Kev Jochelson
Kev Jochelson is a serial entrepreneur, startup coach, and founder of Opsize, where he helps ambitious early-stage founders unlock their next level of growth. With hands-on experience mentoring over 250 Australian startups through programs such as Blackbird Giants, Techstars, LaunchVic, and Worthwhile Ventures, Kev deeply understands the personal and professional friction that founders face today. An entrepreneur since his teens, Kev has founded seven businesses and counting, including a travel marketplace bootstrapped from Sydney to London and a barrel-aged cocktail company. He honed the art of launching and scaling businesses during his Bootstrap Sabbatical, publicly launching a new business or product every two months throughout 2021, with a mission to exceed $100K in revenue. Through Opsize, Kev now applies these experiences by coaching founders on idea validation, rapid launch strategies, and accelerating their path to revenue. Previously, Kev was the second employee and Head of Operations at Workyard (backed by Blackbird), successfully scaling the SaaS-enabled marketplace from Sydney to San Francisco and beyond. Before making the leap into startups, Kev spent five years in investment banking with UBS, working in Sydney and Hong Kong across Equities and Operations. Kev is a sought-after public speaker, frequently appearing on panels and podcasts, and regularly running workshops for organisations like Startmate and universities including the University of Sydney Business School. A highly-rated speaker at Sunrise last year, Kev featured prominently in the Debate Club session, ‘Investment success is more dependent on luck than skill.’ Kev’s mission is clear. Simplify the complex, transform ambition into tangible results, and empower founders to build great companies faster.
Sunrise Sessions
Ambitious founders and operators don't fail due to a lack of goals - they fail because personal dreams and business direction collide, creating destructive friction. This interactive, fast-paced session dismantles myths around goal-setting, introduces prioritisation and productivity frameworks, and equips participants with actionable tools through worksheets, quick exercises, and audience engagement. We'll start deeply personal, move strategically into business alignment, and ensure attendees leave empowered to close the gap between their inner drive and startup mission - because unchecked friction doesn't just cause cracks; it eventually shatters startups and the people behind them.