Michael has a strong track record as an entrepreneur and business advisor. He launched his first company at the age of 21, spending the next 13 years leveraging technology to build 5 companies across a range of industries. In recent years he has shifted his focus from operating his own businesses, to become an advisor to innovative companies, investors, government and start-up founders in the AgriFood Tech sector.
He led the development of the AgriFood Tech practice at BDO, working with startups, scale ups and Agribusiness to commercialise new technology and support the growth of the AgriFood Tech eco-system. In 2020 he was a winner of the InDaily 40 under 40 awards which recognise entrepreneurship, leadership and contribution to the South Australian business community.
In addition to his work at BDO he actively supports and promotes the growth of the AgriFood Tech eco-system through various roles, e.g. as an Expert in Residence at the ThincLab Waite AgriFood Tech incubator, a Lead mentor at Sprout X, a Coach and Facilitator at Farmers 2 Founders, Co-organiser of the South Australia AgTech meetup, and Organiser of the SouthStart AgriFood Tech event. He is also an Evoke Ag Steering Committee member and an Assessment Panel member for the South Australian Research, Commercialisation and Start-up Fund. Michael has now joined SVG Ventures Thrive as their Managing Director for APAC, based in Australia.