Why Nominate? AmCham Alliance Awards
16 June 2023

Dr Brenton Cooper
Co-Founder and CEO
Fivecast


In 2021, Dr Brenton Cooper won the inaugural AmCham Alliance Award in Artificial Intelligence. Brenton has led Fivecast on an incredible journey in one of the world's most revolutionary fields. Brenton sits down with AmCham to discuss the path that has led to where the business is today, and what the AmCham Alliance Awards means to him. 


Back in 2021, many considered AI an emerging field. Only two years later, it’s become a part of everyday life and business as usual. How do you describe the development of Australian businesses and innovation in the AI sector?  

For those in the field, the advances in AI, have been gaining pace for several years now – but quite obviously it has hit the front pages in recent times. The rise of generative AI such as GPTs has made the concept of AI much more consumable and tangible for Australian businesses and the general public. People from all industries can readily see and understand how the power of AI and its ability to generate content can have wide ranging impact and ramifications. Whether its DallE creating computer generated art in the style of your favourite artist, or ChatGPT opining on topics from politics to football teams its now much easier to understand how the recent advances in large language models can impact all manner of business activities. All manner of businesses across Australian are now focussed on the key question: How can AI re-imagine their business models or bring efficiencies that were previously not achievable. 


What has been the most exciting achievement of Fivecast in the past year?

In April of this year we secured A$30M Series A funding with lead investor Ten Eleven ventures, who are a leading cyber security venture investor based in the USA. This partnership will allow us to continue to expand – invest further in our  product development, and continue to expand our global footprint. We recently launched an office in London to pursue opportunities in the UK and EU, and globally we have surpassed 100 employees. 


How important has growing your network and increasing visibility been to Fivecast’s success?

Growing out network through AmCham and raising our visibility has been fantastic. Its led to conversations with potential investors, global defence prime system integrators, and like minded Australian companies that we simply were not having before. This has led to new opportunities – new funding, new sales, and a better understanding of strategies that rapidly growing Australian companies can take as we look to further develop our US business.  


What did winning the inaugural AmCham Alliance Award in Artificial Intelligence in 2021 mean for you and for Fivecast at the time, and what impact has it had in the years since? 

Winning the inaugural AmCham Alliance Award in Artificial Intelligence in 2021 was a fantastic boost – recognition of the work that myself and all the team at Fivecast had been undertaken as we look to deepen the relationship between the USA and Australia. We work in the national security sector – an area in which the establishment of trust and close working relationships with our partners is critical. It is even more so, when you are a small Australian company looking to establish yourselves in the US national security market. The American Chamber of Commerce is building that bridge between our countries, and receiving the inaugural AmCham Alliance Award in AI was a significant milestone in the development of Fivecast’s relationships with our US customers and partners. Since winning the award our business in the USA has grown significantly – well over 3x increase in revenue and headcount. 


What would your message be to someone considering nominating for the Alliance Awards? 

The Alliance Awards are a great opportunity to put a spotlight on collaboration between the USA and Australia, and to highlight the individual efforts that are undertaken to build that bond between our countries. Collaboration through technology innovation and leadership brings benefits to everyone, and the Alliance Awards are a great way to recognise and celebrate these contributions. I can’t recommend strongly enough the benefits to be gained from nominating. Go ahead! 



You can follow Brenton's lead by nominating for the AmCham Alliance Awards. Complete the short application form at amchamaustralia.awardsplatform.com  before nominations close at 11:55pm on Sunday 18 June 2023.