Olivia Humphrey was having lunch in a Napa vineyard when a billionaire stepped in to help turn her genius start-up into a fully-fledged global streaming platform.  

A former Village Roadshow employee, Olivia came up with the idea to streamline the way universities could secure rights for films and documentaries for students. 

As streaming took off and Kanopy became a digital platform much like Netflix or Stan, Olivia took her Perth-based company to the US where she quickly stitched up libraries too. 

The billionaire backer gave her the confidence to scale Kanopy beyond her wildest dreams.  

But it’s what happened next that so few business owners discuss openly. Especially very successful founders. The sale. How exactly does that work? Who are the winners, what are the risks, and what should you look out for? 

Listen to both episodes to hear Olivia’s rise to start-up superstar. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

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This was episode was produced and edited by Grace Pashley and Liam Riordan, with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

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