Res Alum Kane followed his passion from Warrnambool to London

Heading up a successful fractional investment platform in London might seem a world away from studying in Warrnambool while surfing and playing golf, but for Deakin alum and former residential student Kane Harrison, his passions have led the way.

Deakin Residential Services is celebrating 50 years of on-campus accommodation at Deakin in 2023, with some exciting opportunities for former residents to re-connect online and in-person. Get in touch with the Deakin Res team if you’d like to share your story or be involved with the 50 year celebrations!

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kane. Please introduce yourself and let us know what you’re up to at the moment?

Sure thing. I’m Kane, and I like pizza and snowboarding. After traveling through Europe back in 2012, I settled down in London with my partner and her dog Rosie, and started my second business, Stacked. It’s a food retail business, selling Dutch Pancakes that operates in several locations in and around London. I also started Wombat, which is my main focus – it’s a commission-free fractional investing app that helps beginners start investing through curated stocks, thematic funds, and automated features like round ups and auto investing. It’s simple enough that even someone who’s never invested before can pick it up quickly.

What did you study at Deakin, and any highlights from your course?

I have a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in finance and marketing, as well as a Bachelor of Arts majoring in public relations in psychology. I spent five years there throughout my two degrees, and really enjoyed the on-campus lifestyle and the long-term friendships I built with likeminded people. If I’m being honest I also spent a decent bit of time at the golf course, which was a real highlight of my time there!

Why did you decide to live on Residence in Warrnambool, and can you tell us the interesting story about how you ended up there?

Warrnambool was four hours away from home for me, and by the time I made the move down, there was no accommodation available. Two friends and I went around the city trying to rent a house, but unsurprisingly, people weren’t too keen to rent to three teenage guys. I ended up borrowing a caravan from my grandma. I set it up right next to the beach and would go surfing every day before class. That caravan was 15.4ft, it was absolutely tiny, and I lived in it for 18 months! I did finally get availability and was able to move into on-campus accommodation. The surfing was fun but I wanted that uni experience of making friends who were doing the same things as me, and the convenience of being close to the campus.

Thankfully there is more capacity at the Warrnambool student residences these days, though we do recommend students apply early to avoid disappointment.

Tell us about your career path since leaving Deakin – what are you doing now and what are you looking forward to in the future?

After graduating I went into investment banking with NAB Capital, working in risk and capital markets for a few years at their head office. I decided to put my career on hold to travel, and went backpacking around the US, Canada, and Europe, including four months snowboarding in Slovakia, before setting up Stacked in London which is still going strong today. I’ve been into investing since I was 15, and once I saw the fractional investing market starting to kick off, I decided to jump onboard and turn my passion into hopefully a multi-billion dollar business. I’m looking forward to continuing to scale up across the UK, Europe, and Australia, to turn that dream into reality.

What’s next for Wombat Investment?

There are a lot of exciting things coming up. After our last successful funding round, we’re looking at expanding our offering in the near future with new tax effective investment accounts, international shares, and also exploring other potential additions like Crypto, Pensions, and even international expansion. We now have over 250,000 users on the platform with goals to have millions investing with Wombat in the next few years.

Do you feel that living on Res helped prepare you for life after Uni? If so, can you tell us why?

Living on Res helped me to gain a level of independence I didn’t have before, and helped me develop skills for navigating interpersonal relationships. I think everyone should do it, those are definitely lessons I’ve carried with me and that have helped shape my development.

What were the best things about living on Res? Any favourite memories?

Being able to surf before uni, playing golf between classes, and I was also president of the poker club. Overall it was a really fun few years and I’ll cherish the friendships and memories I made there forever.

What advice would you give to students considering coming to Deakin and living on res, particularly in Warrnambool?

Get accommodation early so you don’t get stuck in your grandma’s caravan. Get involved in the clubs and extracurriculars. What you learn at uni is important, but so are the relationships and memories you’ll make there. The uni dinners in particular were a really great way to get involved.

Anything else you’d like to share with students and alumni?

Make the most of every opportunity that comes your way. Don’t say no if it’s possible to say yes. You’re always more likely to regret the chances you didn’t take than the ones you did.

Thanks very much to Kane for sharing his story. As mentioned earlier, Deakin Residential Services is celebrating 50 years of on-campus accommodation at Deakin in 2023, with some exciting opportunities for former residents to re-connect online and in-person. Whether you lived on campus in the '70s, the 2020's or somewhere in between, get in touch with the Deakin Res team if you’d like to share your story or be involved with the 50 year celebrations!