9th Nov 2017 by brandsa2018

Top 10 fishing spots in SA with Bart Butson

I Choose SA, Lists
fishing, i choose sa for seafood, ichoosesa, Lists, Seafood

Third-generation fisherman Bart Butson knows all too well that thrilling tug on the end of a line.

The Port Wakefield local has spent almost as much time on water as he has on land, and says there is no better place to wet a line in than South Australian seas.

“We have the best fishing in the world,” he says.

Brand SA News caught up with the experienced haul net fisherman to gain an insight into what it’s like to fish for a living.

And, of course, we included some of his favourite spots to throw a line.

“When I’m out there and my phone’s not ringing, it feels like I’m on the only person on earth,” he says.

“I’ve always been around fish. I used to complain to my mother when I was three years of age that I wanted to go fishing and she’d give in and let me go.”

Experienced haul net fisherman Bart Butson says his hometown of Port Wakefield is an underrated fishing hotspot. PHOTO: Wildcatch Fisheries SA Inc.

The 45-year-old has fished under a professional fishing license since the 1990s and follows in his grandfather Ronald and father Robert’s fishing footsteps.

His brother is also a professional fisherman on the Eyre Peninsula.

Bart sends his fish to two Port Wakefield businesses, as well as SAFCOL and selected Foodland supermarkets in Adelaide.

His respect for the ocean and the state’s seafood industry is obvious through his sustainable practices and his dedication to Wildcatch Fisheries SA’s Fair Fish initiative.

It involves Bart’s freshly caught seafood being plated up in high-end Adelaide restaurants within hours.

“Twelve hours after I catch it, people are eating it,” he says.

Bart has been fishing since the age of 3. PHOTO: Wildcatch Fisheries SA Inc.

While Bart is a true professional, fishing for fun is an important part of SA’s tourism industry.

Read on for the best places to explore this beautiful, 3800km-long coast of ours.

1. Port Wakefield, Yorke Peninsula.

You probably know Port Wakefield for its roaring hot meat pies or perhaps your last chance for a loo stop before hitting the highway again.

Bart says the often underrated Port Wakefield is a “beautiful, historic and quaint little town” offering good fishing and crabbing spots.

Fishing on Kangaroo Island won’t disappoint.

2. Kangaroo Island.

It’s one of the best places to jump on a fishing charter and learn from the experts.

For less serious fishers, Kingscote’s long jetty won’t disappoint with regular yields of tommies, squid, garfish, leatherjackets and snook.

3. Backstairs passage.

These waters between the mainland off Cape Jarvis and Kangaroo Island are renowned for whopping snapper, nannygai, tuna and sharks.

But it’s not for the faint hearted, inexperienced fishermen or small boat owners.

The waters are around 50-60m deep, with fast moving currents and steep waves when tides go against the winds.

4. Port Hughes old lighthouse, Yorke Peninsula.

About 15km offshore, west from the Port Hughes boat ramp, is the old light house.

Be wary of shallow waters close to the structure, but the area is excellent for good sized garfish and snapper (which must only be fished in season).

Port Vincent's stunningly clear waters make for excellent crabbing.

Port Vincent’s clear waters make for excellent crabbing.

5. Port Vincent, Yorke Peninsula.

About two-and-a-half hours from Adelaide, Port Vincent is good blue swimmer crab territory and promising for whiting and squid.

Far offshore is well known for whiting, while anglers with tinnies can simply drift with a squid jig close to the shore.

6. Whyalla, Eyre Peninsula.

This is the place for “big reds”, a.k.a snapper.

Point Lowly is a good spot for these prized fish, but you must wait until the SA snapper season opens on December 15, with some selected areas closed until January 31. Be sure to also check size, bag and boat limits.

7. Port Neill, Eyre Peninsula.

A beautiful Eyre Peninsula town with white, sandy beaches and clear waters.

For land-based anglers the jetty is perfect for tommies and squid, while many of the beaches are good for yellowfin whiting and even bronze whalers!

Boaties in the area have been known to catch good feeds of King George whiting.

8. Farm Beach, Coffin Bay, Eyre Peninsula.

About half-hour from Coffin Bay on the west coast is Farm Beach, a superb whiting ground.

If fishing by boat, you’ll need to access the area by launching from the beach with a tractor or make the 15km trip from the Coffin Bay boat ramp.

