Episode overview

Steve Grace sits down with Dickie Currer, the self-described hype man for the Australian tech and innovation ecosystem, to trace one of the more colourful career histories in the startup world. From Sandhurst to Marrakech to door-to-door solar panels in outer Melbourne, Dickie’s path to becoming a fixture at every major Australian tech event is anything but linear. The conversation covers how he found his purpose in the ecosystem, what he is building with Tech Australia Advocates, and why diversity and inclusion matter more than most founders realise.

From Sandhurst to Marrakech: the backstory most people do not know

Dickie grew up in the UK without a father figure and joined the Territorial Army at law school partly because he needed the masculine leadership environment that Sandhurst provided. He trained as an officer but was medically discharged after contracting bilharzia, a parasitic infection, in Thailand. He then worked as a Moroccan country specialist for a high-end bespoke travel company, reviewing hotels and restaurants across Morocco while driving with a private guide.

After a stint in immigration law working with asylum seekers in UK airport detention centres, he arrived in Australia with a partner on a working holiday visa. He picked raspberries in the Yarra Valley, pruned kiwi trees in Mount Tamborine, milked cows in Deniliquin, and then sold solar panels door to door in outer Melbourne. He was the second-best on the team. The best was a 23-year-old German with baby blond hair who he still visibly resents.

The startup entry point: Sprout Kitchens and Startup Victoria

Dickie’s first startup role came off the back of his door-to-door sales track record. Sprout Kitchens was building dark kitchen facilities in Melbourne restaurants, operating at night to fulfil food delivery orders. He was hired as first employee to walk into closed cafes and pitch the concept. The line was: we can make you money while you sleep. Most owners said no. Enough said yes to get the business moving.

He later joined Startup Victoria, which he describes as his real entry into the ecosystem. That role coincided with a period when the Australian startup scene was about to grow dramatically, and being involved at that moment shaped everything that followed. His move from Melbourne to Sydney brought him into contact with a different and expanding part of the ecosystem.

Tech Australia Advocates: connecting Australian innovation to the world

Tech Australia Advocates is Dickie’s mission-driven initiative to showcase Australian tech to global audiences. He describes Australia as a country that has produced extraordinary innovation but struggles with the storytelling and self-promotion required to attract international attention and capital. His newsletter, published under the Hype Man brand, serves both local and international readers who want to follow the Australian ecosystem without being physically present in it.

Diversity, inclusion, and why the ecosystem still has a long way to go

Dickie is explicit about his commitment to diversity and inclusion in the tech sector. His background, as an immigrant who arrived as a backpacker, who sold solar panels door to door, and who entered the ecosystem through a manual labour visa, gives him a perspective on access that most people with elite career backgrounds do not have. He sees the Australian ecosystem as improving but still overwhelmingly dominated by particular networks and demographic backgrounds, and he views Tech Australia Advocates as a vehicle for broadening who gets seen and heard.