wouldn't give me a job because I was a migrant
Brian Lim has supported more than 1,000 startups across 100 market verticals across 6 continents. He has founded multiple companies, two which are in the space industry, and has raised more than $5M USD for his companies. He has mentored for the World Food Programs Incubator program and was an Entrepreneur in residence for the Singularity University incubator’s 2018 Cohort. Brian Lim has a focus on deep tech and its value in global transformation.
21 Mar 2019
Mana Ohori - I can't believe I made it this far
Mana Ohori is a 23 year old material scientist and jewellery designer from Sydney. In 2018 through Catalysr’s pre-accelerator program, she founded “Diamonds from the Sky” which is Australia’s first lab grown diamond startup. Her goal is to grow diamonds above the ground using greenhouse gas as a raw material. She’s been creating engagement rings and wedding bands using the most ethical and sustainable form of diamonds available on the planet. Mana is passionate in environmental sustainability and cutting edge technologies.
15 Mar 2019
Desh Amila - One Way Ticket
Desh Amila is an entrepreneur, entertainer, and educator who is on a mission to educate, entertain and enhance the lives of those he connects with. He’s spearheaded the events, hip hop and entertainment industries, founded two charities, and launched one of Australia’s most influential events companies ‘Think Inc’ and more recently in 2018, ‘This Is 42’. Over his career, he has been responsible for hosting world-class events with internationally recognised educators, thought-leaders and scientists such as Dr Neil Degrasse Tyson, Dr Jane Goodall, Dr Brian Greene just to name a few. Most recently he produced and co-directed the documentary film, Islam and the Future of Tolerance which will be coming to cinemas in Australia this month.
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