Mt Camel Beach is not far from Venus Bay.

9. Mt Camel Beach, Eyre peninsula.

Mt Camel Beach is a land-angler’s paradise. Nestled in the sand dunes, it’s an excellent spot for surf fishing for salmon.

10. Port MacDonnell, Limestone Coast.

This Limestone Coast gem is ideal for bluefin tuna.

These fish are powerful fighters, and lots of fun to reel in (if you’re lucky enough!)

When fishing in SA, you must follow the rules to ensure we can continue to enjoy a world-class and sustainable seafood supply.

Size, bag and boat limits apply, as do seasonal closures, aquatic reserves and restrictions on protected species.

Visit the PIRSA website or call the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 065 522 for more information.

2nd Nov 2017 by brandsa2018

From bait to plate – top restaurants snapping up SA pipis

Thirty years ago it was unusual to spot the Goolwa pipi anywhere but on the end of a fishing hook.

Now the small surf clams – locally known as pipis or cockles – are dished up at some of the finest restaurants, and Australia’s largest pipi fishery Goolwa Pipi Co wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Port Elliot-based company’s managing director Tom Robinson says pipis are in high demand as South Australia continues to be recognised internationally for its world-class produce.

“In the early 2000s less than 1% of commercially farmed pipis were for sold human consumption, but now 80% of our pipis are sold for food,” he says.

“Like many things, you could once only get squid as bait. Now it’s a delicacy and it’s the same with pipis.

“It almost seems sacrificial to put them on a hook.”

Australia’s best restaurant Orana in Adelaide, as well as Iberia and Africola are some of the top establishments that are cooking with SA pipis.

Aside from experiencing demand from the local restaurant industry, Goolwa Pipi Co is preparing to enter export markets in Europe.

Its credentials include Marine Stewardship Certification while the SA Shellfish Quality Assurance Program reguarly tests the waters to ensure pipis are safe for eating.

The pipis are harvested from surf beaches on the south east side of the Murray Mouth, off a remote part of the Coorong National Park.

Fishers stand in shallow water while burrowing their feet into the sand, where the pipis are found, raked in and scooped into nets.

The Hoad fishing crew dig for pipis, using their feet to penetrate the sand, bringing the pipis to the surface.

The Hoad fishing crew dig for pipis in the sand off a remote part of the Coorong National Park.

Goolwa Pipi Co fishes year-round, harvesting up to one tonne of pipis per day.

They’re taken to the company’s Port Elliot processing centre where they are immersed in tanks of salt water for a day and naturally rid themselves of sand.

The pipis are packed in Modified Atmosphere Packaging or are immediately blast-frozen.

Goolwa Pipi Co was launched in 2014 by a collaboration between a small number of families, including third-generation fishing family the Hoads.

Tom says the business collaboration between families is the key to the company’s success as it allows them to share risks and costs.

For Tom himself, a former advertising executive, the seafood industry was relatively unfamiliar territory until 15 years ago when he decided it was time for a literal sea change.

“I was working a desk job in Adelaide and I left to become a fisherman,” he says.

Tom confesses that he’s better at the paperwork side of the business, preferring to leave the harvesting to the trained team of professionals.

“I don’t do it because I’m not tough enough,” he laughs.

“But our teams fish in temperatures of around 10C and they’re in the water in shorts and bare feet in the middle of winter.”

Goolwa pipis with garlic, butter, tarragon, parsley, capers and lemon.

He points out the difference between cockles and pipis.

“The mud cockles that are harvested off Coffin Bay near Port Lincoln are the true cockles,” he says.

“These cockles have a ridged shell, whereas pipis have a smooth shell.”

Tom says the business is collecting more pipis than ever since a quota system was introduced in 2008 to stop the species from being overfished.

“SA fisheries are some of the best in the world and it’s great for us to be able to harvest in a sustainable fishing environment,” he says.

“Our stock levels are healthy and we’re confident we’re fishing in a sustainable way.”

Restrictions apply for recreational pipi fishers. For information on limits and closed areas see here.

Header image is Fleurieu food identity Olaf Hansen.

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2nd Nov 2017 by brandsa2018

Hope for IVF parents – and it’s all because of a SA entrepreneur

South Australian stem cell biologist-turned-entrepreneur Dr Michelle Perugini is set to not only change lives, but help create them.

