Aconex cofounder Leigh Jasper, Canva design boss Andrew Green and Deputy CFO Emma Seymour join AWS Unicorn Day lineup

Serial entrepreneur, investor and LaunchVic chair Leigh Jasper is among the founders who’ll share their insights on what it takes to build a billion-dollar startup at AWS Unicorn Day in Melbourne on Thursday, October 24.

Jasper cofounded Aconex, the world’s most widely used cloud collaboration platform for managing construction projects, and as CEO, led the company from founding, through multiple raises, to an Initial Public Offering and then its sale to Oracle for $1.6 billion in 2018.

Under his leadership, Aconex grew to more than $200 million in revenue with 850 staff across operations in 50 cities globally.

Since then he’s gone on to cofound SecondQuarter Ventures, chair the Victorian government’s startup agency LaunchVic and more recently, gone back into founder mode to launch Firmable, Australia’s definitive B2B database, 12 months ago.

As a pioneer of building Australian tech startups, Jasper is uniquely positioned to unpack and explain what needs to be done to succeed amid the high pressure stakes of creating a global business. He’ll share them in a 45-minute fireside chat to kick off AWS Unicorn Day on October 24.

What is AWS Unicorn Day?

AWS Unicorn Day is a brand-new event for startup builders of all sizes to tap the minds who’ve built some of our biggest local and international successes, offering a series of conversations, panels, advice and networking.

AWS, supported by Startup Daily, with presenting partner Plerion and the support of Vanta, is bringing Unicorn Day to life with experts including Airwallex, Canva, Prezzee and Zeller sharing the secrets of building billion-dollar companies.

Kicking off at 10am at The Timber Yard in Port Melbourne  and ending with networking drinks amid a room full of investors from Cheryl Mack’s 361 Angel Club, the schedule is packed with founders, execs, investors and experts who’ll share advice and insights on going big and going global.

The discussion panels include:

• Startup workforce of the future;
• Overcoming challenges of global expansion for startups;
• Adapting to evolving customer expectations and how to attract customers, small and big;
• Impact startups that are changing the world;
• Startup scaling secrets, including product-led growth;
• The truth about venture: what founders need to know;
• and Creating a culture of experimentation.

Speakers include Canva’s head of design, Andrew Green; Zeller CEO Ben Pfisterer; Airwallex global head of product, Shannon Scott; Deputy CFO Emma Seymour; and AWS head of startups John Kearney.

From the investment side, VCs Giant Leap, Square Peg and Archangel Ventures, as well as venture debt funder Tractor Ventures, will share their advice on getting ready for funding.

More AWS Unicorn Day highlights

AWS Unicorn Day will also feature Startup Alley with demos from tech companies of all shapes and sizes; an Open Mic pitch stage; a Startup Trivia session; and food and drinks throughout the day.

AWS’ John Kearney said the event is all about giving founders a helping hand and the inspiration to take their ideas to the next level.

“Building and scaling startups is hard, nothing comes easy and sometimes it doesn’t work out,” he said.

“AWS Unicorn Day is about bringing together the broader ecosystem, including current founders, future founders, enthusiasts, investors and partners to learn from each other, share stories and have some fun.

“AWS is passionate about startups and care deeply about helping every startup in Australia to have an equal opportunities to grow into a unicorn.”

Spots are limited, so make sure to register for free for AWS Unicorn Day on October 24 here.

AWS Unicorn Day is brought to you by Startup Daily and AWS Startups, with presenting partner Plerion and the support of Vanta.