Facilitators
Our Startup Board Course has been designed in collaboration with experts that have been in the early-stage trenches and the challenges of scaling, all the way through to those that have IPO’d into full-disclosure listed environments.
Our LUNA Facilitators include:
ASHLEIGH CAMM, BOARD COURSE DIRECTOR & HEAD OF LABS
Ashleigh Camm runs Labs at LUNA and is an Industry Teaching Fellow in the Entrepreneurship Portfolio at Monash University.
Ashleigh’s experience spans 18+ years across Australia and the UK working with the likes of Macquarie, Westpac, and one of the world’s most successful retail entrepreneurs. She’s spent her career supporting founders, CEOs, management teams and boards in strategy, M&A, investor relations, communications, governance, and sustainability, and in the design and facilitation of programs, workshops, events, and more, from both an in-house and advisory perspective.
Most recently prior to LUNA, Ashleigh was an Expert in Residence in Byron Bay where she ran a Pre-Accelerator Program for purpose-led founders as well as the StartUp Northern Rivers community, which focused on supporting the local ecosystem to connect and flourish.
If you know Ash, you’ll know she’s incredibly passionate about governance and doing more responsible business, creating and elevating best practice, and building great relationships with supportive investors - essential ingredients for building and managing a board that’s going to support your startup to scale and thrive.
DEAN KATZ, HEAD OF LEGAL, SCALEUPS AND HIGH GROWTH VENTURES
Dean has over 15 years’ expertise in corporate law, contracts and M&A having held roles as General Counsel & Company Secretary at a leading agri biotech company and prior to that as Partner & Practice Group Leader at a top Australian law firm. Dean is skilled at navigating complex legal matters, providing strategic ‘business ready’ advice, something our LUNA clients love.
Dean has experience across a range of sectors, including manufacturing, distribution, retail, agriculture, biotech, healthcare, FMCG and technology, and his expertise spans across commercial contracts, M&A transactions, capital raising, intellectual property protection and commercialisation, corporate governance and risk management. His goal at LUNA is simple - to drive value for our scaleup and high growth clients – and he does this through effective negotiation, deal making, relationship building and risk management.
Dean joins us in Module 1’s In-Practice Session of the Startup Board Course.
SHANNON JOSEPH, HEAD OF ACCOUNTING, SCALEUPS AND HIGH GROWTH VENTURES
Shannon is a finance leader and Chartered Accountant with over a decade of comprehensive experience in finance and accounting across the US and Australia.
She has cultivated her expertise in diverse professional settings, delivering invaluable advice and support to finance teams of high-growth private and public companies, including Coinbase, Spotify, Block, and Morgan Stanley. With a proven track record, Shannon has navigated complex finance challenges and supported successful venture investments, acquisitions and exits, including IPOs.
Passionate about fostering the growth of the startup ecosystem, she is committed to empowering clients to build and achieve maximum long-term value from their endeavours.
Shannon joins us in Module 2’s In-Practice Session of the Startup Board Course.
RICHARD TAN, SENIOR LAWYER
Prior to working with LUNA, Richard spent four years at Envato, where he was most recently Legal Director – providing legal support across the business, ranging from growth and product initiatives, marketing, people/employment issues, regulatory matters and corporate and Board governance. He also managed a number of strategic transactions for the company, including acquisition and investment activity, as well as the full range of commercial contracting for the company.
Prior to Envato, Richard was a Senior Associate at Ashurst, an international law firm, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and corporate advisory/governance.
Richard facilitates part of Module 1 and 2’s pre-recorded content in the Startup Board Course.
LUKE GENSLER, SENIOR ACCOUNTANT
Luke started his career as an early staff member at Future Super. He worked at Future Super in virtually every role with his last three years as the CFO and Company Secretary for all Future Group companies. During this time there, he helped the company scale every aspect of its operations as it grew in size from <$25m in funds under management to over $3b when he left. During his last three years at Future Super, he was the CFO and Company Secretary, working closely with the management team as the company handled multiple capital and debt raises, acquisitions and divestments, and scaling operations.
Prior to working with LUNA, Luke worked at Hnry, a New Zealand-based accounting startup, where he was the first internal finance hire and led the company through its first financial audit.
Luke facilitates part of Module 2’s pre-recorded content in the Startup Board Course.
Investors & Operators
We are grateful to be joined by a number of investors and operators in the Course, via pre-recorded interviews on particular topics, as well as live AMAs and insights during the Course cohorts from time-to-time.