From Adelaide Life Whisperer co-founder Dr Perugini has helped to develop cutting-edge technology that will improve IVF couples’ chances at having children.

Life Whisperer is an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, cloud-based image analysis platform that improves accuracy of healthy embryo selection in IVF treatments.

Set for commercial release in 2018, the Adelaide-based start-up will be a lifeline for many couples undergoing unpredictable and expensive IVF treatments which currently have a low success rate.

“There are 1.4 million people who undergo IVF each year … it’s is a huge industry that’s growing by about 12% globally year-on-year,” Dr Perugini says.

“If you know anyone who has gone through the process, it’s quite terrible and can be very traumatic.

“So it’s nice to be applying technology to help these people to have children.”

Dr Michelle Perugini is the I Choose SA for Entrepreneurship ambassador.

Life Whisperer was launched in February 2017 by Dr Perugini, her husband Dr Don Perugini and business partner Dr Jonathan Hall.

Currently, IVF involves an embryologist selecting a suitable embryo for implantation based on a visual assessment.

Life Whisperer improves the accuracy of this assessment by using key algorithms that recognise the features of a healthy embryo.

“Currently the embryologist assesses which embryo to implant by looking down a microscope, but instead they will have a software, web-based application next to that microscope,” Dr Perugini says.

“They will drag and drop the images of the embryos and it will come up with an instant assessment of which ones they should chose for probability of success.”

Life Whisperer doesn’t impose any changes in the process for the clinic or the patient, she says.

“The patient will benefit from the knowledge that they’re using the most advanced technology to be able to select the best possible embryo,” Dr Perugini says.

In June 2017 Life Whisperer partnered with Monash IVF Group and its subsidiary Repromed to allow access to thousands of embryo images.

Based in the University of Adelaide’s start-up incubator ThincLab, Life Whisperer is currently looking for funding to help launch offshore in addition to Australia-wide.

The start-up has already secured TechInSA funding to help drive commercial growth.

Life Whisperer is not Dr Perugini’s first dip into SA’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Adelaide start-up Life Whisperer will make the world of difference for couples undergoing IVF treatments, as it will improve the accuracy of the embryo selection process.

The Perugini couple are also founders of AI platform Presagen, launched in conjunction with Life Whisperer in early 2017.

Presagen specialises in automation of human-centric tasks and medical diagnostics using AI techniques.

Before launching both Presagen and Life Whisperer, the husband-and-wife duo first became an entrepreneurial force in 2007.

After completing their PhDs at the same time, the Perugini’s combined Michelle’s 10-year background in medical research with Don’s technologically-focused experience in the defence industry.

The result was start-up ISD Analytics and its revolutionary software used by businesses to predict consumer behaviour.

In 2015 ISD Analytics was sold to Ernst and Young.

The pair’s innovative solutions have taken them across the globe, including to Silicon Valley.

But raising a young family and harbouring an unwavering passion for Adelaide’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has caused them to always call SA home.

“There’s a genuine camaraderie around entrepreneurship and innovation in this state,” Dr Perugini says.

“There are so many cool things happening, we have the world-class medical precinct, access to top medical researchers, and our defence sector is producing talent in the AI space.

“Other than that, SA is a great place to live.

“What more could you want?”

30th Oct 2017 by brandsa2018

Technology pioneer Simon Hackett on why he chose SA

It’s hard to believe how different South Australia’s tech scene would be if entrepreneur Simon Hackett had accepted a job offer in the US in the early 1990s.

It was just before the ‘dot-com boom’ when the tech pioneer turned down a job opportunity with a “great company” and instead launched his own business – Internode – from Adelaide in 1991.

Internode grew to become a nationally significant broadband provider and by 2011 it had 450 staff, 200,000 customers and an annual turnover of more than $180m.

Simon says choosing to stay in Adelaide was a “conscious choice”.

“Sometimes it feels that success comes despite being in Adelaide rather than because of it,” he says.

“But in Internode’s case, we built a 450-person plus organisation filled with smart people and a high retention rate, which I think would be difficult to achieve in the eastern capitals, where there is much fiercer competition for talent.

“I’m incredibly proud to be South Australian.”

Simon, is a fan of Tesla and says SA's adoption of renewable energy makes it a world leader.

