About Isaac

I’m a coach and facilitator who has worked with entrepreneurs all over the world for 15 years. Today, I am a co-founder of Press Play Ventures, the lead facilitator of the Startup Ideation program, co-designer of Deakin University’s Entrepreneurial Mindset unit, a trusted advisor to a wide range of growing businesses and accelerator programs, having worked with over 1,600 of them to date.

I started my first “proper” business at age 12 (a competitor to our school’s canteen), studied a Bachelor of International Business & Entrepreneurship, and then worked in strategy and finance for a few years.
I found that I was good at the work, but making money for shareholders did not get me out of bed in the morning, and was intrigued by the startup world. I met the soon-t0-be founders of The Difference Incubator in 2012, and agreed to join them from Day 0 as the first official team member, working with social entrepreneurs as they grew and took on investment. We expanded in to growth programs and began working with founders overseas, an incredible opportunity to learn from talented facilitators who could transform a business with the right conversations. I then worked with Business For Development for four years, designing and building new businesses in emerging markets. This was a great chance to get my hands dirty, working across the entire process from concept to reality, learning about the realities of investment and supply chain management.

Evander Strategy was born out of my freelance work - I’d meet founders looking for more revenue streams, fewer headaches and the chance to plan out their options for growth. We’d work through the highs, lows, magic and uncertainty that comes from building a unique business, helping them see both the bigger picture and the practical dilemmas that confront startups on a weekly basis. It turns out, smart founders don’t need quick or generic answers, they want someone to help them work through tricky and exciting questions. If you give people the right questions and help them see their options, they will usually find the perfect answers themselves.

As more and more entrepreneurs and institutions wanted assistance with their goals, I started bringing in more of my favourite specialists and practitioners, and together we run well-rounded programs under the Evander banner. If we can support your growth, please connect and we can set up a call.