Joining evp as Head of Platform and Community

Last month I joined evp as its new Head of Platform and Community. It’s a role with a broad remit, but a core focus on growing evp, and supporting the incredible founders and teams we’ve invested in.

Neither of those things happen effectively without community. Rather than seeing it as its own initiative, I see building and fostering community as being integrated into all initiatives. I believe community thrives when it is woven into everything we do. I also believe that community thrives when it’s grounded in authenticity and connection — so in the spirit of those two things, I wanted to share a little about my journey and why I joined evp.

An unconventional start

I’ve had the privilege of living all over Australia — though of all the places I’ve lived, Alice Springs is the only place I think of when asked where home is. I grew up there in a proud Warumungu family, and while life has taken me to skyscrapers far from the banks of the Todd River, it remains a truly integral part of who I am.

LinkedIn will tell you I started my career at Kiewit, a global Fortune 500 engineering firm in marketing. What it doesn’t tell you is that my first job was actually at 15, working in a community legal centre. It was part of a TAFE agreement I had to make sure I could still get into a University after leaving high school early. It was in the three years that followed before I landed at Kiewit, where I started to learn how to parachute myself into a work opportunity and to be both effective and useful quickly. In somewhat cliche terms, this was how I first learnt about resilience — knowing that I didn’t have the ‘right’ credentials meant I had to learn how to be both brave and resourceful.

In the 10 years that followed joining Kiewit, this resourcefulness has helped me to build a track record of being a generalist with a marketing bent. I’ve worked in varied roles — like leading Industry Engagement at ARENA, and in varied industries, like defence, health and engineering. From big corporations to government bodies, and most recently, a startup — I’ve navigated my way through businesses of all sizes.

Running and eating

Before joining evp, I worked with two great founders to build UPowr — a platform changing the way people install solar and battery systems. We were early-stage and running a million miles an hour with limited resources. People often talk about startups as learning how to build the plane while flying it, but I prefer to describe the experience as learning how to run and eat at the same time. You know, move extremely fast, stay healthy and humble and try your best not to choke — and when you do, make it look like a hiccup.

Suffice to say, I’ve had a decent sample of what it’s like to be in an early stage environment. When I joined there was a pitch deck and a prototype. In the two years that followed we built a beautiful product, grew the team from 3 to 15, acquired our first customers, signed major energy partnerships, and secured $1m in Federal Government funding. I hold deep respect for people choosing to enter that stage, and am in utter awe of the people who get past it.

Connecting dots

After leaving the business, I knew without any doubt I wanted to stay in startups, but I found myself wanting exposure to greater breadth again. This love of breadth — people, ideas, industries, problems — is what led me to do a Masters of Globalisation in 2015, where I (accidentally) took five years focusing on security, development and how communication and concepts of belonging shape these things. Venture capital felt like the place I could stay close to startups, and get exposure to intense breadth. But in what feels like one of the trendiest places to be right now — my pathway in didn’t feel obvious.

When I saw the opportunity to join evp, the ‘dots’, as Steve Jobs once called them, felt like they were connecting. From my experience productising and systemising the process of “sharing knowledge” at ARENA, through to the varied portfolio industries aligning nicely with the varied consulting opportunities I’ve had over the past 10 years — I don’t think I could have imagined a better ‘fit’ if I tried.

It’s these moments when the ‘dots’ connect that I feel an enormous sense of gratitude. These moments deepen a belief I hold that while life is infinitely random and you don’t choose your cards, we have a choice in how we show up and play them.

Joining evp

evp stood out to me as a deeply specialised and sophisticated player in Australia’s rapidly evolving venture capital industry. They tick impressive boxes — approaching $150m under management, a growing portfolio of 30 companies, and a small but incredibly high-performing team.

In the weeks since joining, I’ve seen firsthand how deeply Howard, Justin, Dan, Britt, Mark, Les and Devin care about supporting the founders we invest in, and the investors who trust us. It’s more than ‘BAU’ — it’s daily texts, phone calls and calendar reminders of birthdays and baby due dates. While the numbers will always be important, in an increasingly competitive market where capital is becoming more available, it’s this kind of care and commitment that will help evp stand out.

Over the coming weeks, my focus will be on readying the evp brand for growth, and building the frameworks from which we’ll communicate, connect and support our Founders and their teams. I’ll also be focused on connecting broadly within Australia and New Zealand’s startup ecosystem — so no matter where you are, if you’d like to chat about startups, authenticity and unconventional paths, please reach out.