The Way Forward Anuj Singh-Sahni

Today we’re in conversation with Liam Forde who is the founder and CEO of The Zone, which makes organisations more human through coaching and leadership development.
Liam’s passion for people shines through in this episode as we talk about the importance of your values and how to embrace them in the workplace. We also hear Liam’s stories on optimising his time, keeping remote teams engaged and hiring, where he reveals simple yet effective tips for leaders to implement today.
Struggling to hire tech talent? We’ve got a long-term solution: https://picwa.io/hire
Timestamps:
01:13 - Liam’s story behind starting the Zone - helping organisations be more human
04:00 - Start with your values
04:50 - Transitioning from a fixed to a growth mindset
06:00 - Can you teach an old dog new tricks? How?
08:52 - Advice on managing stress and making the most out of your time 
14:13 - How to keep remote-first teams connected, engaged and more human
20:33 - Prioritising between price, service and quality
22:49 - Liam’s advice for a founder’s first five hires
26:35 - What Liam would like to see more of in the startup space 

Today we’re in conversation with Tane van der Boon who co-founded mattress startup Winkl; MAUI63, a not-for-profit protecting marine life; and Inviol, an AI-driven workplace safety solution.
Tane treats us to practical and realistic advice around bringing in a successful business model overseas, disrupting traditional industries, and the operations behind next-day delivery. We also hear Tane’s passion for protecting marine biology as he talks about MAUI63, before diving into his advice on using off the shelf tech and financial forecasting.
Struggling to hire tech talent? We’ve got a long-term solution: https://picwa.io/hire
Timestamps:
01:23 - A crash course into Tane’s startup journey - from fixing computers at 15 to experienced founder 
06:55 - Tane’s advice for bringing a successful business model overseas into NZ 
09:54 - Advice for entrepreneurs using tech to disrupt a traditional business model
13:27 - What strategies helped Winkl become a household brand name in 18 months?
17:15 - Taking a peek at Winkl’s operations - how did they do next day delivery?
20:05 - How MAUI63 is protecting the world’s rarest dolphin with technology
23:26 - Why you should start small when building a piece of tech
25:46 - Tane’s advice for cash flow and revenue forecasting 
27:58 - What Tane would like to see more of in the startup space 

Today we’re in conversation with Toby Cox who is the CTO of Dovetail.
Toby shares his advice for best practices for your MVP, how to identify a good fit when recruiting and building a strong engineering culture. We also hear his unique experiences in tech solutions and startups - from developing an app for Dreamworks, to being an Entrepreneur in Residence in the UK and to conducting due diligence on tech startups.
Struggling to hire strong tech talent? We’ve got a long-term solution: https://picwa.io/hire

01:14 - Toby’s passion for computers, people and Ruby on Rails
03:14 - Early days with Carnival.io
04:55 - Challenges when working with large organisations
07:54 - Three pieces of advice on MVPs for first-time founders
09:15 - Toby’s experience as an Entrepreneur in Residence
11:13 -  The pro of working within a corporate’s startup function and similarities in Dovetail
12:58 - Work life balance and why you should give yourself head space
16:11 - What Toby thinks about when doing due diligence on a startup
17:41 - Recruitment process tips for technical jobs 
21:10 - What is a common issue in startups that can’t be fixed?
22:27 - Key advice for smaller tech startups
25:33 - What Toby envisions for the AUS/NZ startup scene

Today we’re in conversation with Greg San Miguel who is the co-founder and CEO of RegTech scaleup Law of the Jungle. 
Greg takes us back to 1999 as he talks through his journey diving into startups as a litigator with no background in tech, starting a tech company during the .com crash and building a high-performing team. Greg also shares how he navigated product-market fit, outsourced teams and sales, sharing gold nuggets of advice for other startup founders. 
Struggling to hire tech talent? We’ve got a long-term solution: https://picwa.io/hire
Timestamps:
01:40 - Greg’s early days as a litigator and passion for democratising law
04:24 - The problem that inspired Law of the Jungle
06:52 - How did the first few engineers come on board back in 1999?
09:55 - Starting a tech startup just before the .com crash
15:26 - What it’s like to work with outsourced teams
17:55 - What was Greg’s key indicator of product-market fit?
23:03 - Key factors of Law of the Jungle’s success
26:36 - Pivoting the team culture
30:13 - Building confidence and success in sales
37:52 - Advice for first-time founders going from corporate to startups
40:23 - What Greg would like to see more of in the startup space

Today we’re in conversation with Trent Gunthorpe, the Chief Product Officer of payments company ASL.
Trent tells us about his 20 years of experience in financial services as a part of GE Capital and then leading strategy and payments at American Express. We walk through his learnings from the GFC, high-pressure scenarios, thriving in foreign environments and negotiation. We also hear his thoughts on what fintech startups and SMBs could learn from corporates and even Web3. 
Looking to hire tech talent globally? We’ve got a long-term solution: https://picwa.io/hire
Timestamps:
01:30 - Trent’s values and his experience during the GFC
03:13 - What Trent learned from working across several countries
07:20 - Working in a high-pressure environment
08:30 - What startups and SMBs could learn from corporates
12:20 - Think about the long-term relationship when negotiating
14:33 - How will blockchain and cryptocurrency impact the payments industry?
17:48 - Why the relationships you build at work are more important than you think
21:40 - What Trent would like to see more of from the fintech space

Today we’re in conversation with Rob Vickery, the founder and Managing Partner of Hillfarance Venture Capital.
In this episode, we get an insider’s look into how Rob evaluates startups and what he cares about as a VC. We also uncover the person behind the title, touching on Rob’s life outside of work, his experience with burnout, and how he sets boundaries to respect his time and mana.
Struggling to hire tech talent? We’ve got a long-term solution: https://picwa.io/hire
Timestamps:
01:13 - Rob’s beginnings in the UK and successful venture firm in the US
04:43 - Rob’s vision for the NZ tech startup space
06:13 - How to become successful at enterprise sales
08:55 - Who is Rob outside of the VC space?
10:16 - Success and failures as a VC
11:40 - How Hillfarance is 47% higher than the industry in representing women-owned companies 
13:00 - Three common barriers for startups
14:50 - How much should founders pay themselves? Should they?
18:55 - How Rob evaluates a tech startup
21:26 - Conversations with founders about pivoting 
23:03  - How Rob approaches burnout as a VC
25:13 - Tips for setting boundaries and respecting your time
28:13 - What Rob would like to see more of in the startup space - seed investing and embracing failure