Simon is a fan of Tesla. He is passionate about the world of renewable energy, but is most known for founding the company Internode in 1991.

Before the birth of Internode, Simon was involved in establishing the first signs of the internet in Australia.

After graduating from the University of Adelaide in 1986, he was part of a national university team that created the Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet) – the first emergence of the internet in the country.

From then onwards, the internet became bigger and more integral to people’s lives than most people could have expected.

By the year 2000, broadband internet started to come about, so Simon pushed for Internode to become a nationally significant broadband provider.

“We achieved this during the next 12 years, pioneering many important communication technologies in Australia and winning an incredibly loyal and satisfied customer base,” he says.

In 2012 Internode was sold to internet service provider iiNet of which Simon was director for 18 months before joining the board of the National Broadband Network (NBN).

In 2015 iiNet was sold to TPG.

SA entrepreneur Simon Hackett at Base 64 in Adelaide.

SA entrepreneur Simon Hackett at his current workplace Base64 in Kent Town.

Simon says his time with Internode was a great learning experience as the internet in Australia was growing at “incredible speed”.

But like all entrepreneurial pursuits, it wasn’t without its challenges.

“We had some challenging times in an industry that was dominated by a huge company which was both a supplier and a competitor – Telstra,” he says.

“But we managed to survive them all.”

Aside from his internet pursuits, Simon launched a company Base64 in 2012 from a historic mansion in Kent Town.

The 19th Century property provides workspaces and encourages collaboration among a range of technology businesses and start-ups.

Base64 is also home to Australian battery manufacturer Redflow’s battery laboratory.

Simon Hackett with a Tesla Model S vehicle and the Redflow zinc-bromide batteries.

Simon with a Tesla Model S vehicle and the Redflow zinc-bromine battery system.

Simon invested in the Brisbane-based company in 2014, becoming its executive officer before recently stepping down and becoming a non-executive board member.

“Redflow is an Australian company that has developed the world’s smallest zinc-bromine flow battery, a unique design that is free of some of the limitations of traditional chemistries such as lead-acid and lithium,” he says.

“Redflow has a team in Adelaide who have launched the ZCell residential battery and developed software to make all Redflow batteries easier to use.

“That’s the sort of smarts you can get in a place like Adelaide.”

In a nod to his interests in renewable energy, Simon is a fan of electric carmaker Tesla and its Model S vehicles.

He says SA’s uptake of wind and solar systems, along with the world’s biggest battery being built near Jamestown, makes the state a world leader.

27th Oct 2017 by brandsa2018

Tonsley’s turn at being an entrepreneurial playground

It was 2008 when Mitsubishi Motors announced it would draw the curtains on its Tonsley factory, but fast forward nine years and the bustling industrial suburb is now an entrepreneur’s playground.

The 61ha precinct has progressed into Australia’s first innovation district.

Tonsley is now a workplace for 1200 people including researchers, innovators, and business founders – more than when Mitsubishi finished production in 2008.

It’s is home to innovators as diverse as spirited SA inventor Scott Boocock of Hegs pegs to global engineering and advanced technology firm Siemens.

It leads a transition from traditional mass manufacturing characterised by billowing smokestacks, to a new age of smarter and cleaner advanced manufacturing.

Driven by the State Government and its agency Renewal SA, Tonsley underwent a physical redevelopment, targeted business attraction and support to encourage a culture of collaboration and entrepreneurship.

“The bold vision was to use urban redevelopment as a vehicle to drive economic transformation,” says Tonsley precinct director Philipp Dautel.

“It was for a creative innovation district that brings together research and education institutions, established businesses and start-ups, business incubators and accelerators, the government and wider community.”

Tonsley’s modern and inspiring layout impressed the Australian Urban Design Awards judges as recently as October 2017, when it took top gong for a large scale development.

Tonsley precinct director Philipp Dautel.

The precinct is also connected to GigCity, an Australian-first network connecting entrepreneurs, start-ups and big businesses to speeds up to 100 times the national average.

Philipp says businesses that settle at Tonsley are selected based on their ability to enhance other enterprises around them.

He says Tonsley is a “61ha playground to test and try entrepreneurs’ new ideas in real life applications”.

“For example, driverless pods developed by one of our resident companies, RDM, will be used to deliver parcels within the district to help trial this technology,” Philipp says.

