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On episode 73 of Startup 360, Simon and Julie sit down with Ian Gardiner, cofounder of Innovation Bay, investor, entrepreneur and champion of founder communities.
Ian reflects on his journey from Glasgow to Australia, his life with his wife Andread, founder of Jelix Ventures, the dot-com boom, building Viacorp, and the lessons that came from growing a company without the kind of founder peer networks that exist today. That experience helped shape his belief that community isn’t a nice-to-have for founders, it's critical infrastructure.
The conversation explores the power of peer groups such as YPO Forum, where founders can drop their mask, share challenges they can’t always discuss with staff, investors or family, and learn from people who have been through similar experiences.
Ian also makes the case for human connection in an increasingly AI-driven world. While it can make founders more productive and even provide useful coaching, he argues there are limits to what it can understand about pressure, fear, accountability and the reality of building something difficult.
It can take you so far, but only a human can get you to 100%.
They also dig into Australia’s startup investment climate, why he sees angel activity as a useful barometer for market confidence, and how the rise of AI is changing startup defensibility.
Ian also shares why being “tenacious and sticky” is both a founder superpower and a potential weakness, what he looks for in great founders, and why his simplest advice for building a network is still the most effective: get out, meet people and find your tribe.
Startup 360 is a SmartCo. Media production, produced this week by Alex Harrod and edited by Matt Jackson, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay – anyone, anywhere.
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