Founders Everywhere: Damian Png
Damian Png is the co-founder and CEO of Matilda, a tech-enabled migration agency dedicated to simplifying the process for individuals seeking Employer Sponsored and Partner Visas in Australia.
Welcome to Founders Everywhere, where we highlight the incredible people behind the companies we’ve backed at Everywhere Ventures, a global pre-seed fund supported by a community of 500 founders and operators.
Australia is an immigrant nation, with almost 30 percent of its population born overseas and around 50 percent having at least one parent born abroad. Despite this rich cultural diversity, navigating the immigration process remains notoriously complex, especially for those seeking permanent residency or work sponsorships. The process is often confusing and cumbersome, leading to a frustrating experience for many. While migration experts can help, their services often come with a hefty price tag and limited guidance. In Australia alone, visas are a $4 billion industry that is ripe for change. With Matilda, those who are looking for partner visas or employer sponsored visas can use the platform to simplify and automate the visa application process.
Matilda co-founders Damian Png and Niamh Mooney met through mutual friends and both have been affected by migration. Damian’s father is a migrant from Singapore and Niamh is a migrant from Ireland. Damian’s experience spans investment, consulting, and early-stage startups, while Niamh brings expertise in B2C marketing and scaling her successful tele-dermatology business. Damian, the CEO, shares more about their shared vision to simplify the complex migration process in Australia using innovative technology.
What inspired the creation of Matilda?
My father is a migrant from Singapore, and my co-founder, Niamh, is also a migrant from Ireland. Through my work and interactions with international friends and expats, I saw the frustrations many face with the visa process. The inefficiencies and pain points made me realize that there’s a significant opportunity to improve the system with technology.
What is Matilda’s North Star?
Our North Star is to transform the migration experience from a stressful and complex ordeal into an exciting new chapter in people’s lives. We are streamlining the process and making it as smooth as possible, not just for obtaining visas, but for settling into a new country.
What sets Matilda apart?
We’re very tech-driven in a space that traditionally hasn’t embraced innovation. There are over 5,000 registered migration agents in Australia and the majority operate as small family-run businesses or sole traders, Matilda leverages design and automation to offer the same services in a more efficient, affordable, user-friendly, and transparent manner. Our philosophy is that we will never ask our clients to do something that we can do on their behalf, and that ethos is pretty unique in this sector.
Tell us about some milestones that Matilda crushed.
We raised $1 million in pre-seed funding and hired a senior migration agent, which was a big win for us because within the existing culture it was hard to find someone who was open to innovation and excited to improve service standards in the industry. We also launched our beta phase and are serving a limited number of clients to refine our services.
Any advice for other founders?
One thing that has helped me develop my founder toolkit is being personally involved with investments, both through TechStars and personal investments. Books like Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters and Angel by Jason Calacanis help you get into the mindset of an investor. It’s less about trying to please investors and more about understanding that investors have spent a lot of time thinking about what the blueprint for a successful company looks like. Being able to put that hat on and critically look at your business really helps you with prioritization.
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