In this episode, I interview James Clarke, founder of Bolster Group. Founded in 2015, James has grown Bolster from a small team to now a multi-agency business, that employs 50 staff and helps orchestrate some of Australia’s biggest live events. Throughout the episode, James emphasises how taking on risk is the most important step in achieving scale…

In this episode, I interview Leigh Jasper - co-founder of Aconex and Firmable. Aconex provided collaboration software technology for the construction, mining and oil sector. Over 18 years, Leigh grew the business to employ over 1000 people, list on the ASX before being acquired by Oracle for $1.6 billion in 2018. Today, Leigh is working on his late…

In this episode, I interview Frank Caruso, founder of Caruso’s Natural Health. Caruso’s Natural Health is one of Australia’s largest vitamin and supplements companies. Founded in 1982, Frank has grown the company to now earn tens of millions in annual revenue and have a catalogue of over 100 products. Throughout the episode, Frank talks about how h…

In this episode, I interview Christian Beck - Founder of Leap Legal Software. Founded in 1992, Christian has grown Leap to be the largest legal software company in Australia, bringing in over $1 billion in annual revenue and now operate internationally. Christian talks about his experiences as a founder and why he prefers to grow utilising debt ins…

In this episode, I interview Nick Greenhalgh, co-founder of PetO. PetO is one of Australia’s leading pet supply stores selling goods such as food, toys and equipment. Starting in 2006, Nick, alongside his brother, has grown the business to own 58 stores, around 1000 staff, and earn $200 million in annual revnue. Throughout the episode, Nick talks a…

In this episode, I interview Taryn Williams - founder of Wink Models. Taryn talks about why she started the business as a 21 year old and why she was so determined to disrupt the fashion industry at such a young age. Today, Wink Models has become one of Australia’s leading agencies with over 600 models signed nation-wide. Taryns lastest project is …

In this episode, I interview Michael Batko - CEO of Startmate. Startmate is one of Australia’s largest startup accelerator programs. Over the past decade, Michael has grown Startmate to have invested in and supported 250+ startups, with a collective portfolio value of over $3.5 billion. Michael talks about the how Startmate has grown since 2011 whe…

In this episode, I interview Mike Wilson - founder of TinyMe. TinyMe is a manufacturing business specialised in making customisable kids toys and gifts. Founded in 2006, Mike has grown the business to now bring in around $10 million in annual revenue and have expanded internationally. Throughout the episode, Mike talks about how the consumer and co…

In this episode, I interview AFL legend and Sydney Swans Premiership coach Paul Roos. Today, Paul is the founder of Performance by Design where he has successfully transposed the leadership and culture lessons he has driven through his sporting experiences and successfully delivered them to the corporate market. Beginning as a 16-year-old at Fitzro…

In this episode, I interview Sophie Doyle, the founder of The Fable. The Fable is an e-commerce company specialising in women’s work fashion. Founded in 2015, Sophie has grown the brand into a multi million dollar business that operates internationally. Throughout the episode, Sophie speaks about the challenges she’s faced within the business such …

In this episode, I interview Ilan Israelstam, Chief Commercial Officer and co-founder of Betashares. Betashares is one of Australia’s largest financial services companies known for their ETF products. Founded in 2009, Ilan has helped grow the business to now have over $40 billion assets under management, over 150 team members and more than 1m clien…

In this episode, I interview Nick Morgan, Founder of Vudoo. Vudoo is a software company that enables consumers to purchase products wherever they see them online such as a article or video, rather than having to go to the company’s store. Founded in 2016, Nick has grown the company to now have 35 employees, raised almost 20 million in funding and a…

In this episode, I interview Alex Naoumidis - co-founder of Mindset Health. Mindset Health is a Melbourne-based company that develop digital programs to help better manage chronic health conditions. Founded in 2018, Alex with his brother and cofounder Chris, now generate revenue of over $10 million annually with the company valued at $77 million do…

In this episode, I interview Simon Bugeja, managing director of Lucia’s Group. Lucia’s started as Australia’s first Italian pizza bar founded by Simon’s grandparents ion 1957. Growing up in the family business, Simon found success by expanding into the retail sector and moved into producing and selling goods like pasta sauce, olive oil and pesto. B…

In this episode, I interview Saxon Wright - co-founder of Huskee and founder of Pablo & Rusty's coffee roasters. Coffee lovers will be familiar with the Pablo and Rusty's brand that Saxon started in 2003 and still owns today. Huskee was born out of an idea to eliminate single-use disposable coffee cups and now employ 30 people and recently merged w…

In this episode, I interview Jordy Kay, co-founder of Great Wrap. Great Wrap is a material science company that has created Australia’s first compostable and environmentally friendly stretch wrap. Founded in 2019, Jordy and his co-founder Julia have grown the business to now have raised $30 million, employ 20 people, and are currently amidst expand…

