ROI from AI

Two Australian AI founders. Two very different problems. One conversation about what it actually takes to build AI startups here right now. Annette Andersen is the founder of Axe AI. She's an autistic founder, and her 21-year-old son Axel has very complex disabilities. When he became severely unwell and nobody could find the cause, Annette uploaded his data into AI. It flagged porphyria. Testi...

When you use a US-based AI tool, who actually has access to your data? It's a question most Australian businesses haven't thought to ask, and the answer might surprise you. In this episode, Andrew and Amir chat with Simon Kriss, CEO of Sovereign AI Australia, to dig into one of the most important conversations in Australian tech right now: why Australia needs its own foundational AI model,...

In this episode of ROI from AI , Andrew Lai and Amir Nissen sit down with Lee Hickin, Director of the National AI Centre , to discuss how Australia is approaching AI adoption across government, industry and society. Lee shares insights from his 35-year career in technology, including leadership roles at IBM, Microsoft and AWS, before stepping into public service to help shape Australia’s AI future...

ROI from AI is back. In this reboot episode, co-hosts Andrew Lai (Managing Director of SMEC AI) and Amir Nissen (Head of Programs) interview each other to introduce SMEC AI Studio and explain why startup accelerator methods are a powerful way to drive real-world AI adoption. Amir shares his journey from early business plan competitions to co-founding the Melbourne Accelerator Program and how the r...

What if robots could learn like people instead of being programmed? Roger Chao is pioneering a new way forward - one that makes robotics more human, more intuitive, and more accessible. But is your company ready? Find out how AI can work for you:  https://smecai.au/book-a-consultation/ 00:00 Intro 01:30 Why Does Programming Hold Robotics Back? 03:00 What's The Racing Car Analogy For AI Governa...

Discover how this approach led to a Good Design Award for a mental health app and Cat’s biggest tip for SMEs on leveraging AI for growth today. Cat Hoang Anh , Head of Growth at No Moss , an Australian B Corp building purposeful digital products, shares how No Moss was born from a simple idea: make work more human .  Find out how AI can work for you:  https://smecai.au/book-a-consultation/ 00:00 —...

How technology can make swimming safer, more efficient, and more accessible for both beginners and pros. Micahel Cardno shares his journey into swim biomechanics and reveals how the biggest challenges in swimming aren't just physical. They're psychological. Find out how AI can work for you: https://smecai.au/book-a-consultation/Timestamps:00:00 — Who is Mike Cardno and what inspired SomaFo...

AI is moving fast. Is your business ready for the security risks? Cordell Robinson reveals how to protect sensitive data. Manage risk. And streamline compliance in the new age of AI.Find out how AI can work for you: https://smecai.au/book-a-consultation/00:00 - Intro 00:36 - How Did Your Navy Experience Shape Your Work?02:50 - How Do Government And Private Sectors Differ On AI? 06:37 - How Can AI...

Leigh Jasper (Co-CEO, Firmable) breaks down how high-quality, local B2B data + AI “Signals” agents help SDRs/AEs find the right accounts, time outreach, and cut research waste. We cover Firmable’s 60+ data sources, ANZ→APAC localization, privacy/compliance, customer metrics, and why AI should augment (not replace) your sales process. Timestamps00:00 – Intro: Who is Leigh Jasper & what is Firma...

Joel Joy, co-founder of Patient Voice, shares how an AI-powered platform is helping clinicians save hours on admin, improve note accuracy, and refocus on what matters most—patient care. From real-world adoption in clinics to the challenges of trust and privacy, Joel explains how human-centered AI is reshaping healthcare. Timestamps00:00 – Intro to Joel Joy & Patient Voice00:19 – The real story...

Blake Hutchison, CEO of Flippa, shares how the marketplace is using AI to match buyers and sellers, streamline business exits, and shape the future of digital business acquisitions. Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction to Blake & Flippa 00:41 – How Online Business Acquisitions Have Evolved 02:20 – Key Trends Influencing the Marketplace 05:06 – Inside Flippa’s AI Buyer Matching Engine 08:08 – Commun...

Vish Prasad shares how his AI-powered workspace helps founders validate ideas, analyze competitors, and fast-track product-market fit. 00:00 - Introduction to Vish & Founder AI 00:40 - Why Build Founder AI? 02:25 - Most Transformative Features 04:14 - Success Stories from Founders 07:23 - Why Founder AI vs ChatGPT 09:54 - The Future Vision 11:48 - ROI Tips with AI 13:48 - Closing Thoughts Find...

"Melvin Chen, Founder & CEO of CareGP, reveals how his AI-powered agents—Samantha, Veronica, Karina, and Bill—are cutting admin time, reducing costs, and giving doctors more space to focus on patient care. Discover how CareGP is transforming healthcare admin and shaping the future of general practice in Australia. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro to Melvin Chen & CareGP 00:49 – Why Build...

