There is a lot of activity in the Australian startup ecosystem. Ideas, talent, and money are all flowing into this sector at an unprecedented rate. 

This weekly podcast brings in-depth interviews with the best people making the biggest difference.

It's brought to you by Ian Gardiner and Phaedon Stough, technology entrepreneurs helping to grow the startup sector in Australia and New Zealand. Ian and Phaedon co-founded Innovation Bay with a clear mission to help technology entrepreneurs succeed.

A weekly deep dive into Australia's tech and startup ecosystem. Brought to you by Innovation Bay

Open the Pod Bay Doors

The Australian and New Zealand startup ecosystem is burgeoning, exciting and filled with some of the most fascinating minds on the planet, all driven by a passion to make a positive and lasting impact. Open The Pod Bay Doors invites some of the brightest minds in the industry for deep conversations and awe-inspiring insights from their captivating journeys. Lend us your ears to gain some fresh knowledge and broaden your insights. Brought to you weekly by Innovation Bay. 

The Australian and New Zealand startup ecosystem is burgeoning, exciting and filled with some of the most fascinating minds on the planet, all driven by a passion to make a positive and lasting impact. Open The Pod Bay Doors invites some of the brightest minds in the industry for deep conversations and awe-inspiring insights from their captivating journeys. Lend us your ears to gain some fresh knowledge and broaden your insights. Brought to you weekly by Innovation Bay.

E180 – Scott Thomson, Former Head of Innovation, Customer Engineering at Google Cloud

Open the Pod Bay Doors is back for 2025!

To kick off the year, host Ian Gardiner sits down with Stuart Dullard, Partner at Ashurst, for a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities facing founders in today’s venture landscape.

Ashurst is a global corporate law firm with over 30 offices worldwide. Stuart leads the High Growth and Venture Capital team in Australia and is the global co-head of the Tech M&A practice. Described by Ian as one of Australia’s most experienced startup lawyers, Stuart has built a career helping early-stage, high-growth tech companies navigate complex legal and funding challenges. 

This episode is a must-listen for founders looking to effectively manage their funding journey and achieve sustainable growth.

Key takeaways:

🚀 Ashurst’s strategy for building long-term advisory relationships with high-growth startups
💰 Challenges and strategies for securing funding
🗺️ Navigating venture capital and private equity landscapes
💡 Understanding legal frameworks, investor relationships, and the funding process
📑 Structuring deals, negotiating terms, and setting up for successful fundraising rounds

Quick Fire Round:

📚 Book recommendation – Fiction: The Goldfinch (“Read the book, don’t watch the movie!”) | Non-fiction: Time to Breathe by Bill Mitchell
🎧 Podcast recommendation – The Teacher’s Pet (The Australian), The Sure Thing (AFR), Liar Liar (The Age)
👨‍💼 Favourite CEO – The founders of Canva for their business success and people-first approach
🗞️ News source – Radio National every morning
🛠️ Productivity tool – Time to Breathe + morning exercise
📱 Favourite app – The New York Times Games App
📺 TV or movie recommendation – The West Wing
🎤 TED Talk topic – The highs and lows of the founder journey

🎙️ Tune in now for an insightful conversation on funding, legal strategy, and the startup journey!

