The Real Stories Behind Victoria’s Most Successful Startups

Most entrepreneurship content sells you the dream without showing you the reality. You get polished success stories, not the messy truth about what it actually takes to build something from nothing.

BOLD is different.

BOLD strips away the Silicon Valley myth and shows you what it actually takes to build a startup in Victoria. No sugar-coating. No overnight success stories. Just raw, honest conversations with founders who’ve been where you are.

Watch real founders share their unfiltered journey from idea to success.

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Real founders real stories

We sat real Melbourne founders around a table and asked them the questions you’re actually thinking:

  • What made you take the leap?
  • What’s the hardest part no one talks about?
  • How do you survive the early days?
  • What does it really take to succeed?

The conversations that matter

Are entrepreneurs born or made?

Discover why Jeanette left her 14-year banking career, how Matt built Tractor Ventures despite coming from “the least entrepreneurial family on earth,” and what Bennett calls “naive optimism.” It’s way more accessible than people realise! →

The moment everything changes

Watch founders reveal the deeply personal catalysts that turned their ideas into real commitments. From kitchen bench prototypes to selling products that didn’t exist yet. →

Getting from zero to one

A tactical masterclass on the hustle required to land your first customer. Real stories of embarrassing failures, last-minute saves, and the relationships that changed everything. →

What they don’t tell you

The unfiltered reality of building a business. Product failures on stage, scaling too fast, letting people go, and the emotional toll of entrepreneurship. →

Why it’s worth it

Beyond the financial rewards – the transformation, the community, the impact. Why founders keep going despite everything. →

The Victoria Advantage

Learn about Victoria’s unique startup ecosystem advantage and why some of Australia’s most successful startups choose to build here. →

Meet the founders

Jeanette Cheah – Co-founder & CEO of HEX. A leading alternative education company. Left corporate banking after 14 years to build something meaningful.

Matt Allen – Co-founder of Tractor Ventures. Built Australia’s leading scale-up lending platform from scratch, despite having “the least entrepreneurial family on earth.”

Bennett Merriman – Co-founder & CEO of Rosterfy. Scaled from university side-project to managing 120,000+ volunteers for global events including the Super Bowl.

Kai Van Lieshout – Co-founder & CEO of Lyrebird Health. Engineer-turned-founder solving healthcare’s biggest inefficiencies through technology.

Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa – Founder & CEO of Misti. MedTech innovator. From hospital corridors to building life-changing medical devices, including taking her daughter on stage at demo day.

For BOLD entrepreneurs

For aspiring founders

Get the real playbook, not the highlight reel. Understand what you’re signing up for and how to navigate the journey.

For current founders

Feel less alone in the struggle. Learn from others who’ve faced the same challenges and found their way through.

For ecosystem builders

Support the next generation with authentic stories that inspire without misleading.

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Ready to Start Your Journey?

With LaunchVic’s support and a growing ecosystem of successful founders willing to give back, there’s never been a better time to start something here.

Discover what really drives successful founders

From the initial spark to scaling success, get the complete story.

Don’t build in the dark. Learn from those who’ve lit the path.

EXPLORE PROGRAMS FOR FOUNDERS

About the Series

BOLD is produced by LaunchVic and filmed at Sanders Place in Cremorne, Melbourne’s startup hub. Our mission is simple: show the real journey of entrepreneurship to inspire and guide the next generation of Victorian founders.

Available now on YouTube

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