Entrepreneur Lewis Horne says SA is well placed to become a global start-up hub
Ahead of the SouthStart conference in Adelaide, the chief executive of Swedish electric car company Uniti says SA’s remoteness is no longer a barrier to it becoming a global start-up hub.
THE connected, digital society means South Australia is no longer a remote region of the far off land Down Under.
There is a fundamental societal and technological shift occurring right now that is creating tremendous opportunities for this new “start-up generation’’.
Geography is no longer tied to destiny, and culture is no longer locally reinforced but globally reinforced. This creates not only opportunity through connectivity, but through the changing cultural zeitgeist.
For us as a car company, we take advantage of this shift, in everything from the way we build a new car brand, to the operational model of the business.
Where brand legacy and aggressive styling was once the emotional criteria behind buying a car, this has now shifted to the impact of the decision on topics such as climate change and vehicle emissions.
Now, the total digital experience is increasingly favoured over the roar of the engine and, as the fundamental technology changes, so too does the overarching logic of mobility, which forms the basis of the new rational buying criteria.
Where owning the entire production plant was once the ambition, now it’s more important to just own the digital twin, the IP, customer data and brand assets.
This example of change in the automotive industry can be translated to most others, as lean digitalised global organisations and operational models, and changing societal values, open the door for disruption in just about any market.
In this era, South Australia can directly participate in the global economy in real-time, and the state is already punching above its weight, with ambitions and results showing its emergence as a technology and start-up hub.
SouthStart is a vital piece of that puzzle, as it provides local businesses and entrepreneurs with new thinking and global perspectives to add to their arsenal of tools and inspiration.
I left Australia a long time ago, in search of adventure, experience and through a desire to contribute to the global society. Back then, this “start-up’’ thing wasn’t really a “thing’’ yet.
But so much has changed since I left, and I’m extremely excited to see the start-up scene exploding in Australia, with SA charging fearlessly into this new world.
SouthStart has brought together a really impressive list of speakers to impart their learnings to a motivated South Australian audience ready to enter the global ecosystem and make their mark.
I really look forward to joining SouthStart to add further momentum to this exciting new trend.
LEWIS J. HORNE IS AN AWARD-WINNING ENTREPRENEUR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF SWEDISH ELECTRIC CAR COMPANY UNITI. HE WILL DELIVER A KEYNOTE SPEECH AT SOUTHSTART, NOV 22-23