Why inclusion still matters, asking hard questions & small change for women

Aubrey Blanche has been part of building culture at two great Australian tech companies, Atlassian and Culture Amp. The self-confessed "proudly woke" data nerd, who believes that bringing empathy to the numbers is vital, sat down with Startup 360 cohosts Simon Thomsen and Majella Campbell to talk about workplace inclusion, how business is dealing with the impact of Trump's war on woke, and her own experiences as a former US citizen who now calls Australia home. It's a fascinating conversation about creating kinder workplaces and how she thinks about DEI - it has a branding problem - and her business Mathpath, a combination of math and empathy. Aubrey had "a front row seat" as Atlassian listed on the Nasdaq and became a force across the Pacific, and the cultural differences. "I learned so much about the deceptive levels of difference between American and Australian business culture. And it was something that really took me by surprise when I first came to Sydney," she said. "One thing to note is that Americans come across as incredibly arrogant to Australians, but it's really important to say to Australians that it's not necessarily that we're all sociopaths, but rather that there is such a level of competition that self promotion is a survival strategy in American business in a way that there's just a different set of norms here." Aubrey believes you need to measure to management and talks about the asking the right questions to get the best out of your teams and how focusing small details can make a big difference for everyone. Simon and Majella also discuss the latest VC funding numbers, which saw women founders receive just $1 in every $200 invested in Australia in the June quarter. On a brighter note, accessible beauty tools startup ByStorm is collaborating with celebrity Celesete Barber's makeup brand Booie, to ensure sisters are doing it for themselves. Joining Simon and Majella for 10x, their 10 rapid-fire questions is founder turned VC investor Ben Chong from Right Click Capital, who talks about why he launched the Founder Institute in Australia, and how asking the hard questions early on reaps bigger rewards for founders and investors down the track. Startup 360 is more founder fund than founder mode. It’s all about finding out what makes people tick and staying human. This episode is supported by Vanta, helping startups unlock market opportunities through automated compliance.