Open the Pod Bay Doors is back for 2025!
To kick off the year, host Ian Gardiner sits down with Stuart Dullard, Partner at Ashurst, for a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities facing founders in today&rsquo;s venture landscape.
Ashurst is a global corporate law firm with over 30 offices worldwide. Stuart leads the High Growth and Venture Capital team in Australia and is the global co-head of the Tech M&amp;A practice. Described by Ian as one of Australia&rsquo;s most experienced startup lawyers, Stuart has built a career helping early-stage, high-growth tech companies navigate complex legal and funding challenges.&nbsp;
This episode is a must-listen for founders looking to effectively manage their funding journey and achieve sustainable growth.
Key takeaways:
🚀 Ashurst&rsquo;s strategy for building long-term advisory relationships with high-growth startups 💰 Challenges and strategies for securing funding 🗺️ Navigating venture capital and private equity landscapes 💡 Understanding legal frameworks, investor relationships, and the funding process 📑 Structuring deals, negotiating terms, and setting up for successful fundraising rounds
Quick Fire Round:
📚 Book recommendation &ndash; Fiction: The Goldfinch (&ldquo;Read the book, don&rsquo;t watch the movie!&rdquo;) | Non-fiction: Time to Breathe by Bill Mitchell 🎧 Podcast recommendation &ndash; The Teacher&rsquo;s Pet (The Australian), The Sure Thing (AFR), Liar Liar (The Age) 👨&zwj;💼 Favourite CEO &ndash; The founders of Canva for their business success and people-first approach 🗞️ News source &ndash; Radio National every morning 🛠️ Productivity tool &ndash; Time to Breathe + morning exercise 📱 Favourite app &ndash; The New York Times Games App 📺 TV or movie recommendation &ndash; The West Wing 🎤 TED Talk topic &ndash; The highs and lows of the founder journey
🎙️ Tune in now for an insightful conversation on funding, legal strategy, and the startup journey!

EP 186 Stuart Dullard, Partner, Ashurt

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/9c434ae7-dbdc-45ab-9d27-aed80050a466/clips/1f4fdaa1-a6bc-487d-878d-b23b00527813/transcript

After a brief hiatus, Open the Pid Bay Door is back with an exciting new episode! Host Ian Gardiner sits down with Bryan Williams, Founder of Hockey Stick Advisory, to dive into the world of strategic partnerships and growth acceleration.

Hockey Stick Advisory provides market leading strategic partnerships advisory, operational and executional guidance with accountability for growth alongside prioritised partners. We empower ambitious companies to accelerate top line growth, whilst protecting scarce bottom line resources.



Highlights from their conversation include:
📊 Understanding Partnerships
🚀 The importance of Partnerships for Startups
🔍 Identifying Potential Partners
📈 Measuring Partnership Success
💡 Common Pitfalls in Partnerships
🌐 Building a Partnership Ecosystem
🛠️ Best Practices for Partnerships
📅 Community and Networking 


Quick Fire Round:
Book recommendation - "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. He's a former Navy seal, hardcore guy, but I think it's similar to the lines of Kim Scott's book Radical Candor. 
Podcast recommendation - "Rich Roll - when it's relevant and something I like, Stephen Bartlett's Diary of a CEO and there's a bunch of really good partnership ones in the US where I can sort of follow along and absorb best practices.
Favourite CEO - Yamini Rangan, CEO, Hubspot
News source - Capital Brief
Productivity tool - "I'm a big believer in power naps!"
Favourite app - Strava
TV show or movie recommendation "Well, the new Gladiator is coming out this weekend, so looking forward to that one"  
If you were asked to do a TED talk, what topic would you speak about? Going viral and what not to do

Don’t miss this insightful conversation packed with actionable advice for growth-focused businesses!

After a brief hiatus, Open the Pid Bay Door is back with an exciting new episode! Host Ian Gardiner sits down with Bryan Williams, Founder of Hockey Stick Advisory, to dive into the world of strategic partnerships and growth acceleration.
Hockey Stick Advisory provides market leading strategic partnerships advisory, operational and executional guidance with accountability for growth alongside prioritised partners. We empower ambitious companies to accelerate top line growth, whilst protecting scarce bottom line resources.
 
