When Nathan Wipane and Sean Wharton launched Shiine Media in 2024, they brought a bold vision to the out-of-home (OOH) advertising market: a dynamic network of mobile, rideshare-based digital billboards.
At just 22 years old, neither co-founder had a formal background in media or technology.
In fact, by their own admission, they jumped headfirst into the startup world before even fully understanding the precise problem they were aiming to solve.
Fast forward two years, and Shiine has transformed from a raw concept into a rising ad-tech network, boasting over $150,000 in 2026 campaign bookings from major brands such as McDonald’s, RAC, and TAB.
The Founder Journey
In the early days, Shiine was focused purely on getting hardware on the road - putting billboards on rideshare vehicles. However, engaging directly with early prospective clients triggered a crucial realisation: the physical billboard was merely the distribution medium; the real value lay in software and campaign intelligence.
“At that stage we didn't know the problem or the market, or even that those were things you're supposed to know,” Nathan said.
“It wasn't until we started navigating the early stages that we started to understand what advertisers valued, and that the opportunity wasn't just the billboards, it was addressing the friction around measuring and managing campaigns.”
Recognising this friction point, Nathan and Sean pivoted their product strategy towards building proprietary software.
This shift empowered advertisers with dynamic real-time control - allowing brands to customise what content plays, exactly when, and where based on targeted audience demographics.
By aligning their tech with the broader trends in the $1.4B Australian out-of-home advertising industry, Shiine unlocked a compelling value proposition for enterprise advertisers.
The Ecosystem helps
Shiine’s trajectory was deeply shaped by Western Australia’s vibrant innovation ecosystem.
A key catalyst in their pivot was their participation in the Plus Eight Accelerator program in 2024.
The Perth-based accelerator provided the strategic mechanics and foundational frameworks the young co-founders needed to transition from enthusiastic product builders into commercial operators.
The support extended well beyond local borders.
In October 2025, Nathan represented Shiine at the annual (and tenth) Singapore SWITCH conference alongside a delegation of over 20 WA founders, ecosystem leaders, and Minister for Innovation Stephen Dawson MLC.
Immersing in an event with 25,000 global attendees gave Shiine a broader global perspective while highlighting the strong backing WA founders receive from state leaders and mentors.
Choosing Perth as their initial scaling ground was a deliberate commercial decision. As Sean Wharton highlights, launching in a tight-knit ecosystem offered immediate feedback loops and strong local brand validation.
“Perth has been an advantage on the commercial side, and the focus to scale locally is deliberate,” Sean said.
“We've had strong support here, from the brands we've worked with and the ecosystem around us. It made sense to scale where we already have that foundation, with a view to scaling further from there.”
Key Learnings & Advice for Founders
Reflecting on Shiine's growth from an unproven idea to a scaling media network, Nathan and Sean offer valuable takeaways for early-stage entrepreneurs embarking on their own founder journeys:
1. Start before you have all the answers: their lack of industry expertise did not prevent them from launching. They literally didn’t know what they didn’t know! This is common with early-stage startups. That’s OK. Action creates clarity faster than passive research.
2. Focus on customer friction, not just your product: Shiine evolved from a simple billboard provider to a full ad-tech suite by asking advertisers what frustrated them about existing campaign management tools. This lead to their ‘Insiights’ platform, which is a key part of their offering.
3. Leverage local accelerators & ecosystem support: programs such as Plus Eight provided structured business mechanics, quality mentorship, funding and networks that accelerated their growth.
4. Build a strong foundation before scaling: proving business models in a supportive local ecosystem like Perth establishes the validation needed for national expansion. Don’t expand beyond Perth unless Perth is solid. You don’t want to be fighting wars in two fronts.
5. Give back: Founder ecosystems thrive on mentorship and shared knowledge. That’s why Nathan took up the opportunity to be student entrepreneur in residence at Venture UWA, while completing his masters degree at the University of Western Australia (UWA).
As Shiine prepares for its next expansion phase in late 2026 - in an industry where major ad networks can command near-billion-dollar valuations - the co-founders remain energised by the challenge ahead.
“There is a lot still to build, but we’re excited about the mountains we will still need to climb,” Nathan said. By combining customer-centric technology with ecosystem collaboration, Shiine
exemplifies the potential of Western Australian startup innovation.
You can connect with Sean Wharton and Nathan Wipane on LinkedIn, and learn more about Shiine here.
To learn more about WA’s innovation ecosystem:
- Sign up to become a Meshpoints partner for free here and join 210+ other organisations building a stronger culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in WA
- Explore the WA Innovative Ecosystem Navigator (grants, programs, startups) or Dealroom WA (startups, investors, funding rounds)
- View (and subscribe for free) to the WA Innovation Calendar