Reece Barnes, the 427th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is an experienced carpenter and serial entrepreneur who had a very good idea.

Two years ago, Reece formed a start-up called Wediate, which offers escrow services to builders and tradies on the one hand and homeowners on the other.

For businesses, the value of Wediate is that customers have to pay their funds into escrow upfront, which significantly increases the likelihood that businesses will get paid.

For customers, the value is that they don’t have to release the funds until the business has delivered the agreed service – so they’re protected as well.

Reece previously launched three businesses in his native England, all of which were related to building. Two years ago, he moved to Australia, in pursuit of more opportunity and better weather. He decided to settle on the Gold Coast, because there was so much work and such great beaches.

Reece is hungry to build a business that makes a big impact over the long-term; as a result, he’s not looking to take shortcuts. He knows that if he keeps working hard and listening to his target market, he’ll be able to make Wediate a big success.

When Reece is not working, he spends his time surfing and golfing.