“My experience with startups has not at all been glamorous. There is a narrative that we will tell ourselves but at the end of the day, it’s about survival. Hope feeds what we do and positivity goes a long way in making it through the darkest of days.

My dad lost his job when I was in 2nd year of university. The only thing left was an image search algorithm he was working on. This was before Google Image existed. We furiously developed a prototype in 3 months – securing a $80,000 grant from the Australian Government. I got the opportunity to go to University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, as required by the coordinator of the program and Australia’s premier Angel – Bob Beaumont, now a long time mentor and friend. Before this, my life revolved around getting good grades to land a stable job and a home with a white picket fence. The US experience was eye-opening.

At 20, I thought we had already made it. I thought we’d get millions just by being selected. However, we failed slowly and 6 years later, the tech was just not good enough. With a chip on my shoulder, I returned to school, determined to heal as well as to learn how to build from the best in the world.

Fast forward 14 years to 2018 and I was in China, staying with my Grandpa when I started writing Statstrade, a prediction market platform for sports. I had planned for a release in a year and a half as I was living off my savings. But it took another 3 years after that, including a year of knock backs and no replies before I had to swallow my pride and return to Australia penniless.

The second day back, I was at the Centrelink office. When I got the first government check, it was the first bit of income I had for over 5 years and it felt like I had earned every bit of it.

Growing up, I thought Australia the most boring place in the world, wanting to leave at every opportunity. I take it all back. Peter Allen’s Qantas Ad plays in my head at least a couple of times a day. I’m extremely grateful to the country for backing its people and giving guys like me a safety net as well a second chance. Above all else, Statstrade survives.” Chris Zheng