Business Is Boring

Unyoked provide busy city people access to just-secluded-enough getaways, where the carefully art-directed cabins let people disconnect from modern life and connect to nature. Having already established itself in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, Unyoked has raised around $30m to expand into Europe. Co-founder Chris Grant joins Simon Pound to discuss what it takes to make an ideal retreat, Unyoke...

Justin Kamine’s family business is a significant infrastructure player in the States, and they have used their scale to change up a number of huge industries - from carbon reduced chicken farming at Do Good Foods, to bioplastics made from seaweed, to clean energy and the future of natural health. Do Good Foods was ranked by Fast Company amongst the Top 50 Most Innovative in the World; he was also...

International circularity and sustainability expert Dr. Leyla Acaroglu believes that we can change the world with our actions if we care enough to do so. She joins Simon Pound in connection to the Spark Lab Future State series to discuss founding her creative agency Disrupt Design and the award-winning experimental knowledge lab The UnSchool of Disruptive Design. Learn more about your ad choices....

We send around 330,000 tonnes of used plastics to landfill every year. Critical are out to change this. They make table and bench tops, partitions and other feature materials for building from plastic waste. Upcycling rubbish into beautiful, low carbon and endlessly recyclable materials. Co-founder and CEO Rui Peng joins Simon Pound to talk the company's journey, making treasure from trash, and ov...

State of Play is a 100% non-alcoholic brewery - part of a growing movement looking at how we drink, and providing options for healthier relationship with booze. Founder Grant Caunter spent 25 years building beer brands and growing the craft movement, before quitting drinking, losing 45kg and getting a new take on life. He talks to Simon Pound about what it takes to make a great "zero", and how you...

It’s fast, cost effective, engaging and being used by big and small brands all over the world. Stickybeak is creating a unique form of consumer testing that customers actually want to engage with. CEO Anna Henwood joins Simon Pound to chat about her path to leadership through Tourism NZ and Les Mills International and her plans for the future of the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Marian Johnson has been a key part of Christchurch becoming one of the fastest growing ecosystems for start-up success. As the CEO of Ministry of Awesome, Marian works to increase start-up diversity in all senses, with partnerships and leading the Electrify Aotearoa women’s founders conference. Marian joins Simon Pound to chat what it takes, and the changes she wants to see in the world. Learn mor...

It’s been called the most ambitious startup in Aotearoa and a company that truly has the potential to change the world. OpenStar CEO and founder Dr Ratu Mataira shares his journey with Simon Pound, from starting his company, where he's at on his mission and what his vision could mean for the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Bolton started Squirrel Mortgages during the height of the 2008 global financial crisis with an aim to bring the process of buying your first home into the 21st century. Now, he's one of the largest operating mortgage brokers in the country and isn't slowing down anytime soon. He talks to Simon Pound about the state of New Zealand's big banks and why Squirrel is a smarter solution. Learn more...

As one of the leaders who grew Zuru to billions in trade, Anna Mowbray is one of the most successful entrepreneurs Aotearoa has produced. She led culture, systems and operations as the company grew across the world -and now is back with her new business, Zeil - an app to shake up recruitment, career building and the big incumbents. What does it take to build a great business, and how will Zeil be...

After working hard to get into her first home, Amy Stevens felt there had to be an easier way. So she founded Slice, a platform that makes it easier for first home buyers and co-owners to get on the property ladder. By providing support to navigate the complex financial and legal arrangements involved in buying a home, Slice aims to reduce barriers to ownership and create a world where everyone ha...