In this episode, I interview Ben McHarg, co-founder of Life-Space Group. As the managing director of the family-owned business, Ben helped drive the strategic direction of the company to owning their own brands. This strategy ultimately led to the rapid growth that saw the business sold to supplement giant By-Health for $700 million in 2018. Throug…

In this episode, I interview Simon Beard - co-founder of Culture Kings. Culture Kings is a premium streetwear company founded by Simon and his wife Tah-nee in 2008. Together, they grew the business from a market stall on the Gold Coast to a $600 million valuation and a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. This was a wide ranging and insightful c…

Inventia is a science and technology company focused on building devices that can create advanced cell models that help accelerate drug discovery and biomedical research. Founded in 2013, Julio Ribeiro has grown the company to now have over 70 employees and scale internationally to the US, Europe and many more locations. Throughout the episode, Jul…

In this episode, I interview Tim Levy, founder of Qoria. Qoria is a global technology company that is dedicated to keeping children safe in digital environments. Founded in 2014, Tim has grown the company to have over 500 employees and be listed on the ASX where it now has a market cap of around $500 million. Throughout the episode, Tim talks about…

In this episode, I interview Izhar Basha - founder of EHPLabs. EHPLabs is a sports nutrition company that develops various supplement products. Founded in 2012, Izhar has grown the company globally with revenue forecast to reach $500 million in 2025. Izhars’s story is fascinating. Coming from humble beginning as a refugee from Fiji at age 5 he talk…

In this episode, I interview David Dicker, founder of Dicker Data. David started the business in 1978 has grown it over 46 years including listing it on the ASX where it now has a market capitalization of around $2 billion, making David one of Australia’s wealthiest people in the process. Throughout the episode, David talks about business in a very…

In this episode, I interview Adam Jacobs - founder of The Iconic and Hatch. Founded in 2011, Adam quickly grew The Iconic, a fashion e-commerce company, to now have just under 1000s employees and over $500m over revenue in 2023. Adam has now moved onto Hatch, helping young Australian’s find work with employers that match their skills and values. Th…

ResApp is a biotech company that commercialised technology to diagnose respiratory illnesses based on an audio recording of a patient’s cough on their phone. After proving immensely useful for diagnosing COVID-19 during the height of pandemic, Pfizer acquired the company for $180 million. Throughout the episode, Tony discusses the path of listing o…

Having founded and worked in multiple startups both here and in the US, Amanda has grown the venture quickly having now helped over 300 of Australia’s fastest growing companies with their expansion, especially those looking overseas. Throughout this episode, Amanda provides fascinating insights into the future of Australia’s tech scene and how we c…

CitrusAd is a software company that provides retailers with a system for merchants to compete for ad space on their websites. Starting in 2017, Brad Moran grew the business quickly before it was sold in 2021 for $205 million. Throughout the episode, Brad talks about the harsh reality of building a startup. I was fascinated by his insights on this o…

LocknCharge makes products for organisations to securely store their physical devices. Taking over the family business, James has led the growth of the company to now manage over 5 million devices, employ 100 staff, and operate internationally. Throughout the episode, James talks about the importance of perseverance as he reminisces about the door-…

In this episode, I interview Steven Maarbani - CEO of VentureCrowd. VentureCrowd is Australia’s leading digital crowd funding investment platform for alternative assets. Steven has helped grow the platform to crowdfund over $310 million for projects. Throughout the episode, Steven talks about the importance of trusting your own intuition and the da…

Flavour Makers is a food manufacturing business that develops products such as spices, baby food, curry sauces and much more. Founded in 1992, Adrian has grown the business to now employ 330 people and turn over $220m per year. Throughout the episode, Adrian talks about the importance of taking action when others won’t as this strategy helped get t…

InstantScripts is an online telehealth platform that enables customers to receive online medical scripts, consultations, and more. Founded in 2018, Maxim has helped grow the company to recently be acquired by Wesfarmers for $135 million. Throughout the episode, Maxim talks about how keeping a small but efficient team has enabled telehealth to thriv…

In this episode, I interview Craig Blair - co-founder of AirTree - one of the largest Venture Capital firms in Australia. AirTree has been an early investor in some of the country’s biggest startups, such as Canva, Mr Yum and LinkTree. Founded in 2014, Craig has helped grow the business to now manage over $1.3 Billion with over 80 active investment…

Premonition was an AI driven logistics company that helped couriers orchestrate their drivers and deliveries in the most efficient manner. In 2022, one of Australia’s largest startups - Shippit, acquired Premonition for $20.5 million. Throughout the episode, Brad explains how logistics makes up 20-30% of man-made emissions and by making the space m…

HotDoc is Australia’s largest platform that connects doctors to patients. Patients can easily book appointments with their favourite clinics while doctors can easily manage their patients. Founded in 2012, Ben has grown the business to now have 11 million patients and 20,000 doctors on the platform. Throughout the episode, Ben talks about how stayi…