Our guest investor and operator contributors include:
REBECCA WENDLAND, INVESTOR, FOLKLORE VENTURES
Bec Wendland, Investor at Folklore Ventures, has over 10 years of experience as a founder, investor, consultant and startup mentor. She joined Folklore from VC-backed startup, Emmi, where she operated as Chief Operating Officer, taking the firm from concept to scale-up. As an Investor, Bec engages with the best and brightest in the ANZ ecosystem, ensuring Folklore makes investments in game-changing companies. Delivering strong outcomes for founders and our investors.
KIRSTIN HUNTER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, TECHSTARS (NSW)
Kirstin is the Managing Director (NSW) at Techstars - the world’s largest pre-seed investor. Kirstin is an experienced start-up and high-growth business executive with a focus on fintech businesses at the intersection of activism and capitalism: co-Founder and former CEO at Future Super, former executive at Brighte, founding chairperson at Ocean Impact Organisation and long-time mentor with Blackbird's Giants and Startmate programs. In her spare time Kirstin is on the board of Morphic Ethical Equities (ASX:MEC) and parent to 9 year old Elizabeth.
ADAM MILGROM, PARTNER, GIANT LEAP
Adam is a Partner at Giant Leap, Australia’s first venture capital fund 100% dedicated to investing in impact start ups, whose mission is to back game-changing founders re-imagining industries and using business as a force for good. Adam is a serial Investor with expertise across consumer marketing, ecommerce and innovation. Over the last 15 years, Adam has been on the board of a number of organisations including early-stage startups, not-for-profits and established companies and currently serves as a Director at Giant Leap, Tripple, Future Group and Australian Communities Foundation.
JACQUI PURCELL, OPERATING PARTNER, TDM GROWTH PARTNERS
Jacqui joined TDM in 2022. She was previously the CFO of Culture Amp when TDM first invested in the business in 2019 and has remained close with the TDM family ever since. Having served as CFO of two of Australia’s leading high-growth SaaS businesses, Culture Amp and Deputy, Jacqui is excited to bring her wealth of experience as an operator to the TDM Investment Team and Operation Advisory Team.
Prior to joining Culture Amp in 2017, Jacqui spent a decade working and studying in the United States. She was an Executive Director in Morgan Stanley’s Mergers and Acquisitions team in New York, and prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Jacqui spent two years in the heart of Silicon Valley, pursuing an MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
SIMON BETSCHEL, OPERATING PARTNER, POSSIBLE VENTURES
Simon Betschel is an Operating Partner at Possible Ventures. Possible Ventures invests at the early-stages in teams building science and engineering based innovation that matters for us and our planet. Simon has deep experience in startups - he co-founded Peeplcoach, led big tech partnerships for Telstra in Silicon Valley, launched Yelp in Australia, and ran Australia's largest customer data programs for Coles and NAB.
MAXINE MINTER, GENERAL PARTNER, CO VENTURES
Maxine Minter is the founder and General Partner (GP) of Co Ventures, Australia's first venture fund led by a solo female GP, and the country's first dedicated pre-seed fund. Co Ventures aims to invest in firsts and propel Australian founders building global companies from day one. Maxine also founded Co Lab, a platform that matches startup founders and CEOs with the world’s best executive coaches. Before these ventures, Maxine was involved in company building and co-founding several startups, and as an angel investor in the United States and Australia.
JASON ATKINS, CO-FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, CAKE EQUITY
Jason grew up in Gold Coast, Australia and graduated from Griffith University with a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance and earned his CPA license in 2009. He started his professional career in finance, achieving success in a range of financial management and leadership roles from SME to Multinationals, and Family Office in Australia and Europe. Today, Jason is passionate about helping the tech community achieve more from their equity. He sees innovation and entrepreneurship as being instrumental in tackling and solving many of society's greatest problems and believes that a core component of any successful tech company is its equity, through investment and employee equity schemes.
GAVIN APPEL, STARTUP ADVISER & TECH INVESTOR
Gavin is a startup adviser and tech investor with 25 years of global operational and investing experience in the technology industry spanning startups, corporates and venture capital. Prior to founding startup advisory firm Ignition Lane, Gavin was one of the first employees and CTO at Hitwise (acquired for US$240 million), SVP at Experian and VC Partner at Square Peg.