Founder story
The story behind Sova
Jane Korneyko. Nearly 20 years in strategy and transformation across multiple industries.
Best practice already exists. The evidence is clear. And yet, time and again, I watched businesses ignore the research, reinvent the wheel, and fail for predictable, avoidable reasons.
Startups need this most. The average Australian founder is 46 years old, working 60+ hours a week, and 72% report burnout (Startup Muster, 2025). 437,000 businesses start each year; 370,000 close (ABS, 2024-25). Early-stage funding has dropped ~70% since 2021 (Startup Genome, 2025). These founders can't afford expensive mistakes, and they rarely have access to the resources available to established businesses.
Australia has globally ranked startup ecosystems (Startup Genome, 2025). The potential is here. Sova was built to close the gap between that potential and founder capability.
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
James Clear, Atomic Habits (2018)
Founders chase the idea: the product, the market, the round, the launch. Those are the goals. Underneath them sit nine interconnected business systems (Governance, Purpose, Strategy, Performance, Finance, Marketing, People, Process, Technology), and any one of them, when weak, can pull the goals down. Sova diagnoses the systems before they fail you.
Three core values
Empowerment over dependency
Strategic clarity shouldn't depend on hiring a consultant or signing up for a coaching program. Consultants charge $150 to $450 an hour (IBISWorld, 2024). Coaching programs run $3,000 to $20,000. Sova puts the same evidence-based frameworks in every founder's hands. Free to assess. Paid for advice. Learn once, apply forever.
Simplicity over complexity
Many founders can't clearly articulate their own value proposition. Not because they lack intelligence, but because they lack structure. Founders don't need more information. They need the right information, structured simply. So is Sova.
Democracy over exclusivity
The tools that determine startup success shouldn't be locked behind acceptance rates or equity trades. Antler Australia takes fewer than 1 in 10 founders. Y Combinator just hit a record-low 0.6% (Startup Genome, 2025). Sova puts the same evidence-based diagnostic in every Australian founder's hands. Free to assess. No application.
Why Sova Exists
Best explained through the Double Diamond framework (Design Council, 2005).
Discover (Diverge)
The startup era exploded. More people than ever launched businesses, and with that came a 90% failure rate (Startup Genome, 2025).
Define (Converge)
Researchers studied it. CB Insights (2026), Harvard Business Review (2021), and Startup Genome (2025) converged on the same answer: most failures are predictable and avoidable.
Develop (Diverge)
Solutions emerged everywhere. Accelerators, incubators, podcasts, courses, consultants. Advice expanded in every direction.
Deliver (Converge)
The convergence step had no clear home. Sova was built to close the diamond: one diagnostic, nine connected elements, evidence-based recommendations that adapt to the founder's stage and business type.
Sova completes the diamond.
Recognition
Finalist, EdTech Innovation Hub Awards 2026. EdTech Start-Up of the Year, shortlisted from 140+ global entries. Winners announced 11 May 2026.
Panellist, Female Founder Frontiers. Speaking on the Building a Moat in the Age of AI panel. Presented by La Trobe Entrepreneurship in partnership with The Startup Network.
Get in Touch
Have questions about Sova, want to discuss a partnership, or just want to chat about startups? I'd love to hear from you.