Martin Hosking took an honours degree in history and economics and joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He spent seven years there, posted to Egypt and Syria. He later earned an MBA at the University of Melbourne and worked at McKinsey for two years.
He moved into internet companies as a senior vice president at LookSmart and later chaired Aconex. In 2006 he co-founded Redbubble with Peter Styles and Paul Vanzella, with about A$2 million from investors.
Redbubble is a marketplace where artists upload designs and print partners make the products. It was a two-sided problem: artists needed buyers, buyers needed artists, and printers needed volume. Growth took off around 2010. In 2011 Hosking left Aconex to run Redbubble full time.
Redbubble listed on the ASX in May 2016, raising about A$40 million at a value near A$288 million. Hosking stepped down as CEO in June 2018. The group bought TeePublic in October 2018 and renamed itself Articore Group in November 2023.