Fayl Tales

Loveth Ochayi
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Behind every startup success story is a trail of mistakes, pivots, broken plans and brilliant comebacks. Fayl Tales is the podcast where entrepreneurs, founders, investors and early employees share the real side of building something new - the failures that shaped them, the lessons they learned the hard way, and the resilience it takes to keep going. Hosted by Loveth, each episode dives into the raw, funny and honest moments most business stories leave out - so you can learn faster, fail smarter, and feel less alone on your own journey. Follow the show for weekly conversations that prove: failure isn’t the end, it’s part of the story.

  1. 5D AGO

    Why Group Trips Never Happen and How Jay Raval Is Trying to Fix It

    If you’ve ever tried to plan a group trip and watched it fall apart in the group chat… this one’s for you. In this episode, I sit down with Jay Raval, co-founder of Troopa — an AI-powered travel planning platform built around one simple truth: someone always ends up doing all the work. Jay walked away from a stable consulting career to build a startup that’s part AI, part collaboration tool, and very human. We talk about what it’s actually like to make that leap — the self-doubt, the imposter syndrome, the messy middle, and the mistakes you only see once you’re in it. We cover: Why quitting consulting “sounded like a stupid decision”The reality of building an AI product (and how expensive APIs get… fast)Why “build it and they’ll come” is a lieUnderestimating marketing and distribution from day oneBeing told by a VC not to raise moneyBuilding in public without becoming a self-help guruAnd why travel planning is emotional, not just logisticalThis is a candid, grounded conversation about startups, risk, and learning as you go, not just the highlight reel. Follow us on all platforms! Instagram ~ @fayltales Tiktok ~ @fayltales LinkedIn ~ @fayltales

    36 min

  2. JAN 26

    Why Great Startups Still Fail: Timing, Trust, and Knowing What to Do 'Properly'

    What actually kills startups? Sometimes it’s not product… it’s timing. In this episode, I’m joined by Alan Jones: angel investor, startup mentor, ex-founder, and co-manager at M8 Ventures (backing early-stage tech across Australia & New Zealand). Alan’s also the host of Pick My Brain, where founders pitch live and get the kind of feedback that’s equal parts practical and slightly brutal. We talk about: why timing is the variable no one can control (and why it quietly decides so many outcomes)Alan’s “life is a side-scrolling shooter” metaphor (and why it’s weirdly accurate for careers + startups)what he looks for in early-stage founders — and the red flags that make him pausewhy he says he likes to invest in time (not just money), and how relationship-building scales… until it doesn’twhy diverse teams are often more resilient than “perfect” monoculture founder duosthe balance founders need: what to do carefully vs what can be tested fast and messya classic story of moving fast… and sending the wrong cover letters (painful, hilarious, and a real lesson)If you’re building in a world where AI is speeding everything up — this one will make you rethink what you can control, what you can’t, and how to keep moving anyway. Follow us on all platforms! Instagram ~ @fayltales Tiktok ~ @fayltales LinkedIn ~ @fayltales

    59 min

  3. JAN 19

    Why Giving at Checkout Feels Awkward and How Tim Millbank Tried to Fix It with Change for Change

    What if donating didn’t require a big monthly commitment… or an awkward “do you want to round up?” moment at the checkout? In this episode I’m joined by Tim Millbank, founder of Change for Change, a fintech-for-good platform designed to turn everyday spending into micro-donations for vetted charities. Think round-up apps, but instead of investing spare change for private wealth… it goes straight to social impact. Tim shares what it actually takes to build a charity fintech in Australia and the stuff donors and charities don’t say out loud like why people expect 100% of donations to go directly to programs (and why that can backfire). In this episode, we cover: - What Change for Change is and how round-up donations work -  Building a fintech with a non-technical background (and bootstrapping reality) - Charity fundraising channels, donor psychology, and the “emails every week” problem - The iOS/App Store barrier (and why they refused to become a charity just to list) - The pivot to a progressive web app (PWA) and the user-experience tradeoffs - Why fintech + charity = innovation… but also hard mode Tim’s biggest lessons on MVP, product-market fit, and doing impact work sustainably Follow us on all platforms! Instagram ~ @fayltales Tiktok ~ @fayltales LinkedIn ~ @fayltales

    56 min

  4. JAN 12

    Built & Raised $180M for V2 Food, Now Nick Hazell is Tring To Make Algae as Cheap as Oil

    Nick Hazell raised $180M building V2 Food, Australia’s market leader in plant-based protein, before exiting and turning his focus to an even bigger climate problem. Now the founder of Algenie, Nick is betting that algae biomanufacturing could one day compete with crude oil and become a scalable solution for food, fuel, and materials. In this episode, we cover: Raising $180M and scaling V2 Food nationally and globallyWhat the plant-based meat boom got wrong (and what V2 did differently)The real challenges of supermarket listings and category confusionMissteps along the way, including expansion into China during COVIDWhy Nick left V2 Food and how the venture market shift changed everythingThe origin story of Algenie and the race to make algae economically viableWhy climate tech won’t scale unless it makes financial senseA candid conversation on ambition, failure, and building companies that aim for planetary-scale impact. Follow us on all platforms! Instagram ~ @fayltales Tiktok ~ @fayltales LinkedIn ~ @fayltales

    58 min

  5. JAN 5

    Move With the Fear: Roxane Bandini-Maeder on Building Climate Tech

    Some founders build products. Others build the future. In this episode of Fayl Tales, I sit down with Roxanne Bardini-Medio, CEO and co-founder of Geoneon, a climate tech company using geo-intelligence and data science to help governments and communities prepare for natural disasters like bushfires, floods, and deforestation. Roxanne shares her journey from earth sciences and disaster risk research to building a bootstrapped climate tech startup in Australia, alongside her husband and co-founder, without external investment. We cover: Why disaster preparedness matters more than responseBootstrapping a climate tech company through consulting → productBalancing scientific integrity with startup speedThe emotional reality of entrepreneurship and founder resilienceWorking with governments, NGOs, and global partners across Australia, Bhutan, and LaosHow to understand your risk tolerance and move forward even when failure feels closeThis episode is for founders, operators, and anyone interested in climate technology, disaster risk reduction, geospatial data, and mission-driven startups. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Follow us on all platforms! Instagram ~ @fayltales Tiktok ~ @fayltales LinkedIn ~ @fayltales

    38 min

  6. 12/30/2025

    Behind the Mic: What I’ve Learned Interviewing Founders

    Welcome to the first ever solo episode of Fayl Tales. After interviewing founders across Vienna, Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