As we bid farewell to 2023, it's time to reflect on the year we've had together at Scalare. It has been nothing short of transformative, marked by innovation, strategic investments, and a pursuit of excellence. Let's delve into the highlights that defined Scalare's remarkable year without the fluff, just the facts and a touch of genuine excitement.
A New Leadership Chapter
At the heart of Scalare's evolution in 2023 was the welcoming of a full time CEO. Carolyn Breeze, sharing a vision of innovation and growth, joined Scalare with a commitment to building on the foundations laid by our dynamic community. The journey has been one of collaboration, aligning our efforts to propel Scalare into new heights of success.
Watch the short clip to hear Carolyn's insights from 2023, and what she's excited about for 2024:
scalare's HIGHLIGHTS OF 2023
Portfolio Diversification
We invested in five game-changing Australian tech businesses this year: Jeddle, Zondii, Roi-AI, Cloutly and Inhouse Ventures expanding our portfolio to 26 and venturing into exciting new verticals such as AgTech, EdTech, and HRTech. It’s exciting to welcome these smart and resourceful founders who are introducing exciting technologies to the portfolio.
Scaling New Heights with the ATC
Scalare proudly took the reins of the prestigious Australian Technologies Competition (ATC) this year. Our journey of discovery with Australian innovators, forging important partnerships, an exhilarating Masterclass program, a rigorous judging process, and the honour of recognising Australia's most innovative tech companies at the finals made ATC 2023 a resounding success. As we look ahead, stay tuned for what's in store at ATC 2024, promising more excitement, collaboration, and groundbreaking innovations. If you are keetn to become a partner or sponsor of the ATC, please get in touch.
Bringing the Community Together
We hosted a number of Scalare face-to-face events this year, with highlights including a founders and investor gathering to scrutinise the global economic outlook, celebrating momentum and growth of our portfolio companies at a community event in May, delivering Masterclasses and Zoom panels to our Founder cohort, hitting some fitness goals with a community running team in October, and enjoying an end-of-year celebration with founders and shareholders in November.
Support Services Tailored to Success
Responding to the needs of our growing portfolio, Scalare launched its Support Services business. This initiative, born out of careful listening, provides fractional support perfectly suited for businesses without the resources or budget for full-scale operations. The successes we've achieved so far and our decision to extend these services beyond our portfolio underline our commitment to nurturing entrepreneurs at every level.
The Team
We welcomed new team member Michael Lagarto as Finance Specialist.
A huge thanks for her fantastic support as we farewelled Rachel Hooke as Scalare Non-Executive Director and welcomed San Francisco-based James Lougheed to the Scalare Board. We're excited about the possibilities and the prospect of showcasing Scalare's unique approach on a global stage and helping companies unlock the US market.
The Founders
Most importantly of all, we’re incredibly proud of all our founders for their resilience, determination and adaptability during what has been a challenging 12 months. Funding constraints, the high cost of capital, market uncertainty, regulatory changes and the flow-on effect on strategic alliances have all impacted early-stage businesses reliant on growth.
If 2023 has taught us anything, it’s how to be creative in helping founders, delving into diverse avenues to help secure funding. The economic challenges of the past year have only strengthened our belief in the Scalare model, and we believe our mix of skills, experience and support, combined with the advantages of our robust community, has proven essential for early-stage companies navigating uncertain waters.
What we are looking forward to in 2024
We have high expectations for 2024 and working with new innovators poised to tackle global challenges through technology. This excitement extends to welcoming another cohort for the Australian Tech Competition. Applications open in March, so stay tuned!
Thank you to all our community for your ongoing support. Wishing you a festive season filled with joy and a prosperous New Year!
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About Scalare
At Scalare, we’re on a mission to create a greater impact by building a collaborative network that connects exceptional founders, advisors and investors in a unique and powerful partnership, because real transformation, and growth takes more than money.
Our unique collaboration and partnership model provides clear pathways to global investors, experts and markets. We plug existing skills gaps in our portfolio companies from our best-of-breed advisor network - to bring, expert resources exactly when needed to facilitate growth and deliver exceptional returns to investors and founders alike. Find out more here