The district’s centrepiece is the open-air MAB, a space re-adapted from Mitsubishi’s Main Assembly Building, and has internal forests, shops, cafés, offices, workshops and laboratories.

The Main Assembly Building is the focal point of Tonsley and where many entrepreneurs and start-ups work their magic.

The Tonsley site has transformed from the former factory of Mitsubishi Australia, and before that Chrysler, into a thriving new-age hub for entrepreneurs, start-ups, education institutions and industry leaders.

Philipp says Tonsley continues to attract strong commercial interest, with an increased number of tenancies in the MAB.

Tonsley has four areas of industry focus: health and medical, clean technology and renewable energy, software and simulation, and mining and energy services.

Some of Tonsley’s biggest players include technology giant Siemens, MAB anchor tenant SAGE Automation, and leading device manufacturer Micro-X.

International optics firm ZEISS is currently building in the MAB a premises which will employ 120 people.

Philipp says opportunities for budding entrepreneurs to network with large companies happens by simply fetching coffee from Tonsley’s cafés.

Micro X ___ _____ make their way through the urban forest within the MAB.

Matt Waltho, left, and Jed Gunn from the Renewal SA Tonsley team make their way through the urban forest within the MAB.

“The cafés and retail spaces are centred at spots where people need to get out of their offices so they have these meetings that happen by chance and that’s where the real magic happens,” he says.

“Google offices around the world are known for the way they have reimagined traditional workplaces.

“We’re taking that concept one step further by completely rethinking urban redevelopments and integrating work, life and play to create a district that is productive, convenient and enjoyable.”

Like many parts of Adelaide’s identity – including its small bar scene and North Terrace’s growing biomedical precinct – Tonsley has flourished in recent years.

Philipp, who was born in Germany and moved to SA six years ago, says it was time for Adelaide to “suddenly have something different”.

“I often compare SA to a start-up business because we’re small and humble,” he says.

“If you want to get stuff done as an entrepreneur, SA is definitely the right place to do it.”

25th Oct 2017 by brandsa2018

Tired? Hungry? Don’t worry, a SA graduate entrepreneur has you covered

Business, Innovation
entrepreneurship, Food, ichoosesa, Start-up, Technology

Forget the frustration of lugging groceries home from the supermarket only to discover you’ve forgotten the key ingredients you set out for in the first place.

Budding South Australian entrepreneur Nicole Henderson is set to launch a platform that will make shopping for recipe ingredients simpler with the touch of a button.

Playt (pronounced plate) converts online recipes into a digital shopping list.

Woolworths collects the ingredients, before the Playt user either picks up the ready-to-go groceries from the store or has them delivered to their door.

Playt allows users to convert recipes into a digital shopping list and have the ingredients delivered to their door.

It’s set to launch exclusively in SA in November before expanding into Melbourne and Sydney.

Aside from attracting the attention of the supermarket giant, Playt received $50,000 in backing through the University of South Australia’s Venture Catalyst program.

Nicole, who graduated from the UniSA’s innovation and entrepreneurship degree earlier this year, says the funding allowed her to speed up the development cycle.

She says it also gave her validation that Playt was a viable business idea.

“Validation is a massive thing for any entrepreneur … there’s a very supportive community in SA.”

While Playt will initially only convert online recipes into shopping orders, Nicole says she aims to soon develop the technology so it can process recipes from printed cook books.

It also allows users to order other groceries and household items unrelated to their selected recipe – such as toilet paper!

A $50,000 grant makes all the difference to emerging start-ups who need an extra push to lift their idea off the ground.

The idea for Playt came when Nicole was living in Sydney and working as a bank manager.

One day she became frustrated when carrying groceries home from the supermarket and realising she had forgotten to buy some items.

“That was my ‘ah ha!’ moment,” she says.

“There was nothing out there that allowed me to take a picture of a book, push a button and have the ingredients arrive at my door.

“I became obsessed with the idea.”

Nicole moved to Adelaide two years ago and was drawn to UniSA’s innovation and entrepreneurship degree, which she graduated from in July 2017.

“Before studying I had never heard of the word ‘start-up’,” she says.

“I used the degree as a platform for my research and marketing.”

Nicole partnered with the Moonshine Laboratory and together with Christian Ullmark and Jason Neave the trio co-founded Playt.

