Christie Jenkins is the Managing Director of Techstars Tech Central Sydney powered by the NSW Government. She has been ranked #1 in Australia and top 10 in the world in 3 different sports - Trampolining, CrossFit and Beach Volleyball. She’s been a VC investor at Blackbird Ventures and Athletic Ventures, and she cofounded a company that bought professional soccer teams around the world. 

She also speaks and writes on how to bring the high performance mindset from elite sport to startups and leadership - including on stages like the Paris Olympics, Necker Island, TechWeek SF, and 3 of the other Techstars programs around the world. 

Applications for Techstars Tech Central Sydney powered by NSW Government opened on April 8th, click here for more information or to apply.

01. What are you looking for in startups for the Sydney Accelerator?

Super strengths.

Early stage startups aren’t about being well-rounded, or ticking all the boxes. We’re looking for outsized strengths and insights. If people call you ‘crazy’ for your ambition or obsession, you’re probably our kind of person. If you don’t fit the mold for a traditional job, and have been tinkering with technology or starting businesses on the side, we want to know what you’re working on. 

And we recognise that (at the early stages) you’ll probably have plenty of holes and weaknesses. It’s ok if you have never done sales, don’t know how to code, haven’t hired anyone before, and have never seen a fully fledged financial model. Co-founders, mentors, and programs like Techstars are there to help you fill the gaps on those. 

A few of my favourite areas for ‘super strengths’ with some Aussie and NZ examples:

10X product - Is your solution not just 10% better than what already exists, but 10X better? 

Eg. Even in the early days, Canva was 10X easier to use than Photoshop.

Unique vision - Do you see the world completely different to others, because of an original insight you have? 

Eg. Every cell-based meat company in the world was trying to replicate beef, fish, pork or chicken. Vow figured if they were going to make meat in a lab, they could make any kind of meat.Their first product is a combination of crocodile and quail cells. 

Traction - Blow us away with your waitlist numbers, how many customer interviews you’ve completed, your YouTube or newsletter signups, or the depth of passion from your ‘1000 true fans’.

Eg. Leonardo.ai had over 60k people on the waitlist for their product - just months after launching it.

Invention - What new technology did you discover or build?  

Eg. Halter invented collars for cows that allow farmers to track animal activity and health, and move them around the farm remotely. No more 4am wakeups for farmers!

Finally, we’re a generalist program so we look at companies from any industry. Whether you’re building Australia’s next great spacetech, fintech, consumer product, or AI company - we want to meet you. 

02. What are some of the biggest learnings from your career and entrepreneurial journey that you bring to being a Techstars MD? 

3 of the core philosophies I bring to the role are:

1) People matter most

All business is people. All the joy in life is with people. The biggest leaps in progress are because a person helped you. We all stand on the shoulders of others.

So when you’re building a startup choose teammates that you wake up wanting to spend every day with. And find the best coaches, mentors, supporters, customers and employees you can. People make all the difference.

2) Your mindset is a skillset

Through elite sport I’ve seen people develop traits that we think of as innate. But you can build resilience, you can become more extroverted, you can develop discipline and world-class work ethic. You can learn to manage your energy, to perform under pressure, and to lead. 

We can teach you the optimal CAC:LTV ratio and how to create a B2B sales funnel at Techstars, but we’re also focused on leveling up your mindset as a founder. Because your mindset is a skillset too.

3) Why not you

Working in VC I looked at thousands of companies, and met hundreds of founders a year. There are people out there less talented, less experienced, and with less resources than you building startups. The difference? They had the bravery to start. 

In sport, I saw many people give up due to the poor odds of making it - less than 0.02% of athletes make it to a pro level. Plenty of the players who do make it aren’t the most physically gifted, they are the ones who relentlessly hone their will and commitment. 

Why not you? And if not you, then who will solve that problem you care so much about?

03. What is your favorite thing about the Sydney and Australian startup scene?

I am so fiercely proud of being Australian. We are a nationality that is beloved on the world stage, and I believe it’s because we are humble, hungry and helpful.

You probably didn’t know that wifi, the cochlear implant, ultrasound and dual flush toilets were all invented by Aussies! Because we don’t brag much. Instead, we get to work doing, not talking. We’re humble. 

We’re a big country by size, but a little one by population. The best entrepreneurs are thinking global from the beginning - using Australia as a launchpad to solve problems on the global (and sometimes beyond the globe and into space) scale. We’re hungry.

My favourite element of the startup sector is how generous everyone is. Startups can feel like a ‘black box’ where people on the outside looking in don’t quite understand how they work. But so many people are willing to open the door, take the time to illuminate the inside of that box, and share their knowledge and network. We are helpful.

04. What does the NSW Government bring to the accelerator?

Sydney is the home to not just some of the greatest startups in Australia, but some of the greatest in the world. 

That doesn’t happen by accident. 

Governments have a huge role to play in making Australia the best place to build a startup. At the macro level that includes policy to support startup investment, the immigration of talented people to our country to work in startups, and making the ‘paperwork’ side of starting companies smoother for founders.

At the more granular level, the NSW government is creating physical spaces for founders to work together, helping companies explore and launch into international markets, providing direct grants and funding, and backing programs like Techstars to support the earliest stages of entrepreneurship.

05. Why do accelerators matter? What makes the Techstars program different?

It takes 3 things to become one of the best in the world at anything.

1) Great coaches

2) Surrounding yourself with people better than you

3) An insane work ethic

Great accelerators provide the first two (the work ethic is up to you!) 

At Techstars we bring the top startup coaches and mentors from Australia and the world who are experts at everything from pricing strategy, to paid marketing, to how to hire your first employee, to raising money. 

We also select a cohort of just 12 founding teams from over 500 applications. Every founder in Techstars is wildly ambitious, moving at high speed, and someone we deeply respect and admire. Spending 13 weeks side-by-side with those humans will do more to accelerate your growth than anything you can do on your own (and they become some of your closest friends for life too). Humans naturally rise to meet the standard around us. 

Techstars Australia is unique from other accelerators in that:

• We are a fully in-person program. Zoom is great, but for honest conversations and deep connections nothing beats sitting side-by-side with your cohort.

• We are global. Every founder has access to the 4,800+ companies, 9000+ founders, and 3,700+ mentors in the Techstars program. Our philosophy is ‘Give First’ so every one of those people will actively help you whether you’re looking to raise in the USA, expand to another continent, or have trying to hire your first international employee.

Read More