My 25-year entrepreneurial journey was probably inspired by my first venture into entrepreneurship many years before. I developed my first “app” using COBOL to manage the payroll at my part-time bar job while at university. It was even sold on a monthly subscription, a concept ahead of its time.
I put my tech entrepreneurial ambitions on hold for the next decade while pursuing my sports passion, playing professional rugby league for the Parramatta Eels and the Balmain Tigers.
Then, in 2001, amidst the Dot Com Boom, I founded MassMedia Studios, a digital agency driven by the drive to create innovative products and SaaS platforms. Our standout creation was the Traction Platform, a pioneering marketing automation tool.
We expanded Traction globally with offices in New York and London. Simultaneously, we launched 2and2, an e-learning company specialising in creative e-learning products. In 2007, I successfully sold MassMedia and Traction, businesses experiencing 30% YoY growth and boasting clients like Unilever, Audi, and Diageo. My involvement continued with 2and2 as a non-executive director, which has now evolved into Cogniss, a no-code ecosystem to develop consumer and patient-facing digital health solutions based in the UK poised for substantial growth.
Before founding Drive Yello in 2014, I ventured into Feverpitch Entertainment, a content creation company, and AppVillage, a virtual mobile app incubator. Drive Yello rekindled my focus on B2B platforms, which has remained my central pursuit for the past ten years. At the heart of the Drive Yello business is the ‘Yello’ platform, the smartest logistics platform that connects retailers to independent couriers to streamline deliveries for millions of Australians nationwide.
In 2023, I founded the 4You Innovation Group, which is focused on developing technology and services to enable retailers to meet the ever-increasing demand for convenience. In line with this mission, we acquired the Hey You business, an order-ahead application targeting restaurants and cafes. I recently stepped down from my CEO role but remain on the board as a fractional executive working with the management and product teams.
With a history of innovative product development and industry disruption, I have successfully built my career on being passionate about solving business problems with technology, developing teams, creating innovative products and initiating change in diverse industries.
Steve Fanale has over 20 years of experience as a tech entrepreneur. He is the Founding CEO of Drive Yello, his 6th start-up, one of Australia’s leading last-mile delivery platform businesses. At the heart of the Drive Yello business is the ‘Yello’ platform, the smartest logistics platform that connects retailers to independent couriers to streamline deliveries for millions of Australians nationwide. With a history of innovative product development and industry disruption, Steve has successfully built his career on being passionate about solving business problems with technology, developing teams, creating innovative products and initiating change in any industry he chooses to get involved in. In line with this passion, Steve has recently formed the 4You Innovation Group, which is focused on building technology and services to enable retailers to meet the ever-increasing demand for convenience.
