Dean McEvoy

Dean is the CEO & Co-Founder of TechSydney, the world's largest member-funded industry accelerator that focuses on Sydney becoming one of the best technology ecosystems in the world.

He has built an impressive career in business consulting, marketing and advertising, within large companies.

Codifying business strategy with Australia's best web development agency during the dot-com boom of 1999 to 2001, and directly learning business operations when he owned, managed and successfully sold his bar and restaurant.

This experience led to Booking Angel — an idea Dean developed, patented and commercialised, establishing a global presence.

During a few years abroad in Silicon Valley, Dean came across the group buying model, via Groupon. Armed with local business and technology know-how, Dean launched Australia's first group buying site Spreets in 2010.

Spreets grew very quickly and maintained a market leading position attracting the interests of Yahoo7, who acquired the business for around $40 million, 11 months later.

Since Spreets, Dean has been investing in startups through startmate.com.au and his investment company Binary Investments and as a limited partner at Blackbird Ventures.

He has also recently launched his fourth startup — the world's first online crowdfunding platform for commercial real estate called IconPark.com