In this op-ed, Orsolya Tóth-Pál founder of Debate Club delves into how Australian founders don’t need to chase Silicon Valley to succeed and that the wave of talent displaced by tech layoffs is a chance for startups to tap deep APAC experience instead.
I have always existed between two worlds: our industry and the startup ecosystem. Bringing those two worlds closer together has always been something I am deeply passionate about.
As a founder, I have spent quite a lot of time in the startup ecosystem and it has started to shape how I see our industry too. We recently sat down to record a debate on a topic that has been on my mind: Australian founders do not have to go to the US to succeed. One insight from the Affirmative side felt immediately relevant to the adtech world I came from.
APAC’s GDP growth is running at roughly twice the rate of the US, yet founders remain culturally obsessed with Silicon Valley. That made me think about something happening in parallel across the tech industry: the mass layoffs across major tech companies have left an enormous pool of incredibly talented adtech and tech leaders looking for their next move.
These are people who spent years running regional markets in APAC, building relationships across multiple countries, navigating cultural nuances, and working closely with the US market. Meanwhile, startups and scaleups are constantly talking about talent shortages and the need for experienced operators. The match feels obvious.
This is actually a conversation we were already having at Debate Club’s Opportunity Summit in 2023. The opportunity has been there for a while, but right now it feels more urgent than ever.
The Opposition made an equally important point: APAC is not one market, it is many. Unlike the US, which behaves as a largely unified market and culturally similar to Australia, APAC requires navigating different cultures, consumer behaviours, regulatory environments, and business norms. That complexity is real.
But it is exactly why leaders who already know how to operate across those ecosystems can bring disproportionate value to startups and scaleups. The US is an incredible market to scale into, but the APAC opportunity is too significant to keep overlooking.
These conversations sit at the intersection of startups, technology, culture, business, and human behaviour. I genuinely think more adtech leaders should be paying attention to what is happening in the startup ecosystem. The podcast marked the first episode of an ongoing partnership between the Epic Execution and Debate Club, and this is how we plan to keep the conversation going.
David Kenney said “One of the most important topics Founders face is where to build from. In spite of the budget, and incredible opportunities for Founders globally, this sort of momentous decision is best made with healthy debate rather than listening or reading one opinion. The intricacies, and opposing views are designed to uncover the best thinking and rationales. Debate Club and Epic Execution will discuss some of the most important challenges Founders face. We will be bringing you some of the smartest, most articulate and match fit experts for a quarterly deep dive on the most important issues. A good old fashioned debate among friends. Debate Club and Epic Execution, bring it on, Orsolya.”
Tune into the first episode on YouTube or Spotify and hear the full debate.