It’s located at the WOTSO WorkSpace in Adelaide’s CBD.

The Playt co-founding team.

Moonshine supports emerging start-ups that need expertise in technical aspects of their business and helped connect Playt with Woolworths.

Nicole says the team plans to have well-known chefs share their recipes on the platform.

She says life as a budding entrepreneur can be a hard slog, but SA’s affordable lifestyle it an attractive place to start a business.

Fellow Venture Catalyst funding recipients are Sally Skewes ($50,000) for Secure Nest and James Walsh ($35,000 + $15,000 worth of incubation space) for Studio Buddy.

24th Oct 2017 by brandsa2018

Ethical SA label tackling fast fashion and empowering refugees

For the Adelaide women behind fledgling ethical fashion label From Found, being referred to as social entrepreneurs is a slightly foreign concept.

As little as a year ago, sisters Lauren Bonnet, Annie Graetz, their family friend Hannah Materne were everyday South Australians with a passion for responsible fashion.

Now the trio, along with pioneering board member Mardiya Jawad, is busy stitching together the final threads in time for the launch of their first clothing range in November.

“It’s funny to think of ourselves as entrepreneurs, but we are,” says co-founder Hannah Materne.

“We’re all creative young women who are driven, motivated and passionate.

“Our value systems are at the core of what we do.”

From Found co-founders Mardiya Jawad, left, Lauren Bonnet, Hannah Materne and Annie Graetz. Photo: facebook.com/fromfound/

From Found co-founders Lauren Bonnet, left, Mardiya Jawad, Annie Graetz and Hannah Materne.

The From Found range features eclectic and colourful women’s clothing manufactured in Adelaide.

The organisation pays wages to its workers with a refugee background, helping them to gain employment, build confidence and improve their English.

The women sew the clothing from leftover and recycled materials donated from the fashion industry.

As an example of social entrepreneurialism, From Found aims to solve a community problem rather than being driven solely by profit.

When leading international social entrepreneur Suzi Sosa visited Adelaide earlier this year for Entrepreneur’s Week, the Texan said SA had the opportunity to be national leaders in social entrepreneurialism.

The From Found story began in 2016.

Through Lauren’s work in community development, as well as having friends from refugee backgrounds, she saw the challenges refugee women faced in entering the workforce.

She saw an opportunity to combine the women’s strengths in sewing and creativity and create something that would allow them to build transferable skills and experience.

Lauren reached out to Mardiya who is from refugee background and understands the difficulties women face when trying to secure work.

With Annie’s experience in business and marketing and Hannah’s experience in the fashion industry, the women sparked the idea for a socially and environmentally responsible fashion enterprise.

A crowdfunding campaign secured more than $40,000 as well as donations of fabric and equipment.

From Found pieces are made from leftover and recycled fabric donated by the fashion industry.

From Found has since partnered with the Australian Refugee Association and currently employs three women from Afghanistan, Eritrea and Syria.

Based at a Renew Adelaide space in Hindmarsh Square, the ethical clothing label also takes a stand against the rise of ‘fast fashion’.

Fast fashion refers to clothing that is produced in poor working conditions and sold cheaply.

Due to its synthetic properties, cheap clothing is having a rising impact on the environment, with 6000kg of clothing and textile waste dumped in Australian landfill every ten minutes.

“Unethical fashion has a distinct impact on people all over the planet,” says Hannah.

“We want to buy a T-shirt for $5 but how do you even produce it for $5 without negative consequences?”

From Found clothing is made from cut-offs and recycled fabrics which are carefully selected before being sewn into one-off pieces.

“Our pieces are for the person who loves fashion, someone who’s not a trend follower, but a trendsetter,” says Annie.

From Found will soon open its online retail space via the website and will celebrate an official brand launch on November 5. For tickets book here.

From Found will also be at the Bowerbird Design Market at Adelaide Showground on November 24–26.

13th Oct 2017 by brandsa2018

SA entrepreneur: Start-ups are the key to state’s success

By Melissa Keogh

Adelaide start-ups have the ability to become a “global force” and help steer the state’s future economy, says South Australian entrepreneur Kirk Drage.

“We can be a global force from Adelaide, we have world class expertise and passionate people here,” says the CEO of LeapSheep and former head of entrepreneurship and innovation at Microsoft.

