Innovation Bay and HSBC announce 2025 recipients of Ignite Innovation, an initiative to broaden representation within the venture ecosystem

Innovation Bay and HSBC have today announced the 2025 recipients of the newly launched Ignite Innovation, an initiative aimed at increasing the representation of women across Australia and New Zealand’s founder and investor communities.

Centered around a purpose of broadening perspectives, fostering collaboration, and accelerating innovation, Ignite Innovation reflects a shared commitment by Innovation Bay and HSBC to create a more inclusive venture ecosystem.

The 2024 State of Australian Startup Funding Report recently found teams with a female founder saw their share of funding drop to just 15% of total allocated capital, down 3% compared to 2023, while all-woman teams received just 2%.

Ignite Innovation gives six selected female entrepreneurs and investors the opportunity to join the Innovation Bay network, Australia’s premier community for tech founders, venture capitalists, and angel investors. The initiative also offers access to HSBC resources and experts, including the Australia and New Zealand Chief Economist and the Tech and Venture Coverage Lead, a tailored upskilling and training program plus opportunities to leverage the bank’s global footprint.

In selecting the recipients, Innovation Bay and HSBC worked together to identify six outstanding women whose entrepreneurial work aligns with their shared vision for a more inclusive and dynamic business landscape.

Steve Hughes, Head of Banking Australia and New Zealand, Corporate and Institutional Banking at HSBC said “Congratulations to the very deserving recipients of Ignite Innovation. Since our beginning, HSBC has been an organisation that has championed a forward-thinking and entrepreneurial mindset.

“Our partnership with Innovation Bay is another example of this, and we are excited to work together to build a more inclusive venture ecosystem across Australia and New Zealand.

Phaedon Stough, CEO of Innovation Bay, said: “Increasing diversity in venture isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s essential for driving better innovation and stronger outcomes. Ignite Innovation is about breaking down barriers and creating meaningful opportunities for women in the founder and investor community.

“By partnering with HSBC, we’re not just opening doors for these incredible leaders; we’re strengthening the entire ecosystem. We’re thrilled to welcome this talented group to Innovation Bay and look forward to seeing their impact unfold.”

Congratulations the 2025 recipients:

Anna Rakoczy, Co-Founder and CEO of the Homemade Method: Anna is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Homemade Method, a health and wellness platform helping women over 50 lose weight and reverse chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol without diets or medication. A dual Master’s degree holder from Stanford University and UC Berkeley, Anna is also a Fulbright Scholar, John Monash Scholar, and was named Australian Young Lawyer of the Year.

The Homemade Method delivers a consumer subscription mobile app supported by a thriving community of members. Under Anna’s leadership, the platform has empowered over 35,000 paying members to lose up to 80kg (175 lbs), reverse diabetes, stabilise blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduce or eliminate multiple medications.

With eight years spent in San Francisco and now based in Australia, Anna is driven by a mission to solve complex social problems in simple, scalable ways. Her work continues to transform lives and redefine health for thousands of women globally.

Katy Barfield, Founder & CEO at Yume: Katy Barfield’s mission to reduce food waste began over 20 years ago when she saw firsthand the staggering amount of good food discarded at a Melbourne bar she owned. This sparked a passion that reshaped Australia’s approach to food surplus and sustainability.

As the founding CEO of SecondBite in 2006, Katy helped build one of Australia’s leading food rescue organisations. However, recognising the need for a scalable solution, she launched Yume, a B2B tech platform that prevents surplus food from becoming waste. Industry leaders like Unilever, Mars Food, Simplot, and General Mills use Yume to sell or donate excess stock, keeping high-quality food out of landfill.

To date, Yume has returned $27M to food manufacturers and diverted 10.5M kg of food waste. In recognition of her impact, Katy was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2023 for her contributions to sustainability.

Katy Landt, Co-Founder & CEO at Safe Ag Systems: Katy Landt is a passionate advocate for safety and technology in agriculture, inspired by five generations of grain farming on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula. After a near-miss incident on her family farm, Katy committed to improving farm safety without disrupting productivity or frustrating workers.

With expertise in product development, business operations, and UI/UX design, she co-founded Safe Ag Systems—initially launched as a safety software platform to educate and empower agricultural workers. Under her leadership, it has grown into a comprehensive operational management system supporting safety, compliance, and daily operations.

Today, Safe Ag Systems serves over 10,000 users across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and the US, helping farms and agribusinesses operate more safely and efficiently. Katy’s vision continues to drive innovation in agtech, shaping a smarter and more sustainable global farming industry.

Lisa Fedorenko, Head of Impact Investing at Save the Children Global Ventures: Lisa is Head of Impact Investing, leading investments in innovative projects and companies driving transformative change for children across APAC. Previously, she led the $16M Alberts Impact Venture fund, backing 23 impact-driven companies focused on sustainability, mental health, culture, and gender equality. She pioneered investing to structurally reduce inequality and conducted deep dives into gender equality and mental health.

A well-respected figure in Australian venture capital, Lisa was named to the 2023 Fortune Change Makers list for co-founding Equity Clear, a reporting standard for founder diversity adopted by 60+ funds in Australia.

Earlier, she worked at Credit Suisse on IPOs for Alibaba, Healthscope, and Wisetech before managing the $1B+ Montgomery Fund in listed equities. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney, majoring in Advanced Mathematics, Computer Science, and Econometrics.

Nadine Hill, Partner at 2040 Ventures:  Nadine Hill is a seasoned venture capital professional and director with deep expertise in finance, strategy, and corporate governance. As a Partner at 2040 Ventures and a Director at Orah, Projectworks, QUBEdocs, and the Hungry Hungry Pty Group, she plays a pivotal role in helping technology startups scale to global success.

With a strong background in banking and M&A, Nadine has guided numerous companies through capital and debt transactions, earning recognition as part of top funding teams and receiving multiple industry awards.

Passionate about empowering startups, Nadine is dedicated to fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem across Australasia and beyond.

Selcen Arslan-Sibo, Founder & CEO at Sastain: Selcen has worked across consumer goods, life sciences, retail, and manufacturing, driving transformation through collaboration, data-driven insights, and strategic change. Her passion for impact led her to identify an industry gap, inspiring the creation of Sastain.io.

Sastain.io is a mission-driven B2B AI/ML SaaS platform that helps brands proactively address upstream issues, reducing revenue loss, landfill waste, and carbon footprints. By enabling agile decision-making, it fosters meaningful change for a sustainable future.

Committed to ethical manufacturing, consumer behavior shifts, and brand protection, Selcen believes in strong eco-partner collaboration to create impact across the entire value chain.

Inspired by her mother, a mentor to female students in mathematics and engineering, Selcen continues her legacy by supporting women in leadership and encouraging girls in STEM education.

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MEDIA ENQUIRIES

Innovation Bay – Jessikah Cresswell | +61 484 760 051 | [email protected]

HSBC – Jessica Effeney | +61 400 998 373 | [email protected]

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