Ian Gardiner
Founder of Innovation Bay
Ian Gardiner
Founder of Innovation Bay
Greater Sydney Area
Overview
Work Experience
Partner
2018 - Current
Jelix is a seed-stage venture capital fund that invests in world class Australian tech startups. We leverage our unique access to deal flow and expertise in the sector, to select the very best investment opportunities; companies in the strongest position to produce outstanding returns. We further mitigate risk with meticulous due diligence, structuring terms to best position the company for growth and providing ongoing access to our networks and expertise.
Co-Founder
2003
Innovation Bay is a community for founders and investors across the whole Australian and NZ startup ecosystem.
Business Development, Australia
2020
Lighter Capital is the largest provider of non-dilutive debt capital to startups.
Member of YPO
2012
Member of YPO since 2012. Committee roles include: Membership officer at Gold Greater Sydney 2022-2024 Chapter Chair at Gold Greater Sydney 2021-2022 Learning officer at Gold Greater Sydney 2020-2021, 2022-2023 Chapter Chair of Sydney Pacific 2017-2018 Learning officer at Sydney Pacific 2016-2017
Head of Startups
2014 - 2018
Established and managed Amazon Web Services's relationship with the startup community in Australia and New Zealand. Helped investors to create value in their portfolio companies by leveraging Amazon Web Services and working with fast growing startups to better develop, market, and monetise their offerings. Supported Amazon’s startup customers that were seeking funding and connecting them with suitable investors. Specifically I helped build close partnerships with: incubators, accelerators, co-working spaces, venture capitalists, angel investors, government.
CEO and Founder
2002 - 2014
Ian co-founded Viocorp with Ron McCulloch in early 2002 just after his emigration from Scotland. As the founding CEO he helped build the team, craft the product and and bring on the customers and revenue in the early years of the business. Under his leadership, Viocorp raised several rounds of equity finance from 2007-2012. He (amicably) left the business in early 2014. Viocorp's solutions enable effective communication with customers, investors and colleagues using video no matter what their device or where they are. Its vision is that video content will become a ubiquitous communication tool, and its focus is on developing the tools to enable organisations to take advantage of this dynamic.
Managing Director
1999 - 2001
Co-founder and Director of the UK's leading on-line off-licence. lastorders was a child of the dot.com boom and raised GBP2.5m of venture capital. We built the supply, but the expected demand never came. Bad result, great experience.
Managing Director
1996 - 1999
NewsBase (www.newsbase.com) publishes emerging markets news information. Its main coverage is on news from the former Soviet Union states. Ian was the first employee and built the company using its own cashflow into a profitable and respected electronic news publishing company.