From molecules to menus
How IMB alumni Cameron Votan built a business empire
From the science lab to the kitchen, Cameron Votan has mastered the art of experimentation, only now, he’s mixing flavours instead of formulas.
A graduate of IMB, Cameron turned his passion for strategy and problem-solving into a thriving business empire. More than a decade later, he has co-founded the award-winning online clothing store The Iconic, boutique wine store Spokewine and numerous brick-and-mortar restaurants and bars. Alongside his brother Jordan, he’s behind some of your favourite and Brisbane’s most beloved dining spots, including Happy Boy, Snack Man, and Kid Curry.
It’s a far cry from lab coats and gene expression. And yet, Votan insists, the leap isn’t as big as it sounds.
“People are surprised when they hear I studied biotechnology,” he laughs. “But for me, the connection is strategy. Science taught me how to test ideas, analyse results and refine systems—and that’s exactly what running a hospitality business is.”
Back in the early 2000s, Cameron was working under IMB’s Professor Ben Hankamer, exploring hydrogen production from algae. His honours thesis focused on translating scientific research into real-world outcomes. He loved the science but found himself increasingly drawn to the bigger picture. How to take an idea, scale it, and make it real.
“As a new student, you don’t imagine that something groundbreaking could happen right here, or that you could be part of it. But at IMB, there were people on every floor striving to do just that. That was a powerful environment to be in, especially for someone who turned out to be a young entrepreneur.”
“IMB gave me the confidence to take a different path. I was surrounded by brilliant thinkers and future entrepreneurs,” he says. “Even though I didn’t go into research, the way we were trained to think, to hypothesise, to adapt, to improve…is exactly what I apply to our venues every day.”
That mindset proved invaluable when Cameron and his brother Jordan decided to open Happy Boy in a tucked-away spot in Spring Hill. With no formal hospitality training, the brothers leaned into their instincts: quality over flash, systems over chaos, and a strong point of view.
But it hasn’t all been smooth. The early days were full of risk, late nights, and lessons learned fast. “We were writing menus at 2 am and figuring out POS systems on the fly,” Cameron recalls. “But the IMB mentality kicked in—you iterate, you problem-solve, you move forward.”
The parallels between science and entrepreneurship continued to reveal themselves.
“In science, you know you’ll probably fail,” he says. “Most experiments won’t hit the original expectations, and that’s okay. That resilience and mindset translated directly to business for me. It wasn’t about avoiding failure but about learning from it.”
Long before his success in the hospitality world, Cameron had already experienced what it meant to feel out of place in his own city. “Back in 2004, I felt like Brisbane had nothing to offer someone like me,” he admits. “When I was designing fashion, I had to go to Melbourne to make it, to Sydney to sell it. Overseas buyers were shocked I was from Brisbane—it was seen as a backwater.”
In that environment, IMB stood out. “When I found IMB, it felt like the only place in Brisbane where my trajectory could be maintained,” he says. “It was a space where science and business could intersect. Back then, it felt like the only place willing to imagine something different.”
These days, Cameron splits his time between strategy, operations, and mentoring younger staff. He’s passionate about building teams, streamlining processes, and creating spaces people want to return to.
And while he’s swapped microscopes for menus, his respect for IMB remains strong. “What I learned at IMB wasn’t just academic,” he says. “It was about rigour, creativity, and being unafraid to try something new… I carry that with me, every day.”