“Building a start-up is becoming increasingly accessible and affordable, and we’re seeing more people across the state choosing this path which bodes well for creating new economy jobs.

Kirk’s enthusiasm for the future of South Australian entrepreneurship is well-placed; he has spent his working life either launching or engaging with start-up founders.

The former Flinders University student spent more than a decade at technology giant Microsoft, where he was responsible for 20 Microsoft Innovation Centres, supporting entrepreneurs and driving growth of innovative new businesses.

Kirk Drage has has held leadership roles in Silicon Valley – the centre of high-tech developments.

Kirk Drage is the CEO of Adelaide company LeapSheep.

He also launched Microsoft’s start-up support program, BizSpark, recruiting more than 8000 start-ups across Asia in its first year.

Kirk travelled from city to city to support start-up founders, helping them gain access to customers, develop technologies, connect with investors, and manage company growth.

“It was an amazing journey at Microsoft and I would recommend to anybody to seize the opportunity to join a growing, multi-national company,” he says.

In 2011 Kirk became an angel investor – someone who provides financial backing to emerging entrepreneurs.

“I helped them (entrepreneurs) move from Singapore to Silicon Valley; a rather steep learning curve, turns out picking winners is hard, who knew!” he says.

“In Silicon Valley there is a deep culture of curiosity around what’s possible with new technology and a race to build companies that can leverage those technologies to solve global problems.

“I enjoyed my time in Silicon Valley, and what’s great is you can take what you’ve learnt and that culture with you, including home to Adelaide.”

After more than a decade overseas, Kirk decided it was time to return to his home state and be with his family.

“It goes without saying that the lifestyle here is amazing.”

Upon his return Kirk launched LeapSheep, an artificial intelligence start-up, with business partner Kathryn Heaton.

LeapSheep empowers start-up founders to successfully build hyper growth (rapid expansion) companies and facilitates connections with universities, companies, governments, accelerator programs, and investors.

“We now have 24 start-ups on our beta program and we’ve engaged with more than 100 since I’ve been back in Adelaide,” Kirk says.

“We want to really transform the way start-up founders are supported to build their companies.

“There’s so much advice about how to build a start-up, but it’s often too much for a busy founder to sift through, assess the quality and figure out how to apply it.

“The opportunity is to provide founders with the right kind of support, at the right time in a way that’s accessible and affordable.”

Kirk is also the City of Adelaide Smart City Studio’s Entrepreneur in Residence, sharing his experiences in building “high-growth, investment-ready” businesses.

Kirk says the key to SA’s success is local founders aspiring to scale into global markets.

“One of our weaknesses is that we haven’t had to look too far for prosperity in the past,” he says.

“Now is our biggest opportunity to build scalable products and services that allow us to enter foreign markets to support growth of local new economy companies.

“Then we’ll have plenty of great jobs to match our world-class lifestyle.”

12th Oct 2017 by brandsa2018

Fermented feasts and choosing SA

By Melissa Keogh

While you’re tucking into some camembert and tossing back some kombucha at next weekend’s Ferment the Festival, keep an eye out for the State Brand.

I Choose SA Day is on Saturday, October 21, and in celebration the Brand South Australia team will be at the three-day Ferment festival encouraging foodies to choose SA products and services.

Cheese genius and head of Woodside Cheese Wrights, Kris Lloyd, is combining the worlds of chocolate, cheese, bread, sauerkraut and kimchi to bring Ferment the Festival, the first event of its kind in Australia.

More than 120 SA producers will showcase their wares from October 20-22 at Rundle Park, Kadlitpina, with many of the state’s renowned artisans hosting fermentation masterclasses and food and drink labs.

Woodside Cheese Wrights cheesemaker Kris Lloyd is bringing the inaugural Ferment the Festival to Adelaide in celebration of all food and drinks that rely on the process of fermentation to exist.

Cheese genius Kris Lloyd is bringing the inaugural Ferment the Festival to Adelaide in celebration of food and drinks that rely on the natural process of fermentation to exist.

Fermentation is the natural process responsible for making cheese, bread, smallgoods, beer, wine and gin.

Entry into the festival starts at $30 and people can graze between food stalls, enjoy lunch on the grass or settle in with a drink at the beer garden, tea bar, gin bar or whisky lounge.

