From homeless at 16 to building global communities with CJ Josic

In this episode, Gav sits down with CJ (Craig Josic), a lifelong connector, entrepreneur and ecosystem builder, to unpack a journey that starts with homelessness at 16 and evolves into building thriving founder communities across Australia and beyond. CJ shares how connection, community, and a “give first” mindset became the foundation of everything he does - from launching Silicon Coast to now building an innovation powerhouse aimed at creating 100 companies worth $100 million each.Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch - completely bootstrapped.Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at [email protected] you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps us reach more people!In this episode, we cover: CJ’s early life and becoming homeless at 16  The role of mentorship and surrounding yourself with the right people  Why connection and community are the real unfair advantage  The “give first” philosophy and how it compounds over time  Lessons from building and losing a business  Why founders shouldn’t go it alone  The importance of signal vs noise in decision making  Building Silicon Coast and creating a startup ecosystem  The evolution into Innovation Powerhouse  AI, community, and the future of human connection  Procurement opportunities and scaling Australian businesses  Raising the next generation of entrepreneurs  Legacy, family, and building generational impact  Why collaboration is the new competition Founder Collective: https://founderscollective.com.au/founders-collective FC's Newsletter: https://founderscollectivecommunity.substack.com/ Gavin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavintye/CJ's linksCraig Josic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigjosic/Innovation Powerhouse: https://www.innovationpowerhouse.orgGlobal Entrepreneurship Network: https://www.genglobal.org/Queensland AI Hub: https://www.qldaihub.com/FWDFest: www.fwdfest.co