In Episode 31, “Straight Up Courage”, Blenheim Partners’ Gregory Robinson speaks to Fred Schebesta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Finder, a global comparison website. Today, the company operates in more than eighty countries, employs four hundred people and attracts ten million visits each month. Fred debuted in the Australian Financial Review’s Young Rich List in 2019 with a net worth of $193m.
Having always embodied the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, Fred shares with us stories of his relentless efforts in developing projects which led to the success of Finder. We hear about how the website came about, its purpose of improving people’s lives, what is next for the growing company and a potential public listing in the horizon.
In the cutthroat industry of search engine optimisation, Fred discusses the decisions he made, including a run-in with technology giant Google, which almost brought the company to ruin. He talks about the value of having courage in taking risks, speaking up and making mistakes. Furthermore, Fred reveals to us a vision never before shared about the future of Australia. He elaborates his view of the Australian technology landscape and compares this to the more favourable conditions overseas, the ever-rising relevance of cryptocurrency and how we can protect our wealth.
Finder have recently soft-launched the “Finder App”, the first in Australia to connect your accounts to provide you with insights, comparisons and opportunities to save. The app is available on different platforms and can be unlocked for early access through a code which will be revealed during the episode.