Real Estate Institute of NSW Journal
About
Costa Koulis is an entrepreneur, innovator, speaker and author, who has an instinctive mind for digital evolution and global business trends.
He is a Co-Founder of Designerex™, the world's largest peer-to-peer designer dress sharing platform, with over 18,000 listings, that recently continued its phenomenal growth by expanding from Australia to the USA in 2019.
Designerex™ enables women to list and rent out their designer dresses to other women, earning them income and monetising their underutilised designer dresses. It was recently named in the 2019 Online Retailer Industry Awards, selected by Austrade in 2018 for their USA Landing Pad and was a Finalist in the 2017 Australasian Startup Awards.
Prior to this, Costa disrupted the real estate industry with his invention of the world’s first digital real estate ‘for sale’ sign, which saw him win the NSW Real Estate Institute Award for Excellence in Innovation and become a Finalist in the National Awards for Excellence.
The events that unfolded with his previous invention, subsequently inspired Costa to become an advocate for the protection of Australian innovation and to campaign for an end to Australia's massive $3 billion problem of phoenix companies.
His real world insight into the highs and the challenges of innovation is truly rare, including his ability to power and succeed through adversity.
Costa is available as an Innovation Mentor to give your business the edge.
Innovation History
Costa Koulis originally invented 'Live Board', the world's first digital real estate 'for sale' sign. He won industry recognition in just his first year of business, when winning the inaugural Real Estate Institute of NSW Award for Excellence in Innovation, in 2005. As typical with most successful inventions, it was a long commercialisation path spanning many years. Being a world first, Costa Koulis had to create most aspects of the business from scratch.
In 2010 his patent was finally granted and in May that year, he sold his real estate agency to focus full time on 'Live Board'.
Within just 18 months, he built the 'production version' of Live Board and in February 2012, he released this Live Board investor video, with footage of his digital and remotely updateable 'for sale' sign in action. Shortly after, Costa appointed a director named Pierce Cody, to Live Board Holdings Limited, to assist in finalising a timely street launch of 'Live Board' across Australia.
However in September 2013, there was a share issue without authority, by Pierce Cody and his co-directors, Richard Ochojski and Finola Burke. It diluted the majority shareholding of Costa Koulis, just prior to a scheduled shareholder's meeting at which Pierce Cody was set to be removed as director.
Costa was fired from his company Live Board Holdings Limited and on that same day, the product he invented was renamed by Mr Cody from 'Live Board' to 'Cody Live'.
Those former directors of Live Board Holdings Limited (trading as Cody Live), then placed that company into voluntary administration and subsequently purchased all the company's assets, through a new phoenix company 'Cody Live Pty Ltd' at a discount of at least $3.8 million, using the voluntary administration process and our court system to do it.
This prompted Costa to become an advocate for innovation & change.
Advocacy
Costa Koulis has been campaigning the Australian government to end Australia's $3 billion problem of phoenix companies and protect entrepreneurship and innovation, from the events at Live Board Holdings ever happening again.
This included a letter in 2016 that was provided to then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, by the Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek, on behalf of Costa Koulis. Nothing was done by the Turnbull government at that time.
In April 2019, 'Cody Live Ltd' was placed into liquidation, once again by directors Pierce Cody & Richard Ochojski and using the same administrator that was used by them previously - there was a loss of $10 million to $12 million.
The problem of phoenix companies in Australia still remains.
Mentoring
Costa is involved with new disruptive innovation and enjoys mentoring other entrepreneurs.
Costa Koulis is an entrepreneur, innovator, speaker and author, who has an instinctive mind for digital evolution and global business trends.
He is a Co-Founder of Designerex™, the world's largest peer-to-peer designer dress sharing platform, with over 18,000 listings, that recently continued its phenomenal growth by expanding from Australia to the USA in 2019.
Designerex™ enables women to list and rent out their designer dresses to other women, earning them income and monetising their underutilised designer dresses. It was recently named in the 2019 Online Retailer Industry Awards, selected by Austrade in 2018 for their USA Landing Pad and was a Finalist in the 2017 Australasian Startup Awards.
