Home featured Featured Startup Featured What do startups have on their 2018 wishlist? James Harkness December 21, 2017 Better access to international talent. The continued democratisation of tech. More startups with global ambitions. Less innovation ‘tire kicking’ from government. Less tall poppy syndrome. More incentives for investors to back seed-stage ventures. More opportunities for female founders and entrepreneurial university students. These are just some of the things startups would like to see come to fruition in 2018, according to a line-up of 18 thought leaders. Read on for their full thoughts… Julie Demsey, General Manager, SBE Australia: “Australia needs more female founders, more female founders getting funded, less unconscious bias and more stories celebrating the successes female founders are having with their businesses. “There also needs to be more talk about the importance of life balance and taking care of oneself. Founders cannot take good care of their business and continue to drive innovation if they are not first looking after themselves. “We need to continue to improve on the quality of programs and support given to startups to help them succeed, focusing on solid startups that are growing and sustaining that growth, even if they are not looking like they will make Unicorn status.” Mark Gustowski, Acting CEO , QUT Creative Enterprise Australia: “In 2018, we’d like to see more Australian tech companies expanding their reach on a global scale. For startups to reach their full growth potential they need to be able to scale up and quickly abroad.