Annie Parker

"Wouldn't it be great if every single situation we went into, we left it slightly better than when we found it. Even if it's just a smile, or if it's something where we can help people, or if it's something where we can make a signification contribution."

Annie Parker is a startup specialist. She’s seen thousands of pitches, overseen investments in over 100 startups globally & is a passionate supporter of anything that helps to grow the startup scene around the world.

Annie originally arrived in Australia in 2013 to launch Telstra's startup acceleration programme – muru-D - which invests in 10 startups every 6 months, gives them amazing advice to help scale their idea, and offers the connections and experience to have them be successful.

Alongside this, her personal passion is to inspire kids to learn digital skills. And so in 2014, Annie launched Code Club Australia - a nationwide network of volunteer-led, after-school coding clubs for children aged 9-11. The long-term goal is to get Australia's national curriculum changed so that all children are taught basic coding skills from primary school onwards.

More than anything, Annie is a firm believer in the importance of paying everything forward.