Michael Batko

The first startup Michael ever worked in was called Madpaws (a place to find local pet sitters and dog walkers) back when he didn’t know anything about startups, or cats and dogs!

He’s come a long way since then and is now the CEO of Startmate, one of this country’s startup stalwarts.  

A decade has passed since Startmate first opened its doors, and what a revolving door of wisdom it has been. Founders helping founders, founders becoming investors and investors becoming mentors. Startmate has built an ecosystem for startups and become the epicentre for ambition in Australia.

Over the past decade, they have invested in 230+ startups, with a collective portfolio value of over $2 billion.

Michael is a sharp, passionate and entertaining speaker who has a finance and consulting background and believes that startups are all about people finding the answers to problems for themselves.

He’s witnessed Australia’s startup waves firsthand and has some interesting predictions for the future of the sector.

Among a bevy of topics, Michael has exceptional insights on the pivotal role of customers, Australia’s risk taking appetite, fundraising challenges and what we can do to address the gross underrepresentation of women in the ecosystem.