Welcome to a very special episode of Labnotes!  For our 50th edition of the show we recorded LIVE from the Future Health Expo at the University of New South Wales, diving into the world of spinouts and deep tech investment with a panel of three guests from the Venture Capital and Angel Investment sector. Join us to hear how Alejandra Romero (Main Sequence Ventures), John Kurek (UniSeed) and Mian Bi (Australian Medical Angels) find, fund and foster big ideas and entrepreneurial researchers emerging from Australian universities.   GUESTS : Alejandra Romero https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandra-romero1/ Dr Mian Bi https://www.linkedin.com/in/mian-bi/ Dr John Kurek https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kurek-ba19a54/ UNIVERSITY OF NSW : https://www.unsw.edu.au/ FUTURE EXPO SERIES : https://www.innovationcommunity.unsw.edu.au/futures-expo-series EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

Until recently you might have called James a typical scientist, working away in the labs of the University of Melbourne to understand the way that muscle tissues develop and how new therapies might improve the lives of patients. But in 2019 his career took a dramatic turn when a curiosity about culturing meat as an alternative to farming livestock brought James to the attention of George Peppou and Tim Noakesmith. The co-founders of Vow were on the hunt for a Chief Scientist as one of their first employees, and James fit the bill perfectly.  What has followed is a fabulous case study in the transition from research scientist to start-up executive, and a ride well worth following.   GUEST : Dr. James Ryall https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-ryall/ VOW : https://www.vowfood.com/ INNERVATION LAB : https://innervationlab.com.au/ EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

What does it take to be an effective entrepreneur?  Mark Swinnerton is the founder and CEO of the energy storage startup Green Gravity, but he comes to this role with a tremendous depth of skills earned over two decades rising through the ranks of one of Australia’s largest companies, BHP. It's a personal resource that Mark draws on daily as he builds a team to help tackle the climate crisis. And while Mark is not an academic himself, he has made a point of deeply engaging with university partners to validate the technical, social, and economic foundations of his energy storage solution, ultimately shaping this promising idea into the world-beating technology Mark knows we need.   GUEST : Mark Swinnerton https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-swinnerton/ GREEN GRAVITY : https://greengravity.com/ BHP: https://www.bhp.com/ EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

As the world strives for net-zero there are many tough questions to solve, but among the toughest is the need to replace the literal foundations of our built environment.  Clare Tubolets is the CEO of SmartCrete, a Cooperative Research Centre that brings together research and industry to tackle the challenge of decarbonising concrete, the ubiquitous and indispensable building material that currently accounts for almost 8% of global CO2 emissions.  Join us as Clare recounts the steep learning curve of the construction sector, and shares how research, policy and industry must adapt in parallel to meet our objectives for the planet.    GUEST : Clare Tubolets https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-tubolets-09944556/ SMARTCRETE CRC : https://smartcretecrc.com.au/ FOOD AGILITY CRC : https://www.foodagility.com/ EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

For much of the 20th century Bell Labs was a nursery of ambitious research, helping to usher in the information age with practical innovations including the transistor, lasers and photovoltaics.  Prof. Ben Eggleton is one Bell Labs alumni who has continued its culture of applied innovation, and the Eggleton Lab at the University of Sydney is now known as a global leader in optical physics, photonic computing, sensors and microwave signal processing. Ben's ability to bridge the gap between fundamental science and tangible technology is one of the factors that has seen Prof. Eggleton and his collages awarded sought after research grants including an ARC Centre of Excellence and multiple Laureate Fellowships, as well as awards including a Eureka Prize, and Ben's election to the Australian Academy of Science in 2016. Today Prof. Eggleton continues to lead his research team, is co-director of the NSW Smart Sensing Network, and has recently taken up the post of Pro-vice chancellor (Research) at the University of Sydney where he is now responsible for shaping research policy at this world-class academic institution. Join us to hear Ben's take on forging a career in applied research.   GUEST : Prof. Ben Eggleton https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-eggleton-4250127 EGGLETON LAB : https://eggleton-group.sydney.edu.au/ UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY : https://www.sydney.edu.au/ NSSN : https://www.nssn.org.au/ EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

No sector has a monopoly on innovation and the focus on universities and startups often overlooks a major group driving research and development in Australia, the SMEs.  Daniel Gronowski is a management consultant charged with delivering the Entrepreneurs Programme, the nation's flagship program to drive growth and innovation among small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). Dan brings a great deal of experience to the role as a former founder, investment manager and university commercialisation expert based at UNSW. By bridging the gap between research and industry Dan has helped bring a diverse array of technologies to market from image software to photovoltaics and quantum computing.  Plug in to hear how collaboration between universities and SMEs is a key pathway for Australian innovation and competitiveness.    GUEST : Daniel Gronowski https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielgronowski/ ENTREPRENEURS PROGRAM https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/entrepreneurs-programme DELLOITE https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/home.html EON LABS https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