Prior to this, Costa disrupted the real estate industry with his invention of the world’s first digital real estate ‘for sale’ sign, which saw him win the NSW Real Estate Institute Award for Excellence in Innovation and become a Finalist in the National Awards for Excellence.
The events that unfolded with his previous invention, subsequently inspired Costa to become an advocate for the protection of Australian innovation and to campaign for an end to Australia's massive $3 billion problem of phoenix companies.
His real world insight into the highs and the challenges of innovation is truly rare, including his ability to power and succeed through adversity.
Costa is available as an Innovation Mentor to give your business the edge.
Innovation History
Costa Koulis originally invented 'Live Board', the world's first digital real estate 'for sale' sign. He won industry recognition in just his first year of business, when winning the inaugural Real Estate Institute of NSW Award for Excellence in Innovation, in 2005. As typical with most successful inventions, it was a long commercialisation path spanning many years. Being a world first, Costa Koulis had to create most aspects of the business from scratch.
In 2010 his patent was finally granted and in May that year, he sold his real estate agency to focus full time on 'Live Board'.
Within just 18 months, he built the 'production version' of Live Board and in February 2012, he released this Live Board investor video, with footage of his digital and remotely updateable 'for sale' sign in action. Shortly after, Costa appointed a director named Pierce Cody, to Live Board Holdings Limited, to assist in finalising a timely street launch of 'Live Board' across Australia.
However in September 2013, there was a share issue without authority, by Pierce Cody and his co-directors, Richard Ochojski and Finola Burke. It diluted the majority shareholding of Costa Koulis, just prior to a scheduled shareholder's meeting at which Pierce Cody was set to be removed as director.
Costa was fired from his company Live Board Holdings Limited and on that same day, the product he invented was renamed by Mr Cody from 'Live Board' to 'Cody Live'.
Those former directors of Live Board Holdings Limited (trading as Cody Live), then placed that company into voluntary administration and subsequently purchased all the company's assets, through a new phoenix company 'Cody Live Pty Ltd' at a discount of at least $3.8 million, using the voluntary administration process and our court system to do it.
This prompted Costa to become an advocate for innovation & change.
Advocacy
Costa Koulis has been campaigning the Australian government to end Australia's $3 billion problem of phoenix companies and protect entrepreneurship and innovation, from the events at Live Board Holdings ever happening again.
This included a letter in 2016 that was provided to then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, by the Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek, on behalf of Costa Koulis. Nothing was done by the Turnbull government at that time.
In April 2019, 'Cody Live Ltd' was placed into liquidation, once again by directors Pierce Cody & Richard Ochojski and using the same administrator that was used by them previously - there was a loss of $10 million to $12 million.
The problem of phoenix companies in Australia still remains.
Mentoring
Costa is involved with new disruptive innovation and enjoys mentoring other entrepreneurs.
LIVE TV & MEDIA
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Get the winning edge for your business
Consulting with an entrepreneur that has innovated in the real world is priceless for your organisation.
Costa Koulis can assist your business by:
- Using innovation to break through into new markets and new revenue possibilities.
- Assisting you in creating an innovation from scratch or to take an existing innovation to new heights.
- Creating and commercialising intellectual property.
- Showing you how to sell your innovation to your existing market or to a new market altogether.
- Using innovation to position your business as a leader in its field.
To enquire about using the services of Costa Koulis for your Business (startup, medium or large) or Government Department, click the button below:
Consulting with an entrepreneur that has innovated in the real world is priceless for your organisation.
Costa Koulis can assist your business by:
- Using innovation to break through into new markets and new revenue possibilities.
- Assisting you in creating an innovation from scratch or to take an existing innovation to new heights.
- Creating and commercialising intellectual property.
- Showing you how to sell your innovation to your existing market or to a new market altogether.
- Using innovation to position your business as a leader in its field.
To enquire about using the services of Costa Koulis for your Business (startup, medium or large) or Government Department, click the button below:
For all media enquiries about Costa Koulis, click here