Chris de Cuyper - Founder and Managing Director, Fremantle Seaweed

Chris de Cuyper is the Founder and Managing Director of Fremantle Seaweed, a company that grows the red seaweed Asparagopsis that has been proven by CSIRO to lower methane emission from cattle when added as a feed supplement. 

Chris’s started his career as an electrician in the mining industry before moving into construction project management.

Founding Fremantle Seaweed in 2020, he has been on a steep trajectory in the aquaculture industry. With his proven project delivery record and passion for the ocean, Chris is pioneering the responsible development of the offshore seaweed industry. As an elected Non-executive Director of the Aquaculture Council of WA, Chris is supporting the seaweed sector at the regulatory decision-maker level.

Chris has a passion for the ocean and loves nothing more than being out on his boat. Through Fremantle Seaweed his purpose is to make a significant impact to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Harikesh Pushpapathan - Partner, Stoic VC

Harikesh is a Partner at Stoic VC; an early stage venture fund solving our world’s most intractable problems endemic to our human bodies and the world around us. by a) Redesigning human health b) supercharging compute c) rebalancing the earth. To do this, we partner with Uniseed – commercialisation body managing 65% of Australia R&D output.

I currently sit on a few committees including Uniseed, Antler and NSW government’s Biosciences fund. 

Prior to this, I spent a few years investing personally, at other funds, fundraising for startups and building my own telehealth business. When I’m not investing or recovering from sporting injuries, I love to write – both in music and blogs.

Dr Intan Oldakowska - CEO, EarFlo

Dr Intan Oldakowska is a biomedical engineer and entrepreneur focused on developing medical devices. In her research, she collaborates with clinicians to design and develop innovative medical devices that solve unmet clinical problems and have commercial potential. She completed her PhD at Curtin University developing a novel expandable orthopaedic screw, which led to the spin-out company REX Ortho. More recently, she co-founded Earflo and is now CEO of Earflo, developing a non-invasive device to improve treatment of chronic ear infections in young children. 

Her companies have received several awards, including the 2023 WA Innovator of the Year (Emerging Innovation category) and 2024 INCITE Award for Start-up of the Year. Alongside her work in medtech start-ups, she teaches the next generation of medtech entrepreneurs how to innovate in this space through Perth Biodesign and Biodesign Australia, and lectures Biomedical Engineering students at the University of Western Australia.

Joss Engebretsen, Portfolio Manager - Portfolio Manager, Barwon Disability Accommodation Fund (BDAF)

With over 15 years of experience in real estate, Joss brings deep expertise in property design, development, and asset management. His passion for delivering purpose through property and his profound understanding of the sector drive BDAF's commitment to providing essential, long-term housing solutions for those with extreme functional impairments or very high support needs. Investing in BDAF means contributing to a vital social mission while achieving impactful outcomes.

Chuck Berger – Executive Director, Investment, Impact Seed

Chuck Berger leads Impact Seed’s social enterprise and impact investment areas, which aim to connect impact capital to social enterprises and other socially, environmentally, and cultural beneficial projects and investments in Western Australia. 

Before joining Impact Seed, Chuck was CEO of the Kimberley Development Commission, where he secured over $30m in resourcing for a range of regional projects, with a strong emphasis on Aboriginal economic empowerment. He has also led not-for-profit organisations Kimberley Community Legal Services and Outdoors Victoria, and served on several Boards. 

Chuck was the Australian Conservation Foundation’s in-house counsel and Strategic Director for a decade, where he played an instrumental role catalysing the creation of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. He holds law degrees from Yale Law School and the University of Frankfurt, Germany.

Ben Smith - Head, Impact Investing, Paul Ramsay Foundation

Ben is Head of Impact Investing at Paul Ramsay Foundation. Alongside his role at PRF, Ben is the Vice Chair, and Chair of the Investment Committee, for NatWest Social and Community Capital. Furthermore, he holds the position of Impact Investor in Residence at Centre for Social Impact Flinders University.

Michelle Di Fabio - Program Director for the Foundations Group for Impact Investing (FGII), Philanthropy Australia

Michelle leads the Foundations Group for Impact Investing (FGII) at Philanthropy Australia. The FGII launched in 2023, is designed to support market-building initiatives for foundations and charitable funders interested in starting or currently undertaking impact investing.