Exuberant and irrepressible, Cheryl Mack has been making a splash in the Australian startup ecosystem from the day she arrived.  After moving to Sydney in 2013 the Canadian-Australian introduced herself to the local startup scene through diligent networking and her leading role in establishing StartCon, a national convention for founders, investors and innovators backed by Freelancer.com. She has since mentored, invested and worked across a swathe of startup-focused organisations including the Sydney Startup Hub, The Founder Institute, SheStarts, Stone and Chalk, Air Tree and The Macquarie University Incubator. Cheryl is now bringing this network together to help launch Aussie Angels, a new venture focused on smoothing the investment process and increasing capital flows to the ideas that deserve it.  Plug in for a masterclass in networking, and a sneak peak at the future of the Australian investment ecosystem.    GUEST : Cheryl Mack https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylmack AUSSIE ANGELS : https://www.aussieangels.com/angels EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

In 1999 a team of ANU researchers founded Seeing Machines based on their shared insight that robots and humans would need to understand one another. The idea was prescient, but the process of turning that idea into a commercial reality proved harder than any of the founders had imagined. Ultimately, the Seeing Machines board turned to the serial entrepreneur Ken Kroeger to revive this troubled spinout, and help set the company on a path to global adoption within the automotive industry.  Join us today to hear Ken's remarkable career journey both inside and outside of Seeing Machines.    GUEST : Ken Kroeger https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkroeger SEEING MACHINES https://seeingmachines.com EPICORP http://www.epicorp.biz EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

Twenty years before SPEE3D was formed its two founders could be found pushing custom built solar cars to their limits in a 3000 km race across the Australian Outback. Fortunately, Steven Camilleri and Byron Kennedy didn't remain rivals for long and the pair formed a lasting friendship based on their race experiences and a shared love of engineering. With the support of their supervisor and mentor Dean Patterson, the dynamic duo would go on to commercialise a world leading electric motor design they helped develop at NTU (Now Charles Darwin University), and began their transition from academic researchers to technology entrepreneurs.  Fast forward to today and Byron and Steven are the co-founders of SPEE3D, a company commercialising the world's most rapid and robust metal 3D printing system for applications in defence, mining and remote-area repair. So plug in for an electric story about innovation at speed.   GUEST : Dr. Steven Camilleri https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-camilleri-a78597189/ SPEE3D https://www.spee3d.com/ CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY https://www.cdu.edu.au/ THE VALUE PROPOSITION CANVAS (STRATEGYZER) https://www.strategyzer.com/canvas EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

The Brief is a quick-fire show where we break down two concepts from science and business. On today’s episode Leo and Marc explore some of the ways the government and investors seek to shape the innovation ecosystem towards social good. Marc takes a look at the ARC's grants program for Indigenous scholars, while Leo does his best to unpack the concept of impact investing. Listen in as we discuss these two concepts within 10 minutes!   EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOSTS : Dr. Leo Stevens www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ Prof. Marc in het Panhuis www.linkedin.com/in/marcinhetpanhuis/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

Creating a strong innovation ecosystem requires the open sharing of ideas between academia, industry, entrepreneurs and investors, and Tim Boyle was among the first to get that chain reaction underway.  Originally trained in biochemistry, Tim pivoted away from the academic career path after an isolating research fellowship at the University College London but soon found his place in the world of commercial research at the nearby Thompson Scientific. Upon his return to Australia in 2009, Tim joined UNSW and helped the institution embrace a liberal IP management process that propelled the institution to a position of national leadership in industry research. Building off this expertise, Tim has since become a leading figure in the national policy debate for research translation and he serves on the boards of Knowledge Commercialisation Australia as well as the international Association of Technology Transfer Professionals.  Tim Boyle is currently the Director of Innovation and Commercialisation at ANSTO, where he is helping to shape a new science and innovation precinct in South-West Sydney. GUEST : Dr. Tm Boyle https://www.linkedin.com/in/timpboyle ANSTO https://www.ansto.gov.au/work-with-us/innovation-precinct EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

The Brief is a quick-fire show where we break down two concepts from science and business. On today’s episode Marc explains the local vocational education system while Leo unpacks the bad leaver clause in shareholder agreements.  Listen in as we discuss these two concepts within 10 minutes! EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOSTS : Dr. Leo Stevens www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ Prof. Marc in het Panhuis www.linkedin.com/in/marcinhetpanhuis/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

Prof. Patricia Davidson didn't plan her path to the top, but the skills and experiences that she obtained along the way are now proving invaluable for the newly minted VC. First trained as a nurse in the 1980's, Patricia's learned the importance of patience, empathy and communication at the bedside. But a love of learning ultimately drew her away from the hospital and towards an academic career, working across a slew of Australian universities including Newcastle, Curtin, Western Sydney and UTS. Throughout this period Patricia developed an outstanding research track record in cardiac health, chronic condition management and patient-centric care. It was this reputation that ultimately saw her elected as the Dean of Nursing for Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (USA) where she was destined to help this storied institution confront one of the most dramatic and transformative public health challenges in living memory. Patricia returned home to Australia in 2021 to take on a new challenge as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wollongong. We hope you will enjoy this incredible perspective on personal growth and compassionate leadership.    GUEST : Prof. Patricia Davidson https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-davidson-a6023414 UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG :  https://www.uow.edu.au/ EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Prof. Marc in het Panhuis https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcinhetpanhuis/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

