Startup Victoria named official simulcast partner of San Francisco’s Lean Startup Conference

Advocates of the lean start-up methodology, a customer-led iterative approach to product and business development, are gathering in San Francisco later this week for the International Lean Startup Conference.

Not-for-profit networking and education group Startup Victoria has been named an official simulcast partner and will be broadcasting the event in the Inspire9 co-working space in Richmond, Victoria.

Over 70 entrepreneurs will be sharing their approach and experiences of the lean start-up methodology at the conference, which will also include presentations from Steve Blank, serial entrepreneur and start-up methods pioneer; Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup; Cindy Alvarez, head of user experience and design at Yammer; and Marc Andreessen, co-founder and partner at venture firm Andreessen Horowitz.

Vijai Mani, Startup Victoria network co-founder and host of the Melbourne simulcast, told StartupSmart he was excited to share the event with the Melbourne start-up scene.

“We all really believe in the lean start-up methodology that has been spreading like a wild fire. The event should be inspiring and informative,” Mani says. “It’s great to hear how different groups were applying the lean start-up approach in their organisation.”

This is Mani’s second simulcast. He taxied to the MYOB offices in Glen Waverley at 2am for the event last year.

He describes the lean start-up methodology as a breakthrough for business.

“It increases the odds of success for a start-up where you validate it before you invest your time and money full time into it,” Mani says. “Any business is just an experiment, that’s the mindset.”

This year’s live stream will begin at 4am Melbourne time.

Start-up mentor and freelance reporter Bronwen Clune is heading over to San Francisco to cover the event. She’s raised almost all of the $6,000 required through a Pozible campaign.

Clune told StartupSmart the crowd funding was to enable her trip, and ensure she had a close relationship with her readers.

“I’ve been blown away by the response and support. For myself, personally, I wanted to run it as a media experiment and be directed by my supporters,” Clune says.

Clune says the local emerging start-up scene has taken to the lean start-up methodology particularly strongly given the limited opportunities for raising capital.

“Australia has a unique start-up scene in that we don’t have the number of VCs that they do in the US. Australian start-ups almost always have to be lean,” she says, adding she finds the movement of the lean methodology beyond start-ups to be particularly interesting.

“There’s been quite a lot of interest from corporates and people working within corporates which is a good indication that ‘lean’ is getting traction in Australia,” Clune says.