What a guest! Head of innovation for Vice Media Mark Adams has been part of some of the world’s most successful campaigns, and built the profiles of Hollywood A-list stars. He was in town for the SparkLab Future State: New Realities event, and we caught up to chat brand building, media tribes, finding your community and innovation today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Ben Lenart, CEO and founder at Almighty Drinks joins Simon Pound to chat innovation in beverages, caffeinated sparkling waters, and their current capital raise to expand internationally. Plus, Ben stages a coup and asks Simon some questions of his own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After helping scale Uber in the UK, Frankie founder George Fenwicke decided to tackle a bigger challenge, streamlining the process to manage commercial property. We talked her journey, systems thinking and turning property management into something fresh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Descending from the Dharug speaking Nations of Sydney, Mikaela Jade is the founder and CEO at Indigital – Australia’s first Indigenous edutech company. In town for Future State, a Spark Lab and Semi Permanent event, she joined Simon Pound to talk accessing ancient knowledge to guide tomorrow’s AI thinking and her mission to close the digital divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Le...

OnBoard is on a mission to improve diversity of thought for startup and growth company boards. Founder Cassie McAdams and Program Director Sophie McLernon join Simon Pound to talk about the work they do to get more perspectives onto boards and to help more companies engage with a wider pool of directors. With day jobs at Movac and Snowball Effect, they share their experience in the growth ecosyste...

For Kate Sylvester, 2023 marks 30 years of design, helping make New Zealand’s reputation in the fashion industry across the globe. Kate joins Simon Pound to talk creating the brand, growing the sector, and her work as a founder of Mindful Fashion, the industry collective helping support ethical practices in local fashion production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Woolchemy is a local wool technology company with a patented approach to creating a woven, absorbent fabric layer for use in nappies and other hygiene products. Founder and CEO Derelee Potroz-Smith has pioneered the science, industry partnerships, and closed a $1.5m funding round with a plan to have her wool replace widely used petro-chemical fabrics, putting New Zealand's sheep industry back on t...

Pac Studio are one of NZ’s top architecture studios, who work to bring fun, colour and a personal feel to every project. Last year their beautiful project, Waimataruru, won Here magazine House of the Year and National housing gong at the New Zealand Architecture Awards. Co-founders Aaron Paterson and Sarosh Mulla join us to talk what it takes to be an architect, how is it to be the steward for the...

The pace at which generative AI is advancing is rapidly accelerating, giving rise to a sense of uncertainty among many individuals regarding its impact on society. Dr Jonnie Penn, a scholar from the University of Cambridge and Harvard, is an expert on the history of AI and an influential thought-leader, shaping the development of AI towards a positive future. During his visit to town for the Spark...

Aera is a new financial institution aimed at people who earn good money but are locked out of the housing market because they cannot afford extremely high deposits. Its founder, Derek Handley, grew one of the world's first mobile-focused technology creative companies, The Hyperfactory, and then worked with Sir Richard Branson on The B Team. Listen for a chat about society, technology, finance, rel...

Xero has defined the SaaS ecosystem here. Although an accounting company, it stood out as a delightful experience and brand, and much of that spirit is thanks to Philip Fierlinger, co-founder and design leader for Xero. He's behind the reconciliation feature and the Do Beautiful Business idea. Today, he is co-CEO and founder at Upstock, a hospo wholesale ordering app building out another change to...

Alice Shopland is a pioneer in the dairy-free cheese space in Aotearoa. Her company, Angel Food, has been at the forefront of distributing vegan cheeses since the early 2000s. With her products stocked in 350 stores and a range that includes animal-free sour cream, cheeses, and feta, they now have their sights set on expansion into Australia. Alice joins Simon to chat about her journey and their c...

Founder of Google's Empathy Lab and Grandmother—a nonprofit that brings diverse voices and perspectives into solving big problems—Danielle Krettek is a trailblazer in empathetic design. She has played pivotal roles as a member of the team behind the iPhone, iPad, and the Google X moonshot factory. While visiting town for the Spark Lab Future State: New Realities event, Danielle joined Simon Pound...

Here for the Spark Lab Future State: New Realities, Sam Conniff is a British expert in uncertainty and author of the 2018 book 'Be More Pirate'. His new creation is the world’s first interactive documentary that up-skills people in dealing with uncertainty and making it their advantage. His career has included being a New York Times bestselling author, a champion for the outcasts and the founder o...