Emily Pyke spent 13 years in the Royal Australian Navy wearing uniforms and equipment that weren’t designed for women’s bodies. Underneath it all was a safety gap: everyday bras weren’t made for the dangerous environments women were working in.

Her response was to co-found UndaTech, developing fire-resistant protective undergarments for women in defence, emergency services and other high-risk industries. But building the business meant working around her Navy job, investing her own salary and eventually leaving a secure career — sometimes going without pay to keep her team paid

Now Westpac’s Female Founder of the Year, Emily joins Sylvia Jeffreys alongside Paul Fowler, Westpac’s Chief Executive of Business and Wealth, for a frank conversation about what it costs to back yourself, and what it takes to turn an idea into a viable business.

They discuss:

• The leap from employee to founder: Building a business while still working, leaving a reliable salary and learning to pay yourself.
• The funding challenge: Pitching a physical product during an AI investment boom, and the barriers women face when raising capital.
• Surviving the wait for a big customer: Why a promising product and successful trials don’t automatically translate into contracts.
• Making growth financially sustainable: How supply costs, cash flow and the right manufacturing partner can shape your business’s future.
• Getting ready to seek funding: What lenders look for, why your business plan matters and where founders can find support.