Blogs

 

Tell us your name and where are you from?

David Burns, from Sydney Australia.


What you had for breakfast this morning?

Fruit Platter and a double shot cappuccino at a Manly Beachfront restaurant with my wife Tania and our new spoodle puppy Millicent.


What are your favorite television shows and movies?

My favorite television show is National Geographic's ‘Whale Wars’,  and my favourite movie is ‘Heat’ starring Al Pacino and Robert Deniro.


Any favorite books?

Surfing magazines. I just finished reading Paul Hawken’s ‘Blessed Unrest’.


iPhone or Android or what?

I have just recieved my new iPhone 4s today, so iPhone.


Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or what??

Whichever helps me increase my WHOISGREEN.COM database volume most!


Who are the hottest startups outside the KAYWEB Angels group right now and why?

Building IQ was one of five new businesses highlighted at this years Greenbuild 2011 exhibition with a solution for commercial buildings to learn how to perform better in the way they consume energy and water.


What areas / opportunities are ripe for startups to tackle?

Integrating real-time data into any business platform to increase the relevance of the customer experience.


Have you done any previous startups?

Yes, LabMark Analytical Laboratories which I started with two friends in 1997, to provide contract chemical testing of contaminated sites and testing of pharmaceutical medicines. The business was sold to a mid-sized VC (Champ Ventures) in 2008 with 82 employees and several contractors.


What was the best lesson you took away?

Always know who your are customers, always listen to them, and always perform.


Outside of your startup what are you passionate about?

I love nature and have a deep interest in Industrial Ecology.


Who has been or currently is an inspiration to you?

I tend to be inspired by many people who are everyday folk, and who prefer to give rather than receive or take.


YOUR STARTUP


What is the problem your startup is addressing?

Many people want to be green and live sustainably, but not everyone knows where to find green. WhoIsGreen.com is a directory of sustainable businesses across various industries, and our social media tools allow customers to communicate effectively with these sustainable businesses.


What led you to this right now instead of anything else?

My personal experience when building my sustainable home. It was the most fulfilling thing I have done, but was very difficult due to how un-accessible green businesses and products were. I thought there must be a better way, and now we've built it.


What is your current biggest challenge?

Making businesses realize that whoisgreen.com is an awesome place to tell the world you are green - regardless if you're a plumber, accountant, lawyer or banker!


How can our readers help you get to your next step?

Please go to www.whoisgreen.com and create a profile! It takes a minute. 


Let's play a prediction game. Let's say we are 12 months from now, and you are about to present to your board. How would you describe your progress?

We will have hundreds of thousands of claimed business profiles and be known as the best green business directory on the market, spreading the sustainable message to millions of businesses and customers every day!