Australian fintech hub Stone & Chalk is bidding farewell to its inaugural CEO Alex Scandurra, who grew the initiative from a startup space in Sydney to a national programme supporting the entire tech ecosystem in Australia.
Launched as a co-working space for fintech startups in 2015, Stone & Chalk now operates offices in Adelaide and Melbourne housing 1000 startups from all sectors of the economy.
Scandurra's departure come just months after Stone & Chalk was merged with Government-funded AustCyber, expanding its presence to 11 locations around the country and providing a base in Washington DC in the US.
One of the architects of Barclays Bank's global Accelerator Programme, Sandurra was recruited in 2015 to oversee Stone & Chalk and was instumental in the establishment of industry lobbying group Fintech Australia and tech and innovation festival Spark.
In a statement, Scadurra says that he is moving on to pursue new opportunities as “an advisor, investor and leader in the Australian emerging technology sector”.
“I have been privileged to play a role in building the infrastructure to support the new economy in Australia," he says. "I have every faith in the leadership and team at Stone and Chalk Group, and I look forward to seeing them flourish as they embark on the next stage of their existing journey.”