Following Australian Startups and Tech Trends

Today we showcase an exciting and successful venture co-founded by Darcy Byrne, from Perth, Australia, Boozle - it allows users to find the cheapest booze in your suburb. In a recent email-based interview with Darcy, he gave insights into his venture and how he is progressing with it. This is what he has to say: • Please tell us about your venture/company? Boozle searches 1000's of liquor stores in Australia to find your favorite beer, spirits and premixed drinks at the cheapest price, and at your closest outlets. • Who are the people behind this and how it started? Darcy Byrne and Luke Mahe • How long it took before it was up and running? About 8 months, but we have done several iterations over time. • What is the main objective/mission behind your venture? We want to make it easy for users to find the alcohol that they are searching for at the cheapest price and closest to them. • What services does it provide for consumers or customers? An alcohol search engine and review syste

Today we showcase an exciting and successful venture co-founded by, Mark Harbottle in 2008 from Melbourne, Australia, 99designs - it connects thousands of designers from around the world with clients who need design tasks completed fast, and without the usual high cost and limited choices you get from most traditional design firms. In a recent email-based interview with Mark, he gave insights into his venture and how he is progressing with it. This is what he has to say: • Please tell us about yourself, your background and interests? I’m 34 years old. I have a degree in computer systems engineering. I started my wo rking life as a programmer, but I eventually found I was much better at online marketing, which back in 1995 was an area not many people had explored. I’ve worked with pure internet businesses for 13 years now. The first 4 years after I graduated I worked with one of Australia’s first internet companies, and the last 9 have been spent working on my own businesses. I started

Today we showcase an exciting and successful venture co-founded in 2000 by Ex-MD, Mal Jago, who now has a digital consultancy business Earworm Consulting, from Sydney, Australia, Coastal Watch - provides accurate surf reports for beaches around Australia and live streaming vision. In a recent email based interview with Mal, he gave insights into this venture. This is what he has to say: • Please tell us about yourself, your background and interests? Spent 15 years as a Foreign exchange Dealer before a sea change in 2000 into Coastalwatch • Please tell us about your venture/company? Surfcams at beaches to provide surf reports and conditions to surfers/boating/ Surf Life Savings • Who are the people behind this and how it started? Chris Lane- Surfer and IT guru wanting to avoid getting up at UNi and wasting his time getting to the beach and find no waves. • How long it took before it was up and running? 1-2 years established 1998. • What services it provides for consumers or customers?

Today we showcase an exciting and successful technology business co-founded by Cameron Reilly, from Australia,  The Podcast Network - the World's First Podcasting Business. In a recent email-based interview with Cameron, he gave insights into his venture and how he is progressing with it. This is what he has to say: Please tell us about yourself, your background and your interests? I'm 37, stunningly handsome, brilliant, and like long walks on the beach. What is the name of your venture/company? I'm the founder of The Podcast Network , MODM, Geeks Who Care, Twittories and The Church of LOTU. Please tell us about your venture/company? Where to start? The Podcast Network - the world's first podcasting business. We currently produce over 80 podcasts with a monthly audience of about 500,000 people from around the world. MODM - a monthly networking event for the digital media industry Who Care - a charity based on getting geeks together to use their geekful powers for good

Today we showcase an exciting and interesting startup from Sydney, Australia, Sticky Tickets - an online ticketing and event registration web portal. It is co-founded by Matt Freedman, J ay Gaibisso and Dany Gruosso. I further explored Sticky Tickets and how Matt is progressing in a candid interview with him. This is what he has to say: • Please tell us about yourself, your background and interests? I’m Matt Freedman and I’m the CEO of Sticky Tickets , an online ticketing and event registration web portal. We are based in Sydney, Australia and our site currently services all of Australia. I am also the Chairman of eMarketing business Redback Solutions which I founded in 1999. • Who are the people behind this and how it started? The business was co-founded by myself and Sydney entrepreneurs Jay Gaibisso and Dany Gruosso. Jay hired the IMAX during the FIFA World Cup in 2006 to watch Australia v Brazil but couldn’t find a simple-to-use, self-service online system to

