Sometimes in life, as in football, you just have to change direction and make a run for it. For Jackson Mills, also known as Millsy on the field, being made redundant was not exactly something he was expecting as an early-career professional with seriously impressive credentials behind him and a safe job in cybersecurity.

“It was definitely a surprise and completely changed my trajectory,” Mr Mills says. “Redundancy has a way of forcing you to re-evaluate everything. Until then, I’d pursued the traditional path – corporate roles, job titles, stability – but deep down, I’d always felt there was something bigger out there.”

So, when made redundant, it made him think: “What if the biggest risk is playing it safe? Staying in your comfort zone is great until it’s not. I got a taste of what happens when you’re not in control of your future and decided I’d rather take a risk on myself than sit in that chair again.”

It seems riding a wave – and assessing risk – came naturally to Mr Mills, who was drawn to Macquarie when, as a school leaver, the Bachelor of Security Studies was offered for the first time in 2014. “I could see the relevance and future potential of the field,” he explains.

“With growing global political instability, rising terrorism threats, including cyber, and the increasing securitisation of global issues, I knew this would be a field in high demand and Macquarie offered a unique, forward-thinking program that aligned with where the world was heading.”

Having enjoyed modern history at high school, he found the course content both interesting and challenging. “It was just so completely different,” he remembers. “You learned about the history of politics and terrorism, and wars; you learned about how countries came to be and about different ideologies. It was so in-depth; you learned so much.”

He also enjoyed competing in the University Games for touch football and representing Macquarie as the captain of all sports.

Mr Mills has remained a university ambassador. “The university supported elite athletes really well,” he remembers. “They were phenomenal, helping us negotiate assessment deadlines around our commitments, introducing us to personal trainers and they even had a mentorship program for new athletes.

“It’s not so well-known, but there are a lot of Olympians who go through Macquarie,” he says.

Mr Mills returned to his alma mater to present the Full Blue Award to Olympians, an award he also received for touch football. Now in his 10 year with the Emus, he has 31 national caps and two World Cup titles to his name. The first of his age group to play in the Opens division for Australia, Mr Mills says Macquarie was where he got his start with the Australian touch football team.

After graduation, a lot of people went to Canberra to work in intelligence fields, but Mr Mills wanted to stay in Sydney so started messaging people on LinkedIn with the word ‘security’ in their job title. “One person from Qantas responded, we had coffee and I got the job in their cybersecurity team,” he says. “Later, I found out there was a formal pathway through Macquarie – I just got lucky.” However, luck is often what happens when hard work, seeking out opportunities and the right timing converge.

Helping to defend against sophisticated cyber threats, Mr Mills worked closely with aviation security. “Much of the work was classified, which added an extra layer of responsibility and impact,” he says. “I learned a lot on the job, working with some of the brightest minds and smartest people in the industry.

“Having Qantas, a critical asset to the government, and cybersecurity on my resume at 20 was a real asset – there aren’t too many better places to start your career! I then moved into the insurance sector, protecting sensitive customer data across financial platforms and, later, into the world of sports technology.

“At one point, I was running cybersecurity operations protecting elite athlete data, including names like LeBron James. It didn’t feel like work at all. I’ve since transitioned out of security, but those experiences gave me a strong foundation in risk, discipline and high-stakes decision-making, which are all crucial in the start-up world. I still use those skills every day.”

So, what happened after the company he was working for went after the American market and set up a team there, making the Australian team redundant? “There was a silver lining,” muses Mr Mills, referring to the freedom to then pursue the start-up Mateship with two peers from high school, Daniel Menezes and Sami Jarrous.

Mateship brings your favourite online stores to your workplace, apartment or university with zero shipping fees and huge rewards, Mr Mills says. “Daniel is a developer, so has data analysis. Sami does all the legals and business strategy and my strengths are communication and building relationships. It works well because we trust each other and focus on our strengths – we complement each other perfectly.

“You actually want to work with people who are smarter than you in different disciplines,” he enthuses. “If you look at successful start-ups, they generally have a diversification in skills and that’s what sets us apart too. If you can work effectively in a team, you’ll smash it.”

Mr Mills says the Mateship business model was inspired by a simple insight. “Online shopping today is fast but lonely. Most people living or working in the same place shop from the same brands, but they do it alone. We wanted to change that, turning it into something social, community-driven and sustainable.

“So we asked, ‘What if one order could unlock free shipping for everyone nearby?’ Suddenly, every order becomes a trigger for more. It's FOMO, social proof and collective action all wrapped in convenience,” he says.

“Every time someone makes a purchase, the app notifies the local community and includes the product details. It’s a new and fresh way to market for brands, using your customers as your best marketers.”

As he notes, a referral from someone you trust or by word of mouth is worth significantly more than an ad from an influencer or an online review. But he admits it has been technically challenging.

“We’re the first to market – it hasn’t been done before because it’s incredibly difficult to build and would have been impossible to do individually,” he says. “I completely understand why no-one else has done it yet.”

Due to launch at the end of May 2025, with more than 100 brand partners, 100 communities lined up and more than 13,500 customers on the waiting list, you can hear the excitement in his voice.

“Our hope is that all MQ students will soon get free shipping when they deliver their online shopping to campus. It would be a full-circle moment, bringing this concept back to where it all began,” he says.

Changing the world one order at a time, as evidenced by his growing LinkedIn following, Mr Mills is keen to lift others up and inspire those in their 20s, like him. “Your degree or even your first job doesn’t determine your future,” he says. “Take the risk while you’re young. Seriously.

“The worst-case scenario? You learn a tonne and go back to a ‘safe’ job with more experience than most. But the best-case scenario? You find something completely untouched or something you’re extremely passionate about. The only real security comes from betting on yourself. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Just take the first step. The rest you’ll figure out along the way.”

Jackson Mills's bio

Entrepreneur and elite athlete Jackson Mills holds a Bachelor of Security Studies (2017) from Macquarie University. Co-founder of Mateship, an online shopping platform focused on community-based shopping and free shipping, he’s a passionate advocate for Australia’s start-up ecosystem.

Dedicated to innovation and industry disruption, he’s known for his drive to challenge the status quo. His expertise and impact earned him a Power of Partnerships Entrepreneur of the Year (2024–2025) award. Beyond business, Mr Mills represents Australia in touch football and is a commentator for FOX Sports and Channel 9.