Black Belt: A masterclass for start-ups and entrepreneurs

Disillusioned with the four big Australian banks’ culture and strategy, Joseph Healy and David Hornery started thinking about a startup that would improve and disrupt the immovable banking sector. Although they were self-professed ‘no spring chickens’ who fell outside of the usual millennial startup entrepreneur demographic, they forged a plan to start a new bank that would service small and medium-sized businesses (a sector the big banks were neglecting) in a highly regulated industry monopolised by four of Australia’s biggest companies. Inspired by the Netflix mantra ‘that will never work’ , Joseph and David founded Judo Bank in 2016 and disrupted the Australian banking market against all odds. The name is a nod to the fact that in judo, the smaller, weaker person can overpower a stronger opponent through the efficient use of energy. In Black Belt the authors share keys lessons from the Judo journey and their decades in business prior to the startup. This is a true masterclass in planning, launching and scaling a business.