Purpose-driven, planet-focused: Lessons from the new wave of Australian founders

There’s a new kind of founder rising in Australia’s tech scene, one who isn’t just chasing valuations or unicorn status. They’re building businesses with heart.

At Stone & Chalk’s recent Melbourne event, we met six of them. Each innovator brought a different background, but underneath it all was the same thread: purpose.

This isn’t innovation for innovation’s sake. It’s tech grounded in reality with the courage to face uncomfortable truths, and the creativity to do something about them. Here’s what you can learn from them.

1. Have a clear purpose

Summer Petrosius, founder of Kindship, was working as a speech pathologist when she saw a mother crying in her car after a particularly tough morning with her autistic son.

Summer realised that while she could never fully understand the woman’s pain, perhaps there were others out there that could.

That moment sparked the idea for Kindship, a social networking app that connects parents raising children with disabilities.

The brilliance of Kindship lies in its simplicity: connection. Parents can share advice, vent frustrations, and support each other in ways only they can understand.

Summer emphasised that a strong purpose is the foundation of any impactful business. “If you don’t define your purpose, others will define it for you,” she said.

She’s right. A clear purpose keeps you grounded when external pressures threaten to dilute your vision. And so for Kindship, the purpose is crystal clear: use technology to build a community that empowers parents and transforms lives.

2. Solve problem that matter

Sonja Markovic, the founder of Evitat, asked a simple question: How many of us felt cold in our homes last winter? Hands shot up.

Australia’s existing housing stock is among the worst in the developed world for energy efficiency. “We call them glorified tents,” Sonja said.

Homes are poorly insulated, driving up energy bills and leaving people uncomfortable. Worse, they contribute to 25% of the country’s annual carbon emissions. Sonja’s mission is to change that.

Her solution, the Evitat Logbook, tracks sustainable renovation choices, and turns them into measurable property value.

Think of it as a service book for your house. Want to know how energy-efficient windows or solar panels impact your carbon footprint or resale value? The logbook has you covered.

Sonja’s approach works for individual homes, but, more importantly, it’s about creating a ripple effect that makes sustainable living accessible to everyone.

Her lesson is to start with a real problem.

If people are uncomfortable in their homes and worried about climate change, give them tools to make better choices. People care about solutions that make their lives better, especially if they can see the impact.

3. Make it easy to do the right thing

From Sydney, we heard from Nigel Bradshaw, founder of emerging climate fintech startup Teal Home.

Nigel’s journey into entrepreneurship was deeply personal. As a teenager, both of his parents were hospitalised, and he temporarily lost his home. That experience, of instability, but also of the kindness of strangers, shaped his drive to make housing more secure, not just for individuals but for the planet.

His idea is to tie financial incentives, like mortgage rates, to the energy efficiency of homes. If a better-rated home costs less to finance, it could nudge the market towards climate-smart choices.

“People want to do the right thing,” Nigel said. “But money talks. If we align incentives, we can accelerate the transition.”

What also made Nigel’s talk powerful wasn’t just the idea, it was his willingness to own his place as a “reluctant founder.”

Sometimes, solving a real problem means stepping into uncomfortable new roles. And that’s exactly what social entrepreneurship is about.

4. Making the invisible visible

Molly Fullee took the stage to talk about something many of us rarely think about: the batteries in e-bikes and scooters.

Did you know they’re the same batteries used in Teslas, but they’re designed to fail after just two years? Most of these batteries (up to 95%) end up in landfills, a massive environmental problem.

Molly’s company, Fulle, reimagines these batteries. By applying Tesla-like technology to e-bikes and scooters, Fully extends battery life and builds swap stations where users can exchange dead batteries for fully charged ones.

It’s a win-win: lower costs for users and less waste for the planet.

But her strongest pitch wasn’t about batteries; it was about rethinking consumption. “Imagine if we treated batteries like something to share, not throw away,” she said.

Fulle reminds us that doing good doesn’t always mean inventing from scratch. Sometimes, it’s about making the invisible visible and showing that even the smallest parts of our system are worth rethinking.

5. Build a shared future

Mary Kelly, founder of Reusably, is on a mission to eliminate single-use plastics.

Her solution is a system that lets you pick up a reusable cup or container from a cafe, use it, and drop it off at any participating location. Reusably handles the cleaning and redistribution, making it easy for everyone to opt out of disposables.

Mary highlighted the importance of working with local communities.

On Kangaroo Island, Reusably partnered with schools and businesses to design the program, giving everyone a stake in its success. The result was that people felt ownership over the change, and the program thrived.

The lesson here is bigger than reusable cups. It’s about how shared systems can make sustainability practical. When you make the right choice easy, people are more likely to choose it.

6. Money as a tool for change

Arjun Agarwal, founder of Inaam, an Australian Impact Investing fintech, spoke about money in a way that made it feel less intimidating.

“Money is just a tool,” he said. “You can use it to build or to break.”

His company helps young people invest in businesses that create positive impact, like renewable energy or ethical supply chains.

Arjun’s story was deeply personal. His father, a successful entrepreneur, lost his life savings because he didn’t know how to manage money.

That experience shaped Arjun’s mission: to make investing simple and accessible so no one else has to go through what his family did.

He pointed out a crucial fact that we whole-heartedly believe: “Young people care about impact.” If we direct our dollars toward businesses that align with our values, we can reshape the global economy.

Investing doesn’t have to be a game for the elite, it can be a lever for change, so use it wisely.

Final thoughts

The common thread across all these stories is courage.

Whether it’s Summer starting a business to support parents, Sonja tackling Australia’s housing crisis, or Molly rethinking batteries, each founder took a leap. They saw a problem, believed they could solve it, and acted.

That’s not easy. It’s much safer to stick with a 9-to-5 job and let someone else handle the big challenges. But if there’s one thing to learn from this event, it’s that courage multiplies. When one person steps up, others follow.

Stone & Chalk itself plays a crucial role in these journeys. It’s a community where founders can share ideas, get feedback, and find support. Events like this one amplify that by bringing together people who care about making a difference.

The impact of a community like this can’t be overstated. When you’re surrounded by others working toward similar goals, it’s easier to stay motivated. You don’t just learn from each other’s successes, you also learn from the mistakes, the pivots, and the resilience it takes to keep going.

If you’re thinking about starting something, take a page from these founders. Start with purpose. Solve a problem that matters. And most importantly, don’t wait. The world needs more people willing to disrupt with heart.

Watch the event on our YouTube.