Highlights from their conversation include:
<ul>
<li>📊 Understanding Partnerships</li>
<li>🚀 The importance of Partnerships for Startups</li>
<li>🔍 Identifying Potential Partners</li>
<li>📈 Measuring Partnership Success</li>
<li>💡 Common Pitfalls in Partnerships</li>
<li>🌐 Building a Partnership Ecosystem</li>
<li>🛠️ Best Practices for Partnerships</li>
<li>📅 Community and Networking </li>
</ul>
 Quick Fire Round:
<ul>
<li>Book recommendation - "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. He's a former Navy seal, hardcore guy, but I think it's similar to the lines of Kim Scott's book Radical Candor. </li>
<li>Podcast recommendation - "Rich Roll - when it's relevant and something I like, Stephen Bartlett's Diary of a CEO and there's a bunch of really good partnership ones in the US where I can sort of follow along and absorb best practices.</li>
<li>Favourite CEO - Yamini Rangan, CEO, Hubspot</li>
<li>News source - Capital Brief</li>
<li>Productivity tool - "I'm a big believer in power naps!"</li>
<li>Favourite app - Strava</li>
<li>TV show or movie recommendation "Well, the new Gladiator is coming out this weekend, so looking forward to that one"  </li>
<li>If you were asked to do a TED talk, what topic would you speak about? Going viral and what not to do</li>
</ul>
Don’t miss this insightful conversation packed with actionable advice for growth-focused businesses!

EP 185 Bryan Williams, Founder, Hockey Stick Advisory

In today’s episode, we’re thrilled to welcome Taryn Pieterse, Partner at Rampersand VC. Rampersand is a pioneering Australian venture capital firm, known for being one of the first funds in Australia and its early investment in founders with abnormal potential. With a focus on being a founder-first investor, they stay closely aligned with their portfolio companies. Currently, they are deploying their fourth fund of $50 million. Taryn and Ian discuss Rampersand's background, investment focus, fund economics, and the importance of alignment with founders.

Highlights from their conversation include:
Rampersand's origins and investment strategy
Their fund economics
Rampersand’s interest in AI-driven startups
The future of AI in both business and daily life
How Rampersand fosters community and provides concierge services to founders
The current exit landscape and emerging opportunities
The differences between venture capital firms and family offices



Quickfire round. 
Book –  "The Psychology of Money"
Podcast – "Defining Gravity" by Helen Sunitz
News source – Overnight Success Newsletter
App – Apple watch
Productivity tool – Robo vacuum cleaner - I have a dog and this saves me spending hours vacuuming everyday 
Tech CEO – Mark Benioff of Salesforce - a great example of start up to scale up and beyond
TV show – "The Mole" on Netflix
If you were asked to do a TED talk, what topic would you speak about? The art of power napping - I love power naps!

In today’s episode, we’re thrilled to welcome Taryn Pieterse, Partner at Rampersand VC. Rampersand is a pioneering Australian venture capital firm, known for being one of the first funds in Australia and its early investment in founders with abnormal potential. With a focus on being a founder-first investor, they stay closely aligned with their portfolio companies. Currently, they are deploying their fourth fund of $50 million. Taryn and Ian discuss Rampersand's background, investment focus, fund economics, and the importance of alignment with founders.
Highlights from their conversation include:
<ul>
<li>Rampersand's origins and investment strategy</li>
<li>Their fund economics</li>
<li>Rampersand’s interest in AI-driven startups</li>
<li>The future of AI in both business and daily life</li>
<li>How Rampersand fosters community and provides concierge services to founders</li>
<li>The current exit landscape and emerging opportunities</li>
<li>The differences between venture capital firms and family offices</li>
</ul>
 
Quickfire round. 
<ul>
<li>Book –  "The Psychology of Money"</li>
<li>Podcast – "Defining Gravity" by Helen Sunitz</li>
<li>News source – Overnight Success Newsletter</li>
<li>App – Apple watch</li>
<li>Productivity tool – Robo vacuum cleaner - I have a dog and this saves me spending hours vacuuming everyday </li>
<li>Tech CEO – Mark Benioff of Salesforce - a great example of start up to scale up and beyond</li>
<li>TV show – "The Mole" on Netflix</li>
<li>If you were asked to do a TED talk, what topic would you speak about? The art of power napping - I love power naps!</li>
</ul>

E180 – Scott Thomson, Former Head of Innovation, Customer Engineering at Google Cloud

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