If not you, who?
As an Indigenous founder and a woman in tech, Camille is often called upon to speak up, fly the flag and carry the torch for her community. It’s exhausting. But it's the only way. Welcome to The Club.
“I can’t just be a founder. I have to be an advocate for First Nations founders, and female founders. I can’t just build the business.”
Camille Goldstone-Henry is an academic, wildlife scientist and entrepreneur, committed to preserving biodiversity and preventing further extinction of endangered species.
She’s co-founder and CEO of Xylo Systems, a platform that aggregates biodiversity data and makes it accessible for businesses, allowing them not only to understand their impact, but to regenerate as they go.
Camille is also a proud Kamilaroi woman.
An Indigenous founder, a woman in tech and a protector of the planet, Camille finds herself constantly flying the flag for one cause or another. Partly because she’s expected to, but partly because she expects it of herself.
Camille is committed to positive change, and holds herself to the highest of standards in effecting it. Because if not her, then who?
Back in 2020, as a newcomer to Australia’s startup scene, Camille was somewhat taken aback by the gender disparities in this space. Raised by her professor mum within a family of girls, she’s accustomed to being surrounded by strong women.
Her background is in academia, specifically biodiversity and wildlife… an area also dominated by women.
“Then I stepped into the startup ecosystem. Like, hang on. Where are all the women?”
Slowly, Camille realised she would be treated differently here. She’s been quizzed on her credentials; had to justify her right to be in the room. And she’s seen her male counterparts taken at face value, always.
But of course, for Camille, this is only part of the story.
The first innovators
“My family has Indigenous heritage, but we didn’t grow up on Country and we don’t have a strong connection to our mob, because of what’s happened to Indigenous Australians in this country,” Camille explains.
“Essentially, we were brought up white. I have white privilege even though I’m an Indigenous woman, and I very much acknowledge that.”
Camille is proud of her Kamilaroi roots, and intently aware that Indigenous startup founders are few and far between.
Here, there was no surprise or creeping realisation. Camille noticed the lack of representation immediately, and she knows exactly why things are this way.
Launching a startup requires financial privilege, she explains, as well as the ‘right’ connections, usually in a major city.
“Look at the inequalities that a lot of our Indigenous communities face, from early childhood all the way through to university and beyond,” Camille says.
“Even in the early primary school stages, Indigenous communities don’t have the same science and technology resources that a lot of city schools do. They’re already on the back foot.”
Camille is trying to bridge some opportunity gaps by mentoring Indigenous women studying STEM subjects at university, and she speaks about her work and her heritage often.
The old saying goes: ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’. So Camille — an Indigenous woman running a tech startup — is making herself as visible as possible.
“Male or female, there are barely any Indigenous founders in the startup ecosystem. That’s really sad, because our community, our people, were the first innovators in Australia,” she says.
“But there are still so many other hurdles they need to jump before they even get to starting a startup.”
The burden of truthtelling
While Camille is proud to be Indigenous and doesn’t hide her heritage, she points out she doesn’t face some of the barriers that come with being a visually identifiable person of colour. As a founder, she doesn’t feel she has necessarily experienced bias because she’s Indigenous.
However, as soon as people find out she’s a Kamilaroi woman, they tend to lean on her to be a voice for the community, asking questions she just doesn’t have the answers to.
“I get questions on panels and podcasts around what it’s like growing up on Country, or asked how I’m including our traditional knowledge in our product,” she says.
“I have to be a truthteller for the community: I don’t have traditional knowledge of my mob, because we got taken away from our land and our Country.”
This disconnect is something Camille struggled with as she grew up. But, she says her mum always encouraged her to be proud of where she came from, and to talk about it openly.
That’s exactly what she’s doing. It may not be the feel-good content the podcasters are hoping for, but it’s an uncomfortable truth that does need telling.
“It helps to shed light on the history of suppression of Indigenous communities in this country, and the White Australia policy, and the Stolen Generation,” Camille says.
“We now look white because we were forced to be that way.”
The case for bearing the torch
Camille is not the first woman to tell me she feels obligated to speak up, advocate and take a stand; to be a torchbearer for systemic, cultural change. But she’s carrying two torches — and one is particularly heavy.
“Sometimes I feel I can’t just be a founder. I have to be an advocate for First Nations founders, and female founders,” she says.
“It often feels like I can’t just build the business.”
So much in the startup ecosystem is about giving back to the community. But in both of these areas, there is so much to be done. Camille is only one woman.
She estimates that, some weeks, she spends 20% of her time on advocacy, mentoring, and other torchbearer responsibilities.
“That’s 20% away from my business that a man wouldn’t necessarily have to do.”
Of course it’s a choice, and something Camille is deeply passionate about doing. That doesn’t mean it’s not additional labour, and additional mental load.
Xylo is growing. As Camille and co-founder Jada Anderson build out their brand and their network, they’re getting more opportunities to speak publicly about the things they care about — to shed light on the challenges they’re solving for, but also the structural imbalances they’ve experienced.
“We’ve got hyper-visibility about being a women-led team and an Indigenous-led team, so people come to us more to sit on panels or do interviews,” Camille notes.
“I feel bad about saying no to opportunities to speak on these issues, because I do feel like it’s my responsibility to do it.”
On the one hand, Camille knows this pressure is self-imposed. She could take a step back, choosing instead to keep her head down and get on with business.
On the other hand, as anyone who knows her will attest, that is absolutely not her style.
Incredibly aptly, Camille quotes Dr Seuss’s The Lorax:
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
Camille first read these words as a child, and she’s carried that philosophy with her as a wildlife scientist and a for-purpose founder. Now, she also applies it to moving the needle for women founders and Indigenous founders.
“I have this internal narrative that says: ‘If not you, who?’,” she says.
“I live very much by the mentality that you need to leave the world a better place than you found it. And I must take that to the Nth degree in everything I do.”
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Who are we?
We’re Marie Dowling and Stef Palmer-Derrien, two business buddies navigating the tech, startup and small biz world with toddlers in tow.
👸🏻 Stef Palmer-Derrien is a freelance writer, journalist and word person, specialising in startups, tech and small business. Stef is also the co-founder and editor of The Club as well as media advisor at Newsary.
Stef is a parent to a two-year-old wrecking ball of a child, and also a dog who has absolutely no chill.
👸🏼 Marie Dowling is the other brain behind The Club and a self-proclaimed startup town crier. As the founder of PR startups Newsary and EzyCom, she is committed to democratising PR to share all the stories that make our world move.
She’s also la maman to a beautiful two-year-old and an Australian bulldog who does nothing but chill.