STEVE BAXTER ANNOUNCED AS QUEENSLAND'S NEXT CHIEF ENTREPRENEUR

STEVE Baxter, experienced investor and judge on Shark Tank, has been announced as the new Queensland Chief Entrepreneur.

Baxter will take over from Mark Sowerby in October, placing him at the helm of the $420 million Advance Queensland initiative.

At the age of 23, in 1994, Baxter poured his life savings into creating internet service provider SE Net, which was eventually acquired by Ozemail.

Baxter is also the co-founder of PIPE Networks, a provider of wholesale telecoms infrastructure that was acquired by TPG Group in 2013 for $373 million. In 2012, he founded River City Labs to help build and support tech startups in Queensland and he now runs that business venture.

He is also one of the judges on Channel Ten's Shark Tank, which puts would-be entrepreneurs in front of professional investors like Baxter to pitch their ideas.

Baxter, who was born in Cloncurry, raised in Emerald and schooled in Rockhampton, says he is keen to further help startup businesses in Queensland's regions. Read more

David Simmons - Business News Australia - 31 Aug 2017