Beam lands in Australia: Q&A with the launch team

Beam is heading to Australia, and three of our longest-standing team members are moving there to lead the charge. Now, they’re taking that experience to Melbourne to launch Beam’s next chapter.

We sat down with them to talk about the “paperwork tax” facing Australian social workers, the thrill of launching in a new market, and why they’re calling this a "startup within a startup" moment.

What made you say yes to moving across the world to launch Beam in Australia?

Abby: Being part of the early Magic Notes [rebranded to Notes] team when we launched in the UK was such an exciting experience. Seeing the impact straight away - when organisations realised the tech actually fit their workflow and solved their challenges vs just being a generic tool - was amazing. Australia felt like a chance to recreate that energy in a new market.

Chloe: I joined Beam as employee number six and our second caseworker, so I’ve seen the journey up close. I learnt so much building our partnerships in the UK, and the chance to do that again with seven years of learning behind us was an opportunity I couldn’t sit on the sidelines for!

Joanna: Seeing the impact Beam has in the UK firsthand is what really did it for me. We’re doing incredible work with frontline teams back home, and honestly, that kind of tech just doesn't exist in Australia yet. It felt like a massive, once-in-a-career opportunity to bring something that actually works to a totally new market.

Looking back at your time at Beam, how has the move felt like the "next chapter"?

Chloe: Beam started first and foremost as a housing and support service. Our goal was always to transform how people access services and the quality of support they receive. Now seeing that technology used by more than 300 organisations globally is incredible. We’ve talked about becoming an international company for a long time, but we wanted to really master what we do first.

Joanna: I actually started as a caseworker back when we were desperately trying to hit 100 referrals to our service a week, there was a big celebration the day we finally broke that goal! To go from that to supporting tens of thousands of people a week with Magic Notes [rebranded to Notes]  is just exponential. Moving to Australia feels like the ultimate next step.

Where do you see Beam’s tech having the biggest impact in Australia right now?

Abby: Anywhere frontline teams are under pressure. Burnout and retention challenges are just as common there as they are in the UK, and the right technology can make a huge difference to people’s day-to-day work.

Joanna: There is definitely a huge opportunity for impact in the care and NDIS sectors. The regulation over here is getting really tight and in some cases, funding is now tied to the quality of your notes, which means it’s not uncommon for caseworkers to be spending over 50% of their time on paperwork. I want to use our tech to give them that time back.

Chloe: Across community services, demand keeps growing but funding and headcount for social workers aren’t keeping pace. At the same time, huge amounts of time go into documentation and compliance. One team I recently spoke to said they spend up to 90% of their time on admin. If we can reduce that significantly, social workers can spend much more time supporting people directly.

Any "wow" moments from your first 3 months on the ground?

Chloe: One of the biggest wow moments came during a live demo with a team who told me they spend around 90% of their time on admin. We showed how Notes could write up documentation from a three-hour meeting almost instantly, tailored exactly to their requirements. You could see the moment it clicked. They were blown away and immediately started listing use cases.

Joanna: I had a conversation recently about foster care assessments that blew my mind. Right now, it takes them between 25 and 35 hours just to complete one assessment. When we showed them how Notes could get that write-up done in under an hour, the look on their faces was everything. Seeing that immediate "lightbulb moment" where they realize they’re getting days of their life back - that’s exactly why we’re here.

How are you planning to focus your time and energy?

Abby: Spending as much time as possible with users and partners, really understanding their day-to-day experience. It’s not just about delivering the product, it’s about learning from them and continuing to innovate together.

Joanna: I have to be "ruthlessly" focused. There are a million problems Beam could solve, but I need to find the biggest ones first. I’m spending my energy on finding where the most significant pain points are, both for the practitioners and the people they support, and zeroing in on those.

Chloe: For me it’s all about being on the ground. That means going to events, conferences and organisations, meeting people in person and really understanding how their teams work. I want to spend time with executives through to caseworkers, see the challenges they face day to day and learn what great support looks like in practice.

What would you say to someone considering joining the Australian team?

Abby: It’s a really exciting time to join. We’re growing quickly and building a great team. Opportunities to work on technology that genuinely improves people’s working lives and has a positive impact don’t come around too often!

Chloe: This is a rare moment. We’re launching Beam in a completely new market and building the team from the ground up, almost like a startup within a startup. Someone joining locally will bring the Australian knowledge while we bring what we’ve learnt in the UK, and together we’ll build something new.

Joanna: Honestly? I think you might regret it if you don’t. It’s a rare chance to launch a proven, successful product in a brand-new market. You get total autonomy and the chance to move incredibly fast, but with the stability of the UK business behind you.

Interested in joining our founding team in Australia? Check out our open roles here.