In our ongoing coverage of startups coming out of Australia and interviews with CEOs, Media Personalities, Philanthropists, and VCs, today we showcase a startup in the eCommerce segment from Manly, Tjoos.com - Compare Prices For Better Choice While Shopping. It is co-founded by Kim Chen and Bart Jellema. Let us explore how Bart, co-founder of Tjoos.com , is progressing with his venture. This is what he has to say: • Who are the people behind this and how it started? Back in July 2007 my partner and I were looking to purchase contact lenses online. Having done comparison shopping a few times I expected it to be easy to find the lowest price using one of the price comparison sites. We spent all day looking at every comparison site we could find and got some upsetting results. Shopping comparison engines rarely list the lowest price, and if they do it's merely a coincidence. Shopping comparison sites only list stores that pay them, making most sites nothing more than PPC product se

Today we showcase the story of another successful startup and entrepreneur, Stewart Whicker, Founder & CEO, of  NavSports Ltd NavSports is an Australian-based company focused on providing next-generation tools to grassroots sports clubs to promote to and communicate with existing and potential participants. Let us explore what Stewart has to say about his venture NavSports and his thoughts on Sports as an industry and Innovation coming out of Australia. This is what he has to say: • Please tell us about yourself, your background and interests? My name is Stewart Whicker and my background is in Sports Facility Management and Elite Sports Coaching. My interests include sports promotion and playing tennis when I get the chance. • Who are the people behind this and how it started? Dean Viglione is Navsports Chairman and a former Australian Junior Judo Champion. Marcelo Moraes is our Chief Information Officer lead software developer. Navsports also has a small team of graphic design

In our ongoing coverage of startups coming out of Australia and interviews with CEOs, Media Personalities, Philanthropists, and VCs, to gauge the innovation and startup landscape in Australia, today we showcase our interview with, the co-founder of OurPatch - Regional And Rural Business Directory, Simon Wyk. I did this interview to learn more about OurPatch , its offerings, its progress and what it means to the regional and rural business of Australia. Let us explore what Simon has to say about the progress of OurPatch and the state of affairs in this domain in Australia. This is what he has to say: • Please tell us about yourself, your background and interests? I was born in South Africa and came to Australia in my mid-twenties. I started my career in marketing. Initially for a chemicals company and subsequently for a home improvements company. I then found myself in Interactive Communications and built the first commercial CD-ROM in Australia. We migrated from commercial CD-ROM

In our ongoing series of interviews where we are interviewing CEOs, Media Personalities, Philanthropists and VCs, today we bring our interview with Ross Hill, Founder of HatchThat . HatchThat is a blog that interviews entrepreneurs. Ross's other startup Yabble will also be launched sometime soon. Let us explore what Ross has to say about his startups and also about Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Australia. • Please tell us about yourself, your background and interests? I'm 20 and was accepted to RMIT 's Entrepreneurship program straight out of High School. I'm in the final year now, but have had a web design business for 6 years. I'm interested in social media and where that is going to take us in the future. More recently I have started developing my own websites including an entrepreneurial interviews blog at HatchThat.com , a CD cover search engine at CoverHunt.com , and the latest which hasn't been launched yet at Yabble.com.au . • What is the name of

Today we are showcasing another venture from Sydney, Australia, RAYV Founded by Anil Sabharwal, RAYV - a local business directory with recommendations , targeted towards Sydney customers, allows consumers to find, review, and talk about local businesses. It's a cross between a web-based social community an online business directory and a recommendation engine. We explored a bit further about RAYV from one of the founders - Anil Sabharwal. This is what he has to say in his interview with us: • Please tell us about yourself, your background and interests? I’ve always had a passion for technology. It started with hardware – computers, video game consoles, mobile phones – but as of late my real interest has been the digital space. There is so much information in the world today but it’s all useless if it can’t be filtered and delive red in a meaningful manner. To me, the Internet represents both our greatest opportunity and our biggest challenge – and this is what drives me day an

Today we showcase the story of a woman entrepreneur, mum of 4 and 3 successful ventures under her belt, Meg Tsiamis , founder of dLook , Obits , Aussie Bloggers from Sydney, Australia. In a candid interview with us, she explained how as a mum and an entrepreneur she is managing and juggling. This is what she has to say in her interview with us : • Please tell us about yourself, your background and interests? I guess I’m a bit of a late bloomer. I married at twenty and had my first child at 23. My s tudies were haphazard, and I finally graduated from Uni when I was 31 and launched straight into graduate studies. A glutton for punishment. My earlier working life consisted of a range of accounting and administrative type roles. In 2000 I set up a finance brokerage which I grew until I started with the internet ventures. Interests? Blogging I guess! • How did you become an entrepreneur, tell us your thought process and how i t began? Quite by accident really! One night my husband was loo