The festival program includes workshops, demonstrations and pop-up labs where you can indulge in the best fermented products, including chocolate and charcuterie.

Inside South Australia guest writer Jessie Spiby from Jessie Does Food will host a food lab cooking dumplings and kraut pancakes (tickets $30).

Emily Salkeld from Langhorne Creek’s Small World Bakery will be sharing the secrets of sourdough bread (tickets $25) while expert Pepe Saya will be making homemade butter (tickets $30).

Ferment The Festival runs for three days, with Saturday, October 21 falling on I Choose SA Day.

Swing by the I Choose SA stand on either of the days to purchase an I Choose SA tote bag (to carry all those fermented goodies in) and enter our I Choose SA Day competition where you could win 1 of 100 totes filled with local goodies.

Limited edition I Choose SA t-shirts, featuring a print by SA artist Emma Hack, will be available.

If you can’t wait until Ferment to snap up State Brand merchandise, visit Shop South Australia.

When snapping selfies with your plate of fermented veggies or an icy gin and tonic, don’t forget to tag Brand South Australia and use the hashtags #ichoosesa and #ichoosesaday!

Visit I Choose SA to find out how you can support our State by choosing South Australian businesses, products and services.

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11th Oct 2017 by brandsa2018

How an Adelaide entrepreneur pedalled to success

By Melissa Keogh

Adelaide entrepreneur Daniels Langeberg has zipped through almost every nook and cranny in Adelaide’s CBD and has come to one conclusion.

“It’s blatantly clear that Adelaide is awesome,” he says.

The 32-year-old spent three years in Shanghai – one of the flashiest cities on earth – but chose South Australia to launch his two successful start-ups, EcoCaddy and Maché.

“Adelaide has a lot of unrealised potential,” he says.

“The city is coming out of its adolescence and realising that it’s actually really smart, fun and doing things in its own way.”

Daniels Langeberg says Adelaide is supportive of start-ups and holds less threat of business competitors.

Daniels Langeberg says Adelaide is supportive of start-ups and emerging entrepreneurs.

So why does a young man living in Shanghai as an urban designer pick Adelaide to launch a start-up?

“My health was deteriorating, I became really sick from the polluted air (in China),” he says.

“I would come back to Adelaide for Christmas for three weeks and I got to see the city progress in these bite-sized pieces – the building of SAHMRI, the footbridge and Adelaide Oval.

“My sister, being an influence on me, convinced me to stay for two months and I then considered moving back.”

Daniels had an idea for a short-distance transport system similar to rickshaws or ‘tuk tuks’ on the streets of Asia.

He was already connected to rickshaw manufacturer TreeCycle in Shanghai and had a feeling the bamboo three-wheeled bikes would be a hit in Adelaide.

“Adelaide has a flat terrain making it the best city in the world to cycle,” he says.

The pedicabs, pedaled by fit and knowledgeable riders, transport passengers across the city for a small flat rate.

Daniels says South Australia is the perfect place to launch a start-up because it’s “less competitive” and “more supportive”.

SA Premier Jay Weatherill, right, is a fan of EcoCaddy.

With the help of the state’s Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, he brought his EcoCaddy idea to the Velo-city cycling conference in Adelaide in 2014.

Everyone loved it but money was an issue, until a private investor came along and helped lift EcoCaddy off the ground.

Since its launch in 2015, EcoCaddy has helped transport 40,000 people across the CBD and now employs 16 staff.

It currently only operates during specific events, such as Oz Asia, and for same-day delivery services and tour experiences.

Daniels aims to relaunch a daily public service and have the pedicabs designed and made in Australia by late 2018.

“We’re also looking at all Australian capital cities in the next two years and a move into South East Asia as well,” he says.

Daniel’s two start-ups EcoCaddy and Maché provide employment to South Australians.

With EcoCaddy a rolling success, Daniels again began brainstorming and launched Maché, a space offering co-working areas for creatives, entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Maché, located on Wright Street, has meeting rooms, co-working desks, artist and recording studios, as well as EcoCaddy’s headquarters and workshop.

“I’ve gone global and gained a great perspective on how unique Adelaide is,” Daniels says.

“If people can learn the (start-up) process and reach out, we can accelerate and grow the community.”

South Australian News

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