Gus Balbontin

Born and bred in wild Patagonia, Gus never allowed his small town and humble beginnings get in the way of his big dreams. A healthy disrespect for authority and a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out) landed him in Australia at the young age of 17.

By the age of 22, he had dropped out of uni, hitchhiked South America, set up his first business and landed his dream job at Lonely Planet. Fast forward a few years and he was leading the company globally working with companies such as Google X, Nokia and Amazon on the latest technology, creative cultures and high performing teams.

Seeking a change from corporate life, he hung up his boots as Executive Director and CTO of Lonely Planet and decided to move back to his entrepreneurial roots, becoming an investor, co-founder of Neu21 and mentor across the start-up ecosystem in Melbourne. He loves sharing a story, he loves even more knowing those stories make a difference to people and help in their own business and life.

Gus has presented around the world. From audiences of 10 to that of 10,000, the simplicity of his message and his counterintuitive way of looking at the world, will motivate you to do things differently.

Often thought of as a futurist, not because he predicts the future, but because he helps you focus on what you can control to deal with any future. Still want to talk trends? Sure! He loves that as much as the next person trying to imagine a world run by AI. But he warns: “getting too distracted with future guesses will only take time away from you and your company to actually do something about the future”

He is involved in the start up scene as a founder, investor and advisor and Director of Above All Human.

He is candid and full of energy. He will make you laugh hard and equally think deeply about the puzzles of running a business irrespective of size. His common sense will disarm you and his practical approach will get you moving on Monday first thing!