Spreets was a deal comparison website that famously sold for $40 million only 12 months after it started. MadPaws is his current business - an all in one marketplace for all of your pet needs. Throughout the episode, Justus emphasizes the importance of skill, luck and timing all contribute toward being successful. Justus also mentions how sometimes…

In this episode, I interview Dorry Kordahi, founder of DKM Blue, Swanky Socks and the former owner of Illawarra Hawks Basketball team. DKM Blue, Dorry’s main business, specialises in the development and delivery of promotional merchandise, corporate uniforms and PPE. Starting in 2002, Dorry has grown the company to now be generating tens of million…

Agworld is an agriculture technology startup that creates data management tools to help farmers and agronomists work more efficiently. Founded in 2009, Doug and his co-founders grew the business and eventually sold in 2021 for $100 million. Throughout the episode, Doug talks about the importance of staying the course of your business and persisting…

Linktree is a tool allows you to create a directory to multiple websites from one URL link. Starting in 2016, Nick and his co-founders have grown the company tremendously to now have over 40 million users and was valued last year at $1.3 billion dollars. Throughout the episode, Nick talks about the difficulty of trying to control a rapidly growing …

In this episode, I interview Daniel Petre, Co-Founder of AirTree - one of the largest VC firms in Australia and New Zealand. Over it’s lifetime, AirTree has been an early investor in some of the country’s biggest startups, such as Canva, Mr Yum and LinkTree. Founded in 2014, Daniel has helped grow the business to now manage over $1.3 Billion with o…

Deutsch Miller is one of the top boutique legal firms in Australia specialising in corporate law and dispute resolution. After moving across the world from London, Paul recalls how he started the business from scratch and his journey along the way. Throughout the episode, Paul talks about the importance of networking and relationship management as …

In this episode, I interview Bruce Mackenzie, founder of Humanforce. Humanforce is a workforce management software company which has been recently acquired for $60 million. Humanforce specifically targets the “standing-workforce”, making software products to help manage shift and roster driven workers such as retail and hospitality staff. Founded i…

Internet 2.0 is one of Australia’s leading cybersecurity companies and is now worth $50 million. Founded in 2018, the company has gone on to make various cybersecurity products including Malcore which made headlines for exposing exactly how much data social media companies take from us. Spoiler alert, TikTok was over double the amount compared to t…

Being in the firm for 25 years, Grant has helped grow MPH Lawyers into one of the most successful law practices in Western Australia. Since 2002, he has also worked extensively in the innovation space such as AI, robotics and automation through advising founders on investment, partnerships and scaling. Throughout the episode, Grant talks about the …

28 is an online fitness platform and community that provides workouts that anyone can do in under 28 minutes. Founded in 2016, Sam has grown the platform to help over 500,000 people stay fit and has recently sold the company for $71 million. Throughout the episode, Sam explains the importance of building a strong team to offset your weaknesses is e…

Car Next Door was a peer-to-peer car sharing service that set out to challenge the one person, one car mentality. Starting in 2013, Will and his co founders grew the company up until their recent deal with Uber at an estimated valuation of 50 million to create Uber car share. Throughout the episode, Will talks about the intricacies of building a tw…

Judo Bank is one of Australia’s largest and most trusted banks for small to medium-sized enterprises. Starting from a PowerPoint idea in 2016, Joseph and his co-founders have grown the business to now be valued at over $1.5 billion, have over 600 staff and a loan book of $9 billion. Throughout the episode, Joseph talks about Judo’s philosophy of me…

Stu is a third-generation publican of his family business that now owns around 90 venues and is worth an estimated 1.4bn dollars. Throughout the episode, Stu talks about how consumer behaviour has changed over time, the strategy of acquiring venues and words of wisdom from his friends and mentors such as Gerry Harvey. Stu also discusses the benefit…

Arkose Labs is a SAAS company that protects its customers against cyber criminals. Founded in 2016, the company has raised 130m USD and has grown to now protect some of the biggest tech companies such as Microsoft, Twitter, Roblox and many more. Throughout the show, Kevin lets us in on the fascinating world of defending against cybercrime, the impo…

Working as a receptionist at his Mum’s business, Mark quickly became frustrated at the repetitive processes and boldly claimed “How hard could it be to build software”. Since then, Mark started and grew his childcare software company Xplor to a substantial 100 million dollar valuation. Only two weeks after “retiring”, Mark founded his second compan…

Sidekicker is Australia’s largest online staffing platform that is re-inventing casual and temporary work for businesses and workers. Founded in 2012, Tom and his co-founder Jacqui have grown the company to now have 130 employees and raise $43m to date including Seek as a major investor. Throughout the episode, Tom explains the importance of not ge…

Shippit is Australia's leading multi-carrier shipping software and connects stores with the best courier at the time of purchase. Founded in 2014, William and his co-founder Rob, have grown the company to now have 175 employees and tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue. They've raised over $100 million in capital with a valuation of over $3…