"Founder of AF Global Services and co-founder of Beyond the Obvious, Michael Alf breaks down how leaders can marry tech with people, build human-centered AI programs, and level up performance—without the doomer vibes. Practical frameworks, real use cases, and an ROI tip you can action today. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Who is Michael Alf? 01:05 – From Commodore 64 to tech leadership 02:12 – Bridgin...

"Oliver Dew shares how Lumen went from a dorm room idea to a global platform by embedding AI directly into PDFs. From summarising documents to drafting contracts, Lumen is reshaping productivity for everyday businesses. 02:15 Why Lumen Put AI Inside PDFs 04:50 Demo: Drafting Contracts with AgreementGen 07:20 Variables, Prompts, and Productivity Gains 11:00 Partnering with Google Workspace 14:...

"Ahmed from Relevance AI—founding go-to-market lead for SMB—joins ROI from AI to explain how low-code AI agent teams handle sales outreach, customer support, research, and more. We dig into where agents deliver the biggest wins, real client metrics (hello, 3× meetings), adoption hurdles for SMBs vs. enterprises, and Relevance AI’s roadmap: an AI-native builder, agent workforces across your st...

Michael Fickinger from TNG Tech Consulting shares how AI boosts productivity and solves real business problems. Learn about AI's role in code development, compliance, and creating better customer experiences. #SMEAI #AIConsulting #TechInnovation 0:48 - What Does TNG Tech Consulting Do? 2:05 - How Did You Go From Science to Tech? 2:55 - What AI Areas Are You Most Excited About? 4:28 - How AI In...

Darren Ross from Patient Notes shares how AI automates clinical notes for healthcare, boosting productivity and reducing burnout. 01:40 - What problem does AI solve? 03:49 - What do we hear all the time? 04:44 - What are we using here? 06:11 - What about ChatGPT? 07:16 - What is the biggest thing we look at? 09:25 - Do you have a real-world example? 12:51 - Do you have this open feedback? 15:50 -...

Ben Condon, a doctor turned clinical specialist at Heidi Health, shares how AI saves time, improves accuracy, and delivers value to healthcare. 00:40 - What Inspired the Move to AI? 01:13 - What Does Heidi Health Do? 03:06 - What is the Scale of the Problem? 03:38 - How Does Heidi Actually Work? 04:26 - What is the Doctor's Job? 05:36 - What's Missing in Healthcare Tech? 06:50 - How to Bal...

Adiran CampbellAdrian Campbell from Codex shares how AI can drive social change and benefit businesses. Learn about ethical data collection and exciting AI trends. #AIforGood #SocialImpact #SMEAI 02:14 - AI for Real World Impact 03:25 - How to Measure Success? 04:11 - Approaching Data Ethically 05:13 - Trends Across Industries 06:26 - Projecting Social Outcomes 08:04 - Biggest Risks for Businesses...

Here's how Component6 uses AI in healthcare to improve patient outcomes! Yulianna and Dan share how they educate businesses, handle AI fears, and measure ROI. #AISolutions #HealthcareAI #SME 0:16 - Why AI in Healthcare? 2:25 - How to Become AI Ready? 4:17 - What Are Common AI Blockers? 5:54 - How to Co-Design AI Solutions? 7:03 - What Are Some AI Success Stories? 9:09 - How to Use AI Properly?...

Here's how AI speeds up contract reviews! Justin Hansky from Diligence AI shares how legal tech is transforming due diligence, reducing errors, and shifting billing models. #AIinLaw #LegalTech #SMEsuccess 00:45 - What is Diligence AI? 01:41 - Why Contract Review is Important 02:30 - How Does Diligence AI Work? 04:23 - Do We Need Human Vetting? 05:00 - Use Cases for Diligence AI 06:50 - Can AI...

How PI Exchange is making AI accessible for everyone! Quan Pham discusses AI's evolution, machine learning and demand forecasting. 03:29 - AI without coding: Why is it important? 06:25 - What is demand forecasting? 07:24 - Why are people still using spreadsheets? 10:15 - Is AI a mainstream technology? 11:04 - What are the barriers to adopting AI? 15:04 - How will AI evolve in the next 5-10 years?...

Michael LeVene from Execute shares how AI drives ROI for a medical center. Learn his implemention of AI agents that drove massive results. #SMECAI #ROIfromAI #ExecuteListen 02:45 - Is AI all hype? 03:34 - Why are small businesses conservative? 05:34 - How fast is AI evolving? 06:44 - What is the next evolution from chatbots? 07:09 - Does AI actually give return on investment? 09:09 - How many call...

How Ligantic's AI platform helps SMEs rapidly prototype solutions! Stef Cola discusses Flow Studio, democratizing AI, and real-world application helping children with mental health. 02:08 - What is Flow Studio? 03:14 - Why is adoption hard? 04:07 - Why is AI accessible? 05:13 - What forms part of conversations? 06:38 - What is Stef's favorite part? 08:52 - How to build robust solutions? 14...