Hugh Stephens

BIO

Hugh is a technology entrepreneur who ‘fell into’ the business world while studying medicine at Monash University in Melbourne. After doing freelance consulting in risk management and strategy throughout his studies, he started Dialogue Consulting and provided advisory services to clients in sectors ranging from government through to ASX200 financial services businesses and not-for-profits. He then built and runs a successful software-as-a-service company servicing businesses around the world. Sked Social was initially bootstrapped from consulting revenue, and now is a profitable standalone business helping tens of thousands of customers manage their Instagram communities. A passionate supporter of the startup ecosystem, Hugh now spends time on Sked Social, the occasional consulting project and investing in (and helping!) promising early-stage companies. Hugh is a partner of Galileo Ventures – a venture fund and accelerator program aiming to systematically enable and support promising young emerging founders from university programs. Galileo is launching in 2020 with key investors including universities and high net worth individuals. He has been listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in marketing and advertising, and was twice named one of Australia's 'Hot 30 under 30' founders by SmartCompany. His background includes statistics, technology (including some software engineering), consulting and healthcare. Based in Melbourne, he works across Australia and internationally. Hugh presents frequently at a range of public and private events, ranging from small workshops to international conferences with thousands of attendees. He has multiple academic publications in prominent journals such as The Lancet or the Medical Journal of Australia.