Image Source: https://events.humanitix.com/podcast-launch-event-making-it-in-melbourne-conversations-with-migrant-entrepreneurs
“Our Strength is Our Diversity”
On Thursday, 20 February 2025, a group of Melbourne’s best and brightest sat down to discuss a new project by the City of Melbourne giving voice to several of Australia’s leading entrepreneurial innovators. This project, Making It In Melbourne, was developed as a 5-episode podcast series highlighting the experiences, challenges, and thoughts of five migrant entrepreneurs who have made a direct impact in Australia’s business landscape.
The event and podcast were initially ideated by Megan Cockroft, the City of Melbourne’s Senior Business Development Coordinator for Southeast Asia (pictured below with City Economy Coordinator Maureen Pillon and podcast guest Asami Koike). The event was inspired by a need for storytelling in embracing the experience of those who have migrated to Melbourne in order to fulfill their entrepreneurial and business development ambitions, and inspire those who are interested in doing the same.
Pictured: Senior Business Development Coordinator for Southeast Asia, Megan Cockroft, City Economy Coordinator Maureen Pillon, and Shapes and Sounds Pty Ltd founder, Asami Koike.
Being Part of a Multicultural Entrepreneurship Landscape
“Growing up here, I didn’t feel that it was celebrated to be a migrant, but I am excited to be here now.”
Pictured: Hex founder Jeanette Cheah with Small and Scale founder Diletta Legowo.
Led by host Jeanette Cheah, Co-Founder & CEO of the career education and learning portal, HEX, the panel brought together the five entrepreneurs who made up the cast of this new initiative:
Asami Koike – Founder & Director of Shapes and Sounds Pty Ltd
“When it comes to mental health, community is absolutely essential.”
Named one of the Top 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian Australians of 2022 at the Asian-Australian Leadership Awards, Asami Koike has worked to destigmatise mental health and mental health care in Asian communities. With her background in therapy, Koike epitomises the work that the City of Melbourne is looking to support in building and strengthening communities through understanding.
Yifei Wang – Founder of AIBUILD & Global Elite School, Academic at the University of Melbourne
“The support of the Australian Government and these diverse communities has allowed many of the people here today to strive for greater things.”
With a proven track record of R&D expertise across several government-backed projects, and three Australian innovation patents in the Artificial Intelligence space, few people in Australia’s tech sector can match the versatility showcased in Yifei Wang’s career. As the founder and visionary behind technological trailblazers, AIBUILD, Yifei’s dedication to the worlds of AI, VR, AR, and MR innovation has made him one of the top entrepreneurs to watch in Melbourne.
Sangeeta Mulchandani – Founder of Jumpstart Studios
“The rules were not made for you. This was not created for you. The rules were created by somebody before you.”
As the founder of Jumpstart Studio, Sangeeta Mulchandani has worked with startups and corporate entities worldwide to bring business ideas to life and support in the creation of significant commercial value. Her company also invests in ventures from the pre-seed to pre-Series A stages, supporting early-stage innovation and helping businesses scale effectively. Through her leadership, Sangeeta is committed to empowering entrepreneurs and building a dynamic, interconnected global startup community.
Hung Huynh – Founder of Intelligence4start
“I enjoy working with the younger generation, with Gen Z; it motivates me.”
As the founder of Intelligence4start, Hung Huynh has been collaborating with businesses since 2018 on creative branding, design & digital marketing. With a head-office located in Melbourne and representatives in Hong Kong & Vietnam, Hung Huynh has been a passionate and driving entrepreneurial force in Australia’s marketing industry.
Diletta Legowo – Founder of Small and Scale
“All the magic is already here. There’s so much lived experience, knowledge, and wisdom in this room.”
Diletta Legowo has been a designer for over a decade, all while producing startup learning programs for early-stage founders in Victoria. With an emphasis on Social Innovation, Strategic Design, Community Development, and Facilitation & Training, Diletta founded Small and Scale, a design agency focused on collaborative community design. Their team connects with public-interest groups, philanthropic providers and governments to solve issues impacting real people.
Pictured: Lord Mayor Nicholas Reese with AIBUILD founder Yifei Wang.
Between these five entrepreneurs is a depth of experience and inter-cultural understanding that reflects the experience of many migrant entrepreneurs who have lended their legacies to Australia’s rich tapestry as a global hub for business and commerce. This sentiment was shared by Lord Mayor Nicholas Reese, who shared his experience as an entrepreneur working on both Movember and The Big Issue as two hugely successful charitable pursuits before taking his guiding role in the City of Melbourne.
“I’ve started to learn first you’re a technician, then slowly you begin to become a business owner with a different set of skills.”
Pictured: Joel McGuinness, Director of Experience for the State Library
Another speaker to discuss his pride in the event was Joel McGuinness, Director of Experience for the State Library. In his speech, he emphasised that “our strength is our diversity”, a sentiment that could not feel more true surrounded by so many different cultures and great minds in the entrepreneurial space. With members of different migrant-owned startups in attendance such as New Zealand’s Savvy Up and Melbourne’s Trafficon Digital, this podcast launch was a testament to the shared multicultural legacy of this city.
Pictured: AIBUILD team with Founder Yifei Wang
What “Making it in Melbourne” Truly Means
With a number of international entrepreneurial initiatives currently underway in collaboration with the City of Melbourne and its many partners, the city’s dedication to creating a more diverse community of innovators is clear. As Yifei Wang of AIBUILD stated when discussing his experience, without these kinds of support, it’s difficult for those with great ideas to truly create actionable change. So, as we start to see more connections between Melbourne and the world stage, the future is certainly looking bright for the city’s legacy.
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The Making it in Melbourne podcast series brings you conversations with Melbourne migrant entrepreneurs who are reshaping our city’s business landscape.
Listen to the series wherever you get your podcasts. Search ‘Making it in Melbourne’ on your podcast app.
