It seems to me that Australia has a unique problem. There is a massive brain drain of engineers & tech entrepreneurs moving to the US to start their own business (E3 Visas). These are American, not Australian companies.
* The current tax law is a nightmare for those AU startups wishing to dole out equity.
* Lack of talent, the majority of students have steered clear of tech disciplines in university after the dot-com bust, the effect of this is being felt now as engineering talent is needed.
* The government is not focused on the needs of startups preferring to invest heavily in pie in the sky ideas or just digging the dirt out of the ground. There is no decisive strategy from the opposition nor the current gov in power.
* Lack of funding. There are just not enough investors in Australia looking to fund in Australian tech startups.
The Australian startup scene is booming! Hopefully this series will highlight some of these issues so things can get even easier for new Australian companies.
All the episodes are here:
Episode 1 - http://media.smh.com.au/technology/digital-dreamers/digital-...
Episode 2 - http://media.smh.com.au/technology/digital-dreamers/digital-...
Episode 3 - http://media.smh.com.au/technology/digital-dreamers/digital-...
Episode 4 - http://media.smh.com.au/technology/digital-dreamers/the-new-...
Episode 5 - http://media.smh.com.au/technology/digital-dreamers/milliona...
It seems to me that Australia has a unique problem. There is a massive brain drain of engineers & tech entrepreneurs moving to the US to start their own business (E3 Visas). These are American, not Australian companies.
* The current tax law is a nightmare for those AU startups wishing to dole out equity.
* Lack of talent, the majority of students have steered clear of tech disciplines in university after the dot-com bust, the effect of this is being felt now as engineering talent is needed.
* The government is not focused on the needs of startups preferring to invest heavily in pie in the sky ideas or just digging the dirt out of the ground. There is no decisive strategy from the opposition nor the current gov in power.
* Lack of funding. There are just not enough investors in Australia looking to fund in Australian tech startups.
The Australian startup scene is booming! Hopefully this series will highlight some of these issues so things can get even easier for new Australian companies.