The Local Faces of Global Tech
The past few years have shown that for many people, their location doesn't need to effect their career. Tech entrepreneurs Annie Flamsteed and Tim Neale both set up camp locally, and life (and business) couldn't be better.
Published 24 August 2022
Written by Phoebe Tully
Photography provided
“I always knew I would move back … I didn’t think I would move back this soon, but it just felt right to us.”
Annie Flamsteed (pictured) is the Founder, Managing Director and Group CEO of iNSPIRETEK, a health tech company with a focus on improving wellness through data analytics, automated intervention and gamification. “COVID really showcased that you can run a global tech company from anywhere in the world.
“[In 2021] I burnt myself out so badly living in big cities and working 80 hour weeks. Toowoomba allows us to have a slower lifestyle, around the people we love, and still achieve our career goals. It feels affordable but also like we can live a nice lifestyle at the same time.”
Annie is part of a growing number of tech entrepreneurs setting up shop locally – a decision mainly fuelled by lifestyle and cost of living.
It’s this lifestyle that attracted Tim Neale to Highfields 13 years ago, despite the majority of his clients being in northern Victoria. “We’re Queenslanders through and through,” he says, laughing.
Tim is the Managing Director of DataFarming, a precision agriculture solution. “We help farmers gather more data about their crops and pastures – how they’re performing and if there’s anything that needs fixing.”
The company works with satellite imagery, which is provided free to farmers globally and updated every five days. DataFarming also then sells detailed imagery, up to 80cm (as opposed to 10 x 10m) as well as consulting services. 26,000 farms use the platform, spread across 50 countries and 13,000,000 hectares of data.
“It shows you can build a globally scalable business from a regional centre,” says Tim. “The [agriculture] community is really strong here, so you’re supported. You don’t get that community in Sydney or Brisbane.”
Tim names the Toowoomba & Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE) and the AgTech & Logistics Hub as two of the big drivers of agtech entrepreneurship in the region. There are also other key players, including Regional Development Australia (RDA). All are working to bridge the gap between industry challenges and entrepreneurial problem solvers, providing programs and networking to link the two.
“If you’ve got an ag business, you’ve gotta be in Toowoomba," says Tim.
A typical week for Annie – if there is such a thing in the life of a startup entrepreneur – starts in Toowoomba before she heads to Brisbane on Thursdays to spend a couple of days with her team there. A morning in Toowoomba might start with a class at Antara Studios or Fit Former, “then coffee at Six of One, Ortem or Banter” before setting up for the day at The Work Quarter. “Wednesdays always end at Uva or Cork & Lever for a midweek vino.”
But the main criteria when deciding to move was the ability to still run her business. “If I didn’t think I could run a global tech company from here, I wouldn't live here,” says Annie. “It is really important to me to achieve what I set out to with iNSPIRETEK and what my shareholders expect of us – but it is equally as important to me to have great relationships with my friends and family, enjoy life and be as healthy as I can.”
The DataFarming team has always been globally scattered, says Tim: “I have developers in the Philippines and at the Sunshine Coast, so everyone is working from home anyway.”
“If I didn’t think I could run a global tech company from here, I wouldn't live here.”
This was partly due to where talent was already based, and partly because Tim had always been open to remote work. In saying that, “USQ has become a real hub for us to get staff; without the uni here, we wouldn’t have seen some of the talent we have. We picked up international lecturers and they’ve brought a whole heap of expertise and skills.”
And while Tim feels able to run the majority of his business locally, like Annie, he still feels the need to be where his clients are. “The airport made all the difference for me. Without that airport I was driving to Brisbane every week, so it changed my world.
"It won’t be long until we get back into the rhythm of travelling, but it will never be the same. I used to fly to Sydney for a one hour meeting and come home again," he says. "I think those days are gone thankfully. It’s only going to be necessary travel now.”
Fortunately, for Tim and Annie, they're happy right where they are.
inspiretek.io | datafarming.com.au
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