Self-awareness and curiosity are the two qualities Rohan Workman (OM 2004) sees as essential for any entrepreneur.
“It’s important to know your weaknesses as well as your strengths,” he says. “There’s no possible way anyone can establish a business and know everything that’s needed to run it.”
Mr Workman speaks from experience, having built a career through a succession of self-confessed steep learning curves. After graduating from the University of Melbourne, he began at McGrathNicol, working on some of the biggest corporate collapses occurring in Australia during the global financial crisis.
Then, in 2011, he founded HR management software start- up RosterCloud with fellow Old Melburnians, Dan Fine (OM 2004) and Tom Corrigan (OM 2004). The company was acquired in 2016 by an ASX-listed organisation.
“As I think most entrepreneurs will say, the start-up process, is incredibly challenging but also extremely rewarding,” Mr Workman says. “I still remember how satisfying it was when we signed our first big customer.”
While working on RosterCloud, Mr Workman became involved in the Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP) at the University of Melbourne and later become its founding Director. “MAP was the first university-based accelerator in the country, so establishing it required us to learn how to run this kind of programme. It would not have been possible without the support of a number of incredibly generous people,” Mr Workman says. Under his leadership, the programme was ranked 8th globally among programmes of its kind, supporting 10 Australian start-ups each year and running many other programmes and events.
In 2018, Mr Workman took on his next challenge, joining forces with a group of leading businesspeople, to form Skalata Ventures, a seed investment programme designed to help companies become significant and sustainable. “Our objective is to help companies with the capital, know-how and networks required to help progress through the angel investment stage which is where we see a pretty big gap in the market,” Mr Workman explains. “The work we’re doing is all being done for the first time, so there’s plenty to learn.”
Skalata Ventures has invested in 10 companies in 2019, with plans to invest in 50 more over the next two years. Initial investments include Smart Paddock, which helps farmers keep track of the location and health of their herds, and Vollie which is an online platform connecting white-collar workers with charities that need professional volunteers for specific projects. “What I enjoy most about this role is working with great people on great projects – people who are chasing their dreams,” Mr Workman says.
“We look for three things in the companies we support: their innovation, their team and the progress they’ve made,” Mr Workman adds. “To support them we provide capital, coaching to develop a growth engine and a sustainable business model, along with access to networks to build their company further.”
“What I’ve taken from my time at Melbourne Grammar is an understanding of how important relationships are in any business venture,” Mr Workman says. “Humility and generosity build enduring relationships. Along with shared values, this makes all the difference.”
