Kayla's exit, what women founders want, taking the first step

Founding cohost Kayla Medica is stepping away from the show because of work commitments and Simon Thomsen is devastated. But edge-of-millennial Kayla's not sure if she's heard Mental As Anything's song, If you leave me, can I come too? So he's leaving too - for two weeks to recover - and AJ Koch will step as guest host of Startup 360. For Kayla's final show, their guest is someone she's long admired but never met, Doone Roisin from Female Startup Club. Then Simon turned the tables and had Kayla as out 10x guest to answer 10 questions. Kayla went out with a bang - and Bollinger. They talked about Blackbird's Sunrise, the 10th anniversary of philanthropic movement Pledge 1% and marketing alcohol, before Doone joined them to discuss the challenges women in tech face, and how her ADHD, shapes her approach to life as a startup founder. Last year Doone was part of the Techstars Sydney accelerator program and reveals it was much harder and more challenging than expected. She also talked about what women need to do to take the first step in becoming an entrepreneur. Doone then swapped chairs for 10x and the chance to quiz Kayla about her life and experiences. Simon asked Kayla how she'd changed the startup ecosystem if she could wave a wand of Medica magic. Less men, she said, in a show where they talked about how women still aren't funded despite data that says they're a better investment. "I work with quite a wide variety of clients and startups, and most of the people who hire me are men. And when I get, like, a woman client, it's just so nice," Kayla said. "Like, there's a sense of camaraderie and, like, it's different, but it's so rare. I just want more of that." And Simon revealed that Startup 360 is the show founders VCs tune into, with recent guest, 17-year-old Liam Fuller, becoming the hottest investment potential in town after being spotted on the show. Thanks Kayla, for making podcasting great again. We'll miss your wisdom, no fear views and laughter. This episode of Startup 360 is supported by Vanta, helping startups unlock market opportunities through automated compliance.