UNCUT

The University of Queensland is hosting Ventures Uncut: Lessons from failure.

Our guest speakers will share their stories of failure including the lessons they learned and how their failures ultimately led to success. Join us for an evening of uncensored discussions, catering, and networking.

This event is proudly presented in partnership with Australia's Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) and is supported by OzHarvest Ventures.

About FaBA
From ideas to innovation, FaBA delivers world-renowned research expertise to solve complex food and beverage challenges across the product pipeline. FaBA is accelerating research commercialisation, fostering industry engagement and delivering science in a way that fuels the growth and global potential of Australia's food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Event details: 

Date: Thursday 22 May 2025
Time: 5.30pm for a 6pm start, until 8.30pm AEST
Venue: Aurecon, Ground Floor, 25 King Street Brisbane, Bowen Hills Queensland 4006

Register to attend

Guest speakers

Paul Stovell
Founder and CEO of Octopus Deploy

Paul Stovell is the co-founder and CEO of Octopus Deploy, a global leader in deployment automation software. Growing up as the eldest of five children in Whyalla, South Australia, Paul taught himself to code in high school and spent his early years connecting with the programming community online. 

In 2010, Paul began Octopus Deploy as a "nights and weekends" project, driven by a desire to make application deployments faster, more reliable, and less prone to human error. What started as a personal solution soon resonated with developers around the world. Octopus Deploy was incorporated in Brisbane in 2012, and in 2014, it was part of UQ’s ilab accelerator program.

The company remained proudly bootstrapped for more than a decade, funded solely by revenue from its growing customer base, with only one unprofitable year in its entire history. In 2021, Octopus raised US$172.5 million (A$222 million) from Insight Partners and it was then one of the largest venture capital investments ever in an Australian tech company, valuing the business at around A$750 million.

Today, Octopus Deploy serves over 4000 customers globally, including some of the most recognisable names in technology, aerospace, and entertainment. With more than 300 employees worldwide and annual revenues exceeding AUD$120 million, the platform plays a crucial role in supporting continuous integration and delivery for platform engineering teams.

Louise Tran
Head of OzHarvest Ventures

Louise has spent more than 15 years in the social impact space with a leading profile in the food and environmental sustainability sector. She is on the senior leadership team of OzHarvest, one of Australia’s leading food charities. 

Louise currently heads up innovation and the development of new circular business models for OzHarvest’s profit-for-purpose entity, OzHarvest Ventures, which was established in October 2023. 

Inspired by the OzHarvest food rescue model, she co-founded VietHarvest in Vietnam in 2022, receiving support from leading global companies which in its short time since establishing has delivered more than 70 thousand meals to underserved communities, diverting food waste from landfill.  She is also Founding Chair of Multicultural Leadership Initiative which aims to nurture, empower and spotlight culturally and linguistically diverse leaders in the climate movement. 

Oren Barak
Co-Founder and CEO of Roogenic

Oren Barak is the Co-Founder and CEO of Roogenic, an award-winning Australian health and wellness brand committed to improving lives through the healing properties of native Australian plants. With a passion for natural health, innovation, and purpose-driven business, Oren has led Roogenic’s expansion into global markets while fostering strong partnerships with Indigenous communities and local growers.

He brings experience across product innovation, ethical sourcing, and high-growth strategy — and is dedicated to empowering the next generation of mission-led entrepreneurs.

Moderator

Dr Kiera Buchanan
Founder of Recovery Metrics

Dr. Kiera Buchanan is the founder and CEO of Recovery Metrics, a health-tech startup that equips mental health practitioners with real-time analytics to improve treatment outcomes. A graduate of the UQ Ventures Empower and ilab Accelerator programs, Kiera brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and entrepreneurial vision to the mental health space.

She is also the founding director of the Centre for Integrative Health, a Brisbane-based clinic specialising in eating disorders and body image concerns. As a Clinical and Health Psychologist, Kiera is committed to integrating innovation, evidence-based care, and body acceptance into mental health practice.