A panel discussion on Startups funding & Commercialisation with Seth Thuraisingham CEO of Consillum, Stewart Bartlett CEO of Ferronova & David Rohrsheim the Portfolio Manager in charge of the South Australian Venture Capital Fund moderated by Dr Lauren Giorgio the Chief Operating Officer of GPN Vaccines

 

Seth Thuraisingham is the founder and CEO of Consilium Technology. At Consilium, the team has been making the world more creative, one innovation at a time. The team of diverse engineers are at the edge of innovation with the underpinning skills to solve difficult problems with AI. Consilium was the winner of the 2018 SA Impact Awards where we were recognised for our excellence in AI and the impact that we have made to businesses and employment in South Australia.
Through Consilium Technology, Seth founded a spin-out company, GAIA Innovations. GAIA is an Ag Analytics Platform for identifying, measuring and monitoring the world's high-value crops for food and resource security. In 2019 it received three AIIA awards for its excellence in Industrial and Primary Industries, Automation Technologies and R&D.Seth holds a Masters in Computer Science from, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse (INSA), Toulouse, France (2003-2007); a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Systems) Hons, 2002 from the University of Adelaide; a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors; and received an Industry Leaders Fund scholarship in 2018 to complete a graduate certificate in from Stanford University in Corporate Entrepreneurship. Seth's diversity in thinking has been developed through a broad understanding of culture, overseas study, military experience, software and systems, and growing a business.

 

Stewart Bartlett is the Chief Executive Officer of Ferronova Pty Ltd, a UniSA and Victoria University of New Zealand spin out commercialising nanoparticle technology for improving the surgical staging of complex cancers. Ferronova's investors include Uniseed, Artesian Ventures, the South Australian Venture Capital Fund, UniSA Ventures, Powerhouse Ventures, Wellington UniVentures, impact investor PAN Ventures, Southern and Brisbane Angles, and several high net worth investors. Prior to Ferronova, Mr. Bartlett was a co-founder and COO of medical device company Signostics, with investors including KKR, Brandon Capital, Terra Rossa Capital, Playford Capital, and several high net worth syndicates.  In his 30 year career he has been an executive in five startups with management roles in Australia, Europe, and the United States spanning consumer audio technology, medical devices and biotechnology. Mr Bartlett is on the board of cancer imaging company OncoRes Medical and is the Chairperson of the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) Advisory Board.  He has a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with Honors from Curtin University and a Master of Business Administration from The Australian Graduate School of Management.

David is the Portfolio Manager in charge of the South Australian Venture Capital Fund. David was previously the Regional General Manager (Australia & NZ) for Uber and opened Uber’s operations in Australia in 2012. He previously worked as an Analyst at US VC firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson from 2008 to 2010. He was involved in sourcing companies, structuring transactions and serving as a Board observer for a range of software and hardware companies. Prior to joining DFJ, David was a Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company working in Sydney and London. David gained early experience with startups as the 6th employee of Strategic Data Management, ranked in 2002 as the tenth fastest growing company in Australia (acquired by ASX:DWS). Later, he helped open seven stores of the fifth fastest growing franchise of 2007, Wok In a Box. He received a B.Eng. (IT&T) and B.Fin. from Adelaide University, where he graduated with First Class Honours, and an MBA from Stanford University. He serves on the Council of Governors for his old school, St. Peters College. 

 

Plus Dr Lauren Giorgio as moderator of the panel

 

Lauren is the Chief Operating Officer of GPN Vaccines, a biotech company developing a serotype-independent pneumococcal vaccine.  She has spent her career working alongside world-leading academics and clinicians to commercialise research across the pharmaceutical, medical device, digital health and diagnostic sectors. Previously, she led the Business Development Office at the Centre for Eye Research Australia and prior to this, was part of the Business Development team at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Lauren has also been involved in the establishment, management and strategic direction of several small companies including OccuRx, Enlighten Imaging and Catalyst Therapeutics, and is a Co-Founder of the Women in Leadership Development (WILD) Program. She has a PhD in cancer biology from the University of Adelaide and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.