10 minutes with… BDO director Melissa Fardone
Business Insight sat down with BDO director Melissa Fardone to hear about South Australia’s startup scene and her advice to young founders.
Tell me about your career so far and what areas you specialise in at BDO.
I’ve had a lot of different roles over my career. I started out in a technology commercialisation team at Deloitte out of university, then moved to a similar role at Flinders University being the conduit between researchers in the Science and Engineering school and the industry.
After that I decided to give the public sector a go, and worked for the Federal Government as a case manager, reviewing different grant applications and R&D tax incentive claims. I ultimately decided I wanted to return to the private sector, returning to an advisor role over the last 10 years. I now lead the Research and Development (R&D) and Grants team at BDO in Adelaide, where I specialise in R&D and State and Federal government grants and incentive programs.
What main services do you offer your clients in Adelaide?
I’ve spent the last five years at BDO Adelaide, heading up the R&D and Grants practice. I work with clients across a broad range of industries in the development of R&D plans, business process efficiency and commercialisation strategies for new and innovative ideas. It’s not always easy to know what administrators want to see in these grant submissions, so a key part of my job is staying close to regulators and continuing to build these relationships. This means we can provide the best possible advice to clients.
How do you help your clients make best use of their innovative developments to thrive in South Australia?
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It’s all about being able to identify where the opportunities are and what programs are open. That in itself is difficult to do and very time consuming. It’s also about having honest conversations with clients about where they can derive the most value and which programs they have the best possible chance of being successful in. It’s also about helping clients to engage with government administrators instead of keeping them at arms length.
Collaboration and networking is key. I work with a lot of startups and small companies and sometimes all they want is someone else to talk to that’s in the same boat as them. Or they might need connections in a particular scientific or financing area. The ability to connect people is just as important.
How is the state placed at the moment with regards to startups and scaleups?
The state has been able to build some really great collaborative environments, especially at Lot 14 and Tonsley. This has been crucial to the collaboration aspect where these different groups can meet and get to know each other. They can make so many connections that they wouldn’t have otherwise made.
What’s the one thing you wish new business owners knew when starting out?
That they’re not alone and that there are people out there that know what they’re going through and can help. This is across a wide range of groups – it’s about finding the right advisors, being able to share their stories with other new business owners, and finding the right people in government that can take a practical approach and provide meaningful introductions.
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Also, that they should get second opinions when it comes to key business strategies. Try and leverage the expertise around you, especially within the startup communities that have been built in recent years.
How can you help businesses with securing the R&D tax incentive?
It’s all about being able to pull apart the technical work a company is completing and understand whether it’s eligible for the tax incentive; being able to sit with them and talk through all the issues with the scientists and accountants, then taking that info and turning it into a strong application.
It’s also about setting them up for the future. Each year we can help improve internal governance and the company’s understanding of the process. This helps to make lodgement more efficient and less stressful.
It’s also important to note that sometimes it’s important to engage with the regulators. Fostering these relationships can also help to make lodgements less stressful.
What are some major upcoming grants programs and funding opportunities for South Australian businesses in 2025?
Some of the most significant funding opportunities will continue to be in the renewables space, with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) providing a wide variety of different programs to help the country achieve its net zero targets. I’ve always found ARENA really good to deal with; they’re always willing to have up-front conversations about the best funding pathways for different companies.
There is also a big focus on helping to progress new technologies for hydrogen, solar and EV charging infrastructure, just to name a few.
What technologies and innovations excite you right now?
It’s hard to look past what companies are doing with AI at the moment. The tech is moving so fast, and so many of our clients are looking to use it in so many different ways, at times completely changing the face of how certain types of work have been traditionally completed.
Melissa leads the Research and Development (R&D) and Grants team at BDO in Adelaide. Get in touch with her here.
