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On Monday, Freelancer announced in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) that it had appointed Pete Cooper to the position of Regional Director, heading up media, communications and business development across Australasia. Cooper replaces outgoing Director Nikki Parker.
Freelancer has also acquired Cooper's event business, Sydstart as part of the deal. Sydstart was launched by Cooper in 2009 and has become the largest startup focused conference in Australia, this year attracting over 2,000 attendees alone. The community surrounding the event company is said to be in the realm of 5,000 and includes everyone from entrepreneurs and developers to investors and politicians.
In a statement to shareholders, Freelancer CEO, Matt Barrie commended Cooper on his efforts surrounding Sydstart, and expressed that he was looking forward to having him join the Freelancer team.
For the last five years, Pete has run what I think is the best technology conference in the country and we’re pleased to welcome him to the team. I’m excited to now be working together, and to also be taking Sydstart to the next level.
Other projects that have begun under the Sydstart banner, such as the tentativley named iCentral coworking space in Sydney's city centre, were not part of the deal according to reports and will operate separately to Sydstart moving forward - perhaps with a little backing from Barrie if the reports Startup Daily have heard are true.
Sydstart is one of a number of acquisitions that Freelancer has made since going public earlier this year. Warrior Forum was one of the companies first, that has allowed it to take advantage of one of the largest internet marketing communities on the web, as well as Fantero.com, a buy and sell online marketplace and the Polish version of Freelancer, Zlecenia.przez.net.
