Promise

We’re taking a short break till mid-April. In the meantime, check out the highlights of the season so far, and see the interconnections between all our guests. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit promisefm.substack.com

*I’m taking a short break next week, but normal service resumes in April 😊 This week I speak with Samuel Wines , co-founder of Co-Labs . With Andrew Gray , Samuel founded Co-Labs to be a laboratory-as-a-service for innovators outside of the traditional academic ecosystem. Co-Labs counts some exciting startups amongst its current and past members, including Vow , Great Wrap , and recent guest Tina...

This week I have a blockbuster of a conversation with Nikki Tugano , founder of SeenCulture . SeenCulture is aiming to be the “Moneyball” platform for workplaces by enabling unrecognized talent to be “seen”. Through a powerful founding story, loaded with references to psychology and behavioral science, Nikki shows us how SeenCulture is more than just a 360 degree review. She also hopes for a world...

My guest this week is Tina Funder , co-founder of ALT.Leather . True to the name, ALT.Leather is creating Australia’s first 100% plant-based leather alternative, by using agricultural waste. We discuss the enormous environmental costs of leather and textile production,the hidden pitfalls of existing leather alternatives, redesigning traditional manufacturing operations, the efficiency benefits of...

This week I host Max Carter , co-founder of Goti . Goti is building a new payments and document-sharing platform to help businesses protect themselves against invoice fraud. We talk about the many hidden risks businesses face with current payment workflows, how Goti is tackling each one, the need to keep pushing innovation in a “boring” but critical space, and Max’s deep-seated mission to advocate...

This week I sit down with Jordy Kitschke , founder of Flux Robotics . Flux Robotics is building AI-powered robots to help us grow better, healthier, and more environmentally-friendly crops. We talk about the unseen complexities of farming and getting food to the table, the history and impacts of pesticide use, life on a farm in rural South Australia, the considerations taken in designing robots wi...

In this week's episode, I chat with Jarman Stephens , co-founder of Gridmo . Gridmo is building software for a hidden problem in our electrical grid: that being the bottleneck of grid modeling. What is that? Well, we get a crash course on the intricacies of the energy grid to begin with, before diving into what grid modeling is and the bottlenecks it causes. We also chat about Gridmo’s solution to...

To begin Season 2, I speak with Sara Smeath , co-founder of CiRCLR . CiRCLR is out to promote a circular economy, by helping businesses understand the value of their waste streams. Billing themselves as the “Tinder for Trash”, CiRCLR aims to match these waste streams to businesses looking for those exact inputs. In a wide-ranging conversation, Sara and I speak about her operational expertise in th...

Welcome to 2023! We’ll be launching Season 2 soon: from looking at trash with a new lens, to hidden problems in our electrical grid, we'll cover a huge breadth of today's challenges being solved by tomorrow's heroes. We will also start meeting some of the fascinating people who are beginning their own journeys, uncovering and supporting these pioneers. Stay tuned, subscribe, and learn what it's li...

As we close out 2022, I hope you enjoy your holiday season. A gentle reminder that it can be a trying time for some of us. Please reach out if you're feeling a little down; and for those who have a spare seat at the table, perhaps welcome a friend in need. A massive shout out to all the guests who’ve lent their time so far. To our listeners, there will be more stories to come in Season 2 next year...

In this week's episode, I chat with Cameron Higgins , founder of Resonait . Resonait is out to change the face of mental healthcare, by mapping and triggering our symphony of brainwaves. Sound far-fetched? Have a listen, and Cameron's drive and experiences might just change your mind. We speak about mental health versus mental illness, Cameron's neuroscience research at Oxford, his life leading di...

This week I have a short and sharp conversation with Zoe Piper . Among her many other ventures , Zoe is founder of CareerVitae , a platform designed to rethink the concept of resumes or CVs. We chat about Zoe's many different pursuits and how they contribute to her expertise, the power of networking, the changing nature of multi-faceted careers, why the concept of a CV is outdated, how corporate h...

This week, I host Chris Hudson , founder of Company Road . Company Road is his newly launched coaching and consultancy business. We chat about “intrapreneurs”: who they are and what makes a good one. We also cover how Chris enables clients to be their own experts, how empowering intrapreneurship builds the future of work, and what this future could look like. If you're interested in more thoughts...

This week, I have a short discussion with Dr Shafali Gupta and Andy Epifani . Together they're the co-founders of Uuvipak , a biodegradable alternative to single-use plastics. We chat about the plastic problem, the rapid trajectory of the company, why Uuvipak is genuinely biodegradable, making and tasting edible plastic alternatives, and sharing an inspirational message for all the kids out there....

This week I have a conversation with Brock Ford , co-founder of MedaData .MedaData is setting out to save lives by minimizing medication errors. We chat about the cost of these medication errors, why this problem has never been solved, the data-driven solution being built, the regulatory challenges of medical tech, using said tech to build trust, and how one small tool could change the face of med...

This week I have a conversation with Jada Andersen , Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Xylo Systems . Xylo Systems is setting out to be the central data hub for all global biodiversity information. We chat about information silos, the huge variety in conservation data, bridging the gaps between that world and tech, how anyone from individuals to corporations can get involved, and the beautif...

In this week's episode, I chat with Billy Jeremijenko , co-founder of Aquila . Aquila is building the quote unquote, "internet of energy" using lasers. If you think that sounds crazy, have a listen and Billy might just change your mind. We chat about energy abundance and scarcity, why what sounds like science fiction is much closer to science fact, how Aquila is leveraging existing tech to build t...

In this week’s episode of Promise, we speak with Ciaran Ardren, founder of Constance Coffee . Ciaran is the man behind multiple award winning coffee roasts at Golden Bean , the world’s largest coffee roasting competition. Constance Coffee is his new micro-roasting business, aiming to bring wine-tasting style quality to those interested. We have a discussion about how Australia became famous for sp...

For our second episode of Promise, we welcome Paulwyn Devasundaram . Paulwyn has a background as a software engineer, previously climbing the ranks of Australian tech giants Canva and Atlassian. She is currently creating Medoo , a SaaS platform specific to supporting the coaching industry. We discuss Paulwyn’s lightbulb moment to focus on this space, building an intentional but high-growth company...

Danai is the founder of CoFutures, a specialist urban planning consultancy seeking to make planning easier for everyone to understand. For the full show notes and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit promisefm.substack.com