What Does Your Company Do?
“The Asia-Pacific region is home to over four billion people, representing one of the most dynamic and massive market opportunities on the planet. However, for startup founders wanting to scale across APAC, the sheer diversity of countries, regulatory environments, cultures, consumer behaviours, and languages makes cross-border expansion immensely complex. What works in Australia rarely translates directly to India, Singapore, or China.
At APAC Innovation Hub, we are building the connective infrastructure to solve that exact problem. We act as a regional bridge for ambitious founders, scaleups, and growth-stage businesses targeting expansion across Asia-Pacific. Rather than forcing startups to navigate regional expansion blindly, we connect them with local networks, market-entry resources, mentors, and ecosystem partners. Ultimately, our goal is to flatten the barriers to international growth across APAC, giving founders the localized support and distribution channels they need to scale successfully into new territories.”
What Inspired You To Start It?
“Before launching APAC Innovation Hub, I spent five to six years embedded in the Melbourne startup and investment ecosystem, working closely with businesses and organisations to help them navigate growth. Time and again, I noticed a recurring friction point: Australian startups wanted to tap into massive Asian markets like India and China, but they struggled with the nuance, network access, and market integration required to succeed. The bridge simply was not there.
The turning point came after I married my wife and we relocated to Kolkata, India. Living on the ground made it painfully obvious that you cannot build authentic regional relationships via fly-in, fly-out visits. In January, we decided to take the leap and address this gap head-on. We officially launched APAC Innovation Hub in April, focusing not on building isolated silos, but on orchestrating a collaborative, borderless network of ecosystem partners across each key market in the region.”
What Is One Win (big or small) You’re Celebrating Now?
“We recently opened an office in Kolkata, India, giving us active boots on the ground across both Australia and India. Alongside taking a delegation of Australian ecosystem builders to Beijing for the HICOOL Global Entrepreneurship Summit, we hosted regional roundtables in Sydney and Melbourne with T-Hub, the world’s largest innovation campus based in Hyderabad. We have now formalised a long-term partnership with them and are preparing to take a delegation of Aussie biotech founders to BioAsia in Hyderabad in March 2027.
Over the last few months, we have built an ecosystem partner network of 42 partners across the Asia-Pacific - spanning founder communities, accelerator programmes, and government bodies. That gives us a collective distribution reach of close to half a million people across the region.
Leveraging that network, we are launching the APAC Launch Accelerator this week. The programme is designed for a cohort of 10 companies from 10 different countries across the region looking to scale cross-border - whether that is an Australian company expanding into India or an Indian startup scaling into Singapore. It is a fully online programme matching founders with local mentors, resources, and connections to launch in their new market.”
What Is One Lesson You Wish You Learned Earlier?
“I wish I could go back 20 years and learn Mandarin and Hindi. I am currently living in Kolkata trying to learn Bengali because my wife’s family speaks it, and I have come to the realization that I am pretty terrible at learning languages! I would love to speak fluent Hindi for business across India, and I travel to China about once a quarter where Mandarin is vital - though I have mostly given up on that dream now!
If I could turn back time, I would focus heavily on the sheer importance of language when it comes to doing business across Asia. You can fly in and fly out, but true integration in regional markets comes down to deep local connections and communication. Beyond that, the classic founder advice holds true: start sooner. It sounds cliché, but it is entirely accurate.”
How Do You Keep Your Energy Up On Tough Days?
“Back in Australia, going for a run was my go-to, but living in 32-degree humidity in India has taken that option away a bit! These days, keeping energy up comes down to returning to my core “why”. Having built this business for two and a half years as a solopreneur before my wife joined as co-founder, I drop back on that purpose at least once a week to check if it still aligns with my lifestyle and goals. When things go wrong or motivation drops, if your purpose is not rock solid, you will fall apart.
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Who: Q&A with Dickie Currer-Ganguli, cofounder at APAC Innovation Hub
HQ: Australia