WHY THE STARTUP ECOSYSTEM NEEDS MORE NON-TECHNICAL ENTREPRENEURS, NOT STEREOTYPES

To draw more talented non-technical entrepreneurs, including women, into the world of startups, BlueChilli is eschewing the Silicon Valley stereotype of founders being hoodie-wearing coders and using language that promotes inclusivity, according to co-founder and CEO, Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin.

Ahead of his appearance at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Sydney (5-6 December), where he’ll participate in a panel discussion – ‘Global Tech Trends: The Rise of the Mobile Economy’ (5 December) –  the 2013 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year spoke to Dynamic Business about the leading accelerator/incubator, including its focus on technologies that are “one or two evolutions behind the bleeding edge” and championing “well-rounded” entrepreneurs.

DB: What are the tech trends that excite you at BlueChilli’s helm?

Eckersley-Maslin: To provide some context, it helps to understand how BlueChilli works. We invest in non-technical entrepreneurs with great ideas. We’re looking for people who are CEOs, not CTOs, but who understand the application of a technology in within an industry they’re familiar with. For this reason, the trends I tend to get excited by are those that are one or two evolutions behind the bleeding edge. By that point, a technology is firmly established and sufficient numbers of people are not only applying it in their own industries, they’re also identifying unique, novel ways of applying it in new and emerging fields. Read more

James Harkness - Dynamic Business - 4 Dec 2017