We chat to social entrepreneur Anne-Marie Elias about her parents’ incredible story of grit, her journey into the tech startup space and what it means to address real problems that need solving. This episode was recorded at The Studio in the Sydney Startup Hub during the 2019 Catalysr / Fishburners Demo Fair, at which Anne-Marie was keynote speaker. Anne-Marie Elias is an Egyptian-born, Italian-Australian whose core focus is to be a catalyst for change, and through a collective effort, restructure the manner in which our social systems support those in need, having spent three decades breaking down the cycle of social disadvantage. She is the co-founder of TechFugees Australia, and the Business Manager/Lab Director of New Horizons, a disability, aged care and mental health service provider. She's founded The Collective NSW, a networking group that aims to protect the most vulnerable in our society through cross-sector and community collaboration. As a published writer and Ted X Speaker, she preaches the gospel of disrupting the status quo, and provides others the tools to do exactly the same.