On Wednesday 20th April, the Gold Coast Innovation Hub and the Office of the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur hosted a networking evening and panel discussion titled Scaling to Exit.
The event celebrated the growth of the Gold Coast startup and technology ecosystem and looked forward to what the next 5-10 years of business growth would look like for the city.
Attendees were walked through some of the latest statistics that show that the Gold Coast is not only an ideal place to live, it is quickly emerging as one of Australia’s most popular places to grow and scale digital business as well.
The panel discussion was lead by MC, Marlie Jolanda – Speaker, Community builder, and Marketing coach, and it featured the following panellists:
Shannon Overs – Co-founder onPlatinum (acquired by Comms Group, February 2022)
Sharon Hunneybell – Previous General Manager, Opmantek (acquired by Firstwave January 2022) and
Wayne Gerard – Chief Entrepreneur, Co-founder Red Eye Apps
The panellists shared their insights on how they scaled their companies. They discussed the importance of being adaptable, building great teams, communicating clearly with stakeholders and investors, and being customer driven.
The speakers encouraged people to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their team and to seek out expert guidance when approaching unknown business territory.
They also emphasised the importance of building relationships with customers early so that you can build products and services that meet a genuine market need.
Each panellist shared their vision for the next 5-10 years for their business and the technology sector on the Gold Coast and across the broader state of Queensland.
Members of the Gold Coast Innovation Hub can check out the full recording of the event in our online member portal. If you’re not already a member, sign up now to receive invitations to events like this one.
