15 July, 2021

E118 – Matthew Koertge, Telstra Ventures

Matthew Koertge, Managing Director of Telstra Ventures, is an unsung hero of the Venture Capital industry with a portfolio including 78 investments, 28 liquidity events, 12 unicorns, and a staff of 19 globally. He is a passionate and dynamic advocate for the startup industry, where he has been active since 1998. Prior to starting at Telstra Ventures in 2011, Matthew worked across a variety of industries including positions at Accede Capital Venture Partners, Deutsche Bank, Macquarie Group, and Fujitsu.
In his chat with Ian, Matthew discusses:

  • The GP LP structure of Telstra Ventures and why it works
  • Telstra Ventures operating as a thematic investor
  • The Telstra customer network and why it is an asset for Telstra Ventures
  • The growth of the Australian startup ecosystem over the past 10 years
  • The existence and future of secondary markets
  • Australia’s venture capital market in comparison to other countries globally

…and more!
Quickfire Recommendations:

  • Book: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, & Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon by Bill Carr and Colin Bryar.
  • Podcast: 20 Minute VC & Pivot
  • News Source: TechCrunch, Business Insider, Wall Street Journey, & AFR
  • Tech CEO: George Kurtz of CrowdStrike
  • App: LinkedIn & Apple Music
  • Productivity Tool: Telstra Ventures data science tools
  • Favourite TV Show: Westworld
  • Ted Talk topic: “Aligning incentives between management and investors”

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