Miami, Florida (Hexa PR Wire — January 22, 2026) —
Stephen Keighery joins The Michael Peres Podcast to discuss building businesses across Australia and the United States, including scaling hipages Group to an ASX listing and later shifting into distressed real estate investing in Louisiana. Keighery explains how an early exposure to entrepreneurship changed his direction, what it took to grow a two-sided marketplace to thousands of paying customers, and why he decided to step away after the company reached public markets. Keighery compares entrepreneurial culture in Australia and the U.S., including how social dynamics can influence risk-taking and ambition. He also describes moving to New Orleans, applying marketplace thinking to real estate investing, and building a business focused on turning distressed properties into usable housing while reducing blight. The conversation includes practical discussion of operating under a U.S. E-2 investor visa, his approach to sales and negotiation that emphasizes listening, and advice for entrepreneurs building resilience through repeated attempts.
About Stephen Keighery
Stephen “Steve” Keighery is an Australian entrepreneur and property investor. He founded hipages Group, a home improvement marketplace that scaled to about 300 employees, served more than 35,000 paying customers, and IPO’ed on the Australian Securities Exchange with a reported market capitalization of $315 million. After leaving day-to-day operations at hipages, he relocated to Louisiana and founded Home Buyer Louisiana, focused on redeveloping distressed real estate in Greater New Orleans and Baton Rouge. He has worked in the U.S. under an E-2 investor visa while building property-focused businesses and applying two-sided marketplace experience to real estate operations.
About Michael Peres
Michael Peres (Mikey Peres) is a serial entrepreneur, software engineer, journalist, and author. He has founded media and technology ventures, holds degrees in computer science, mathematics, and Jewish studies, and is pursuing biomedical engineering. Peres founded Hexa PR Wire and serves as Chief Editor for several publications.
About The Michael Peres Podcast
The Michael Peres Podcast features conversations on science, technology, society, entrepreneurship, and current events, emphasizing clear reporting and practical insight.
