Tractor Ventures

🎉 BIG NEWS ALERT 🎉 (Drumroll please… 🥁🥁) We have now FUNDED 200+ COMPANIES!! 🚜 🚀✨ This is more than a number to us - it’s: 200+ tractors fueled for the future, getting the funding they need to fuel their engines and drive their missions forward… 🚜 200+ businesses sowing the seeds to help spark innovation, create impact, and generate opportunities for growth and change in their industries… 🌱 200+ teams ploughing through milestones, empowered to turn their bold visions into reality, expanding their reach and making waves… 🌊 (𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴...) It’s been an incredible journey so far - and we’re just getting started.  And despite turbulent times recently (like we’re all facing), our team is more focused than ever to help more founders and Tractors fuel their engines! The best is yet to come! 💥 But most importantly, we would not have reached this milestone without our amazing team (past and present), partners, shareholders, and our amazing Tractors who’ve made this milestone possible. We couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you 🫶 Let’s keep pushing boundaries and achieving milestones together. Here’s to the next 200+! 🙌🚜

The theme of my build in public newsletter today is on “Musical Chairs”. And whilst musical chairs is the sort of thing you’d align with an activity at a 5-year old kid’s birthday party 😂, it’s a great analogy for what I’m about to share… In the world of startups, it’s a game we play more often than we’d like. Are the right people in the right seats on this bus - or in our case, this Tractor? It’s a question that comes up constantly for us and many of the founders we know - and let’s be honest, it’s something startups and companies worldwide wrestle with too. It’s crucial, because when we talk about changes in structure, we often position them in the best possible light. And why wouldn’t we? But today, I want to lift the hood on our own Tractor and give you a glimpse of the struggle behind the scenes - the messy, glorious struggle. I talk openly, mostly about the journey Matt Allen and I have been on, and how that has influenced the changes and the business. This is a picture of us very far from home at Bondi Beach earlier this year. If you are yet to subscribe to this monthly newsletter and would like to read this story please sign up here and I will forward it to you directly. https://lnkd.in/ehpien9Q

Recently, I spoke with Remco Marcelis, CEO of Standard Ledger, about customer acquisition cost (CAC) and payback times. These are crucial metrics for startups in growth mode – knowing how to accurately measure and optimise them is key. Dilhan Wickremanayake also shared insights on the impact of Temu’s entrance into the Australian market on CAC for e-commerce players, with a surge in digital ad costs making it tougher for local businesses like gathera to reach their audience. Click here to read more: https://lnkd.in/gzmyaGSU

Got a solid grasp on your CAC and Payback Period? 🧐 Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is a crucial metric to grasp, yet it can be layered with complexities and nuances. However, it’s one that every tech founder needs to be deeply familiar with. It’s not just about knowing the cost; it’s also about mastering your CAC payback period - the time it takes to recover those acquisition costs to drive sustainable and scalable growth. As Remco Marcelis, CEO at Standard Ledger, puts it: “As you’re optimising your business for profit, you want your CAC payback period to get better and better.” Our financial storyteller, Stian Overdahl, had an insightful conversation with Remco and Dilhan Wickremanayake, co-founder at gathera, where they explored the challenges founders face when it comes to mastering CAC and payback periods, as well as hearing their experiences and perspectives on both. Remco highlights the importance of understanding your CAC payback. Shorter payback periods often indicate a strong product-market fit, while longer paybacks may expose inefficiencies. Accurate tracking is essential - overlook costs like onboarding, and your numbers could be way off. Of course, even with a solid strategy in place for acquisition, external factors can disrupt your plans. Dilhan from Gathera, experienced this firsthand when new competitors entered the market and spiked their ad costs. However, instead of getting derailed, his team adapted by refining their product lineup to stay competitive. Read more about Remco and Dilhan's thoughts and experiences, as well as other insights on CAC and payback periods (with some helpful resources for further reading) 👉 https://lnkd.in/gtTHEjEm

Thrilled to be featured by Tractor Ventures in their Growth Game series! 🚗🌱 Since launching evee in 2016, we’ve been driving the shift towards sustainable travel by making electric vehicles more accessible 🌍⚡ Check out the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g7Wp4uYV

Since first hitting the road in 2016, evee has grown to over 10,000 customers, with a fleet of 250+ electric vehicles across Australia and New Zealand. 🛣🚙🔋 Led by founder Slava Kozlovskii, evee is a peer-to-peer car-sharing network that allows electric vehicle owners to rent out their cars, offsetting the cost of ownership. At the same time, those considering purchasing an EV get a chance to try before they buy. “I wanted to do something to try and encourage more people to embrace the electrification of transport sooner,” Slava says. “The easiest way was to give them a personalised experience of driving an EV.” 🚘💡 Stephanie Palmer-Derrien recently caught up with Slava to dig deeper into evee’s growth journey and how they’re staying true to their sustainability-driven values. Slava says it best: "Having a principle and an ethical framework is really important. We’re trying to make the world a little bit better." Read about their Growth Game story right now: https://lnkd.in/g4jnN3E4

Well done to Nathan Mortlock and 🚜 portfolio company Claimo for their recent 7 News feature!! 👏

Very excited to be appearing alongside Victoria Beal and Adrian Stone to talk about the challenges of balancing startup life with maintaining and building personal wealth at the Pause Fest & Awards Breakthrough Sessions. After all, one of our reasons for launching Tractor Ventures was to enable founders to stay in control of their business and go at the pace that works for them. Details here 👉🏻 https://lu.ma/lb1n9gup

Whilst interest rates remain high, many startups and businesses are feeling the pressure. But here’s the thing: even in this tough financial environment, growth is still possible. It just might take a fresh look at how you manage capital, cash flow, and your overall strategy. SmartCompany spoke with Matt and Planet Startup CEO, Marc Orchard (one of our amazing partners at 🚜), to get their insights on what founders and businesses need to consider during these uncertain times. In times like these, mastering financial literacy, choosing the right funding strategy, and managing capital and risk become more crucial than ever for startup success - it’s all about understanding your financial levers, securing the right capital, and making smart adjustments to keep your business moving forward in this challenging environment. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/g7BytWAQ

HAY! Tractor friends 🚜👋 Call out to all those based in Queensland, or those lucky enough to be heading north for some winter sun at Something Tech. ☀😎 🎉 We're excited to invite you to the Tractor + Cake + Think & Grow Something Tech After Party! 🍰   Tractor + Cake + Think & Grow have partnered up to sponsor the Something Tech after party, and we'd love to see you there! 😊 DETAILS: Date: Thursday 29th August Time: 5.00pm to 7.00pm Venue: Rivershed Lawn, Howard Smith Wharves, 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane Included: Food, beverages and plenty of awesome people! RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/g_R29T9r Tractor, Cake and Think & Grow are excited to bring their amazing startup networks - founders, senior leaders, investors, advisors, cheerleaders and more. Cheers to new friendships, unforgettable moments and the serendipity events like these cultivate. OH!!! And you're keen to drop into Something Tech too? Check out the event and book your tickets here - https://lnkd.in/gy7CgT_8 Plus, Something Tech. are taking expressions of interest for the opportunity to score a discounted ticket at the low price of $199! Complete the EOI form in the link provided and their team will be in touch to confirm if your application has been successful. Jodie Imam and 🚜 🏳️🌈 Olivia Doherty will be flying the Tractor flag at Something Tech - be sure to come and say hi! 👋 We can't wait! 😊