About us
We are opening up access to private assets
At GXE, our mission is to build the operating system for private and unlisted assets. We provide investors, fund managers, and family offices with the tools they need to succeed and enable them to focus on their portfolios and investors whilst GXE takes care of everything else.
A licensed financial services company, GXE holds Australian Financial Services Licence 460870 issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. GXE welcomes clients across sectors including corporate, family offices, pension and superannuation fund managers, private equity, property, and venture capital.
GXE was founded in 2020 (originally as Startup Galaxy) by Andrew Armstrong and Ed Hooper, after recognising a current market problem regarding existing friction costs and the lack of automation in early-stage investing in the Australian private investment market. Having previously co-founded Omnystudio, a leading SaaS provider of digital audio solutions and managed Cardinia Ventures, an early stage technology fund, Andrew and Ed saw an opportunity to redefine how alternative assets were managed to democratise, mature and streamline illiquid and private assets.
We are driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to excellence, and we are proud to be building the future of alternative assets that empowers our clients to run their organisation and achieve their goals.
Meet some of our team
Ed Hooper
CEO
Former Co-Founder & CEO at Omny Studio audio management SaaS tool (exited to Triton Digital in 2019). Founded Cardinia Ventures early-stage investment fund with 40+ investments across Australia and the US. Worked at ANZ Bank, Funding Circle, Groupon and Microsoft. Won first place in the Microsoft Imagine Cup world final. Holds a Bachelor of Information Systems from the University of Melbourne. Completed the SIGM program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Awarded a fellowship by the University of Melbourne School of Engineering in 2012.
Andrew Armstrong
CTO
Former Co-Founder & CTO at Omny Studio audio management SaaS tool (exited to Triton Digital in 2019). Active angel investor including Cadence, Chronosphere, Explorate, Spice AI and more. Built gaming and music products for Telstra. Holds a Bachelor of Information Systems from the University of Melbourne. Awarded a fellowship by the University of Melbourne School of Engineering in 2012.
Stuart Fox
COO
A senior technology executive with over 20 years of global experience. At Dimension Data, he built a $230 million USD business across 13 Asia Pacific countries. Earlier, he helped launch operations for one of Australia’s fastest-growing tech companies. He has held executive roles at NTT, Dimension Data, Thomas Duryea, and British Telecom, and led global product development transformations. Stuart holds a Master of Management (Information Technology) and is a certified Scaled Agile Framework Practice Consultant (SPC). He has lived and worked in Melbourne, Sydney, London, Singapore, New York, and San Francisco.
Long Zheng
Head of Design and User Experience
Former Co-Founder & Head of Product at Omny Studio audio management SaaS tool (exited to Triton Digital in 2019). Co-founder of the MetroTwit desktop Twitter client for Windows, which attracted over 300,000 active users. Sole founder and writer of iStartedSomething technology blog. Over 540,000 hits monthly. 26 million hits and 15 million unique visitors over lifetime. Holds a Bachelor of Business & Commerce and a Bachelor of Multimedia Systems from Monash University. Awarded a fellowship by the University of Melbourne School of Engineering in 2012.
Samar McHeileh
Investment Ops and Compliance
Co-CEO of Scale Investors. 12+ years of financial services experience across a range of executive roles at JBWere. Worked in London for a Hedge Fund Publication and started her career in Logistics exporting scrap metal to South East Asia. Volunteered for 5 years at YWCA Australia, a non-profit young women's leadership and housing organisation.
Michael Wannouch
Client Operations Manager
Michael leads Client Operations at GXE, ensuring seamless interactions between our clients, investors, and stakeholders. He has a decade of experience across financial services, investment platforms, and high-growth startups including Pitcher Partners, NAB, Industry Funds Services and TP24. Holds a Bachelor of Business and Accounting from Victoria University and a diploma of Financial Planning (RG146).
Katie Troutman
Client Operations Manager
Katie brings over a decade of experience across venture capital, client operations, and community-led growth, working with funds, startups, and innovation ecosystems in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. She has held roles including Head of Investor Relations & Community at FB Ventures, Community and Membership Manager at Capital Factory, and Co-Founder of Texas Fibershed, supporting investors and founders through fundraising, partnerships, and engagement programs. Katie is known for her collaborative, human-centred approach to navigating complexity and building trusted, values-aligned relationships.
Jin Wang
Senior Software Developer
Brings deep technical expertise in building scalable, secure financial technology platforms. Spent three years at Airwallex, where he worked on global payments infrastructure and API development. He also held senior engineering roles at Seven West Media and audio management platform Omny Studio. Holds a Master of Engineering in Software Engineering from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics from Tsinghua University.
David Warner
Senior Software Developer
David Warner is a senior software engineer with over a decade of experience building scalable, production-grade software across fintech, SaaS, and digital media. Before joining GXE, David spent more than seven years at Omny Studio, contributing to a leading SaaS audio platform used globally. He has also held engineering roles at TryBooking, POLi Payments, and 121cast. David holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Computer Science from Monash University and is based in Melbourne.
David Armstrong
FCA, FAICD, MBA (Melb) Director, Fund Accounting and Tax
David leads GXE's tax practice, bringing over four decades of experience in audit, tax, valuation, and financial advisory. David is a Institute of Chartered Accountants Fellow, a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors and an alumni of Melbourne University's Business school. David is also a registered tax agent and registered company auditor. David commenced practice in 1984 and since that time, has advised public and private sector clients on complex financial reporting issues, cross border taxation matters, and has held Australian directorship roles for offshore stakeholders focusing primarily on the international accommodation sector.
Robyn Simmons
Senior Manager, Fund Accounting and Tax
Experienced public accountant with over 20 years in the field, supporting individuals, businesses, and investment entities with complex tax and accounting needs. At GXE, she brings her deep technical knowledge and practical expertise to support fund accounting, compliance, and reporting processes. She has worked with a wide range of clients on tax planning, SMSF compliance, and financial reporting across several boutique accounting firms.
David Rowe
Business Development and Licensing
David works in GXE's licensing team, supporting fund managers on onboarding, compliance and reporting. He led ventures at ANZ's 1835i and worked at Microsoft in Europe, leading the EMEA Emerging Business Team. David was an investment manager at Uniseed, holds a PhD in Systems Architecting, Master of Applied Finance, and is a Graduate of the Institute of Company Directors.
Dinesh George
Client Operations and SPV Product
Dinesh is a partnerships and business development leader with deep roots in Australia's startup ecosystem. He previously worked at Bellroy in partnerships and is a co-founder of Redwood, a curated community for startup builders. Earlier, he helped scale Startup Weekend Australia nationally expanding it across multiple cities and began his career with Adventure Capital. He has also held growth and go-to-market roles at Influx and Zwift across business development and regional marketing in APAC.
Anthony Hogarth
General Counsel
Over two decades in private equity, legal, and corporate strategy across financial services, infrastructure, healthcare, and consumer sectors including Macquarie, Herbert Smith Freehills, and the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Co-founded Two Harbours Asset Management and founded Fairbanks Advisory. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director for a range of businesses spanning natural capital, grocery distribution, and not-for-profits.
Toby Potter
Finance Advisor
Over two decades of leadership experience across finance, transformation, and commercial strategy. Toby is currently Chief Financial Officer at Southern Cross Austereo. Prior to that, he has held senior finance roles across a range of businesses, including Accenture, SMS and Village Roadshow.
Join our team
At GXE we are proud of the work that we do, and would not be successful without our awesome team of dedicated people. If you’ve got the desire to be a part of an innovative, passionate and creative group of people in a hard working, fun and rewarding environment, then reach out to us today.
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