134 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2017
STAR GAZERS
FINTECH WHIZZ
ADVERTISING PIONEER
This has been a momentous
year for mobile advertising
start-up Unlockd. With Matt
Berriman at the helm, the
company closed a $30.7
million funding round,
launched into four new
markets and readjusted its
business model to position
it for further global growth.
Unlockd’s value exchange
mobile platform technology
works by giving users credit
for ‘unlocking their phone’
and viewing personalised
adverts, deals and ofers,
efectively converting their
attention into rewards. It
has the potential to change
the way we use our phones,
and could save us on phone
bills. The company boasts an
illustrious array of investors,
including Lachlan Murdoch,
Peter Gammell and the
founders of Catch of the Day.How are you managing
rapid growth and change?
Change is constant in any
early-stage business, and
it’s uncomfortable for us all,especially me; physically,
emotionally and mentally, it’s
one of the most challenging
things I’ve ever done. But
I’m adjusting and growing
as a leader. It has been
a steep learning curve
personally that will hold
me in good stead for the
next phase of our journey.What are some of the lessons
you’ve picked up? Get the
best people around you
professionally and personally,
for support. It’s a brutal road
people don’t see between
press updates. The reality
is it consumes your life.What comes next for
Unlockd? We’ll continue
driving towards our vision
to forever change the way
people use and pay with
their digital devices. We’ll
be launching new partners,
geographical markets, great
products and continuing
to march towards handing
back more than $500 million
of value by 2025.MATT BERRIMAN
How at least half of the gold, platinum, lead and other
heavy elements in the cosmos came to exist was
answered this year ater astronomers saw and heard
two city-sized dead stars collide. The kilonova was
on 17 August, 130-million light years from Earth in the
constellation of Hydra – when a burst of gravitational
waves, or ripples in space-time, were detected by
the US and European gravity wave detectors, LIGO
and Virgo. It is considered one of the greatest cosmic
phenomena ever witnessed. Australian researchers
played significant roles, from the construction of
detecting devices to the rapid response teams that
helped to identify the optical and radio signals.2017 is the year we welcomed a new era in astronomy.Australian experts working with LIGO
As CEO of industry body FinTech Australia, Szetho has
been tirelessly lobbying and working with federal and
state governments on regulations and policies, allowing
the burgeoning sector to continue to grow. Beyond this,
Szetho and her team have consulted with, and provided the
framework for, landmark reforms, including around digital
currencies, equity crowdfunding and an open-banking regime.
FinTech Australia oficially launched in June 2016 with
Szetho, a former industry head of banking and finance at
Fairfax Media, at the helm, but the organisation has really
come into its own this year. FinTech is a potentially huge
sector of growth for Australia, and one that will impact all
of us, with innovative products ofering cheaper and more
eficient financial services. But it relies on friendly regulations
and government policies. Thanks to Szetho and her team, it
looks like that’s exactly what they’ll be getting.It’s been a huge year for FinTech in Australia, and
Danielle Szetho has been paving the way forward.Danielle Szetho