E118 - Matthew Koertge, Telstra Ventures

Open the Pod Bay Doors

Matthew Koertge, Managing Director of Telstra Ventures, is an unsung hero of the Venture Capital industry with a portfolio including 78 investments, 28 liquidity events, 12 unicorns, and a staff of 19 globally. He is a passionate and dynamic advocate for the startup industry, where he has been active since 1998. Prior to starting at Telstra Ventures in 2011, Matthew worked across a variety of industries including positions at Accede Capital Venture Partners, Deutsche Bank, Macquarie Group, and Fujitsu.

In his chat with Ian, Matthew discusses:

• The GP LP structure of Telstra Ventures and why it works
• Telstra Ventures operating as a thematic investor
• The Telstra customer network and why it is an asset for Telstra Ventures
• The growth of the Australian startup ecosystem over the past 10 years
• The existence and future of secondary markets
• Australia’s venture capital market in comparison to other countries globally

...and more!

Quickfire Recommendations:

• by Yuval Noah Harari, by Ben Horowitz, & by Bill Carr and Colin Bryar.Book:Sapiens: A Brief History of HumankindThe Hard Thing About Hard ThingsWorking Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon
• 20 Minute VC & PivotPodcast:
• TechCrunch, Business Insider, Wall Street Journey, & AFRNews Source:
• George Kurtz of CrowdStrikeTech CEO:
• LinkedIn & Apple MusicApp:
• Telstra Ventures data science toolsProductivity Tool:
• WestworldFavourite TV Show:
• Aligning incentives between management and investors”Ted Talk topic: “

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