The Brief is a quick-fire show where we break down two concepts from science and business. On today’s episode Leo explains why startup employees have to be patient for their company shares, while Marc takes us deep into the halls of university bureaucracy to understand student complaint management.  Listen in as we discuss and connect these two concepts within 10 minutes! EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOSTS : Dr. Leo Stevens www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ Prof. Marc in het Panhuis www.linkedin.com/in/marcinhetpanhuis/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

The Brief is a quick-fire show where we break down two concepts from science and business. On today’s episode Marc explains how casual workers became a central element of the university workforce, while Leo explains the challenge challenge startup founders face when navigating a falling valuation for their business.  Listen in as we discuss and connect these two concepts within 10 minutes! EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOSTS : Dr. Leo Stevens www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ Prof. Marc in het Panhuis www.linkedin.com/in/marcinhetpanhuis/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

It's not often you will find scientists ghost-hunting at the bottom of a gold mine, but it would be a mistake to assume Prof. Alan Duffy is going to conform to the standard model anytime soon.  Equal parts astrophysicist, science communicator and entrepreneur, Prof. Alan Duffy has spent much of his career searching for Dark Matter, the mysterious, invisible substance that might just be holding our universe together. He is currently is the Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne, a Node Leader in $35M ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, and also the cofounder and CEO of mDetect, a spin-off company helping us peer inside some of the largest structures here on Earth.  And if Alan looks familiar that's probably because he is also one of Australia's most prolific and successful science-communicators, regularly appearing on TV, radio and print media to explain the inexplicable.  Plug in for a truely extraordinary episode.  GUEST : Prof. Alan Duffy https://www.alanrduffy.com/ SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRY INSTITUTE : https://www.swinburne.edu.au/research/institutes/space-technology-industry/ m-DETECT :  https://mdetect.com.au/ EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

The Brief is a quick-fire show where we break down two concepts from science and business. On today’s episode Marc and Leo attempt to explain how the connection between salary and work isn't always straight forward in the world of science and innovation.  Listen in as we discuss and connect two concepts within 10 minutes! EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOSTS : Dr. Leo Stevens www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ Prof. Marc in het Panhuis www.linkedin.com/in/marcinhetpanhuis/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

Government support is a cornerstone of Australian innovation, but navigating the wide array of grants, programs and policies that shape national innovation can be a daunting prospect for aspiring scientists and entrepreneurs. Today, we are pleased to be joined by a man who not only knows this landscape, but is helping to shape it. Originally from Newcastle, Alister Henskens spent two decades practicing law before his entry into NSW parliament as the member for Kur-ring-gai in 2015. He has since ascended to cabinet and is currently serving as both the Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, as well as the Minister for Skills and Training, portfolios that place him at the centre of research translation policy in the state.   So join us for a glimpse behind the curtain of NSW government, and hear how this emerging leader is shaping innovation policy for current and future generations.  GUEST : Minister Alister Henskens MP https://www.linkedin.com/in/alister-henskens-sc-mp-36843344/ NSW INNOVATION AND RESEARCH https://www.business.nsw.gov.au/innovation-and-research EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

The Brief is a quick-fire show where we break down two concepts from science and business. On today’s episode Leo explains the value of an employee share option, and Marc takes us for a lightning tour of a University Makerspace.  Listen in as we discuss and connect these two concepts within 10 minutes! EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOSTS : Dr. Leo Stevens www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ Prof. Marc in het Panhuis www.linkedin.com/in/marcinhetpanhuis/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris

For many decades robots have outclassed humans in terms of strength and precision, yet their rudimentary ability to sense and understand the world around them has limited their widespread adoption. But thanks to the work of engineers like Dr. Heba Khamis, the robots are catching up fast. Only three years ago, Dr. Khamis was a lecturer and post-doctoral researcher working at the intersection of sensing, software and robotics. But when she and her colleagues attended a CSIRO accelerator course, it helped them realise the commercial potential of one of the sensors they had been developing, and set them on a path to venture beyond the walls of academia. Heba is now the co-founder and CEO of Contactile - a startup whose a revolutionary sensor design promises to change the way robots feel their environment, opening up applications in sensitive handling tasks from fruit picking to underwater manipulation. Listen in for the very latest from this fast-moving startup.  GUEST : Dr. Heba Khamis https://www.linkedin.com/in/hebakhamis/ CONTACTILE https://contactile.com/ EON LABS :  https://www.eonlabs.org/ HOST : Dr. Leo Stevens https://www.linkedin.com/in/leostevensinc/ MUSIC : Purple Planet Music https://www.purple-planet.com Mixed by Dr. Nat Harris