TechCrunch Senior Reporter Rebecca Bellan spent three years in Auckland, New Zealand, and late last year, she hopped across the Tasman Sea to Australia to report on the startup scene in the region. Bellan, who recently made her debut as a new co-host on the Equity podcast, returned to us with a temperature check on VC Down Under.
Rebecca spoke to two Aussie VCs: Dan Krasnostein from Square Peg and Gabrielle Munzer from Main Sequence . Rebecca and our guests dug into why early stage funding is popping off in the region, the government’s role in growing a startup ecosystem, the region’s emphasis on fintech and climate tech, and what it’s like to compete and collaborate with Silicon Valley.
In addition to these conversations, Rebecca wrote a few deep dive stories from her time in Australia, including a look at its burgeoning climate tech scene and some of the people who are fighting to lift women up in the ecosystem. Rebecca also chatted with Canva — the SaaS darling of Australia — to learn how the company is embracing generative A I at its core and pursuing more B2B clients.
Equity will be back soon with our roundtable news roundup, so stay tuned!
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For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast .