Anthony Woods was a uni dropout. Now his tech company is worth $13b

When Anthony Woods was growing up in Perth, he and his dad had a deal: “He [dad] would break the home computer, and I would fix it.”  The seeds of his career would grow from this family pastime.  The software engineer is now the co-founder of Grafana Labs, a tech company valued at $13 billion wit…

This ex-dealmaker defied the sceptics to build cult brand Frank Green

When Ben Young first pitched his idea for reusable coffee cups, his business strategy colleagues dismissed it. “The smartest guys in the room said it was silly; I was being an idiot because why would you have a reusable cup when [you] can just put the old one in the bin, not think about it anymore…

Nicole Eckels’ multimillion-dollar idea was sitting right under her nose

When Nicole Eckels moved to Sydney in 2005, one of the first things she did was go to David Jones to shop for her new apartment. On the lookout for a fragrant candle to scent her home, what she found was a gap in the market. Now the founder and CEO of Glasshouse Fragrances, Nicole has grown her c…

Bill Beament led a 1¢ company. Now it’s Australia’s biggest gold miner

Bill Beament put himself on the map by transforming a fledgling explorer, Northern Star, into one of the world's biggest gold miners. After turning the 1¢ company into a multibillion-dollar giant, the West Australian decided to take a punt on a new solo venture. Now the founder and chief executiv…

'I had $200′: Inside Aussie Bruna Papandrea’s meteoric Hollywood rise

When Bruna Papandrea arrived in New York, she had $200. An avid storyteller, the South Australian began reading scripts for her friend, actor Anthony LaPaglia. But it was when she was offered a job working for legendary filmmakers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella that her career transformed. …

‘I owe you nothing’: Two unlikely partners and a $20b housing empire

When Craig Carracher first met his business partner, Stephen Gaitanos, he was somewhat reluctant to team up. “He was only a young fellow. He's 15 years younger than me, and he put his hand up and said, ‘I'd like to come across as your junior,'" Carracher recalls. “And I said, ‘Look, I'm not going …

How this 26-year-old built a $100m robotics company

Grace Brown had always enjoyed maths, science and music. Teamed with a “wild imagination”, her interest in patterns meant she was obsessed with all things magic. When she took on an engineering design subject in high school, everything became clear. “I wanted to spend the rest of my life working …

Alex Vynokur bet the house to start Betashares. It now manages $75b

The former lawyer walked away from a top-tier legal career to risk his house on an ETF venture. It’s now the country’s second-largest exchange-traded funds provider. "I was just totally convinced that you know I should just do it," says the Betashares founder. On the first episode of the new seas…

Trailer: How I Made It returns July 29

How I Made It is back with host Lauren Sams.  Don’t miss season six as we uncover how Australia’s top entrepreneurs built their fortunes and what they learnt along the way.

What working on David Bowie’s yacht taught Boost founder Janine Allis

Growing up, Janine Allis never thought about starting her own business. “I didn’t even know what an entrepreneur was,” she says. But after spotting a gap in the market, there was no stopping the founder of a now-global smoothie company that’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars. On the final ep…