Elena has a PhD in Computer Science from ANU and 15 years' experience in innovation, startups and technology, including at Google where she was the Product Manager for the Google Maps Web APIs. Since moving to regional Gippsland in 2017, Elena cofounded Binary Shift, one of Australia's top regional innovation conferences, and helped create the LaunchVic-funded Startup Gippsland program which supported 46 founders in 2019. Elena has been a mentor at MAP for the past 5 years. In her work at Google, MAP and GippsTech, she has personally mentored and supported over 100 startups, including the Telstra Business Awards 2019 Emerging and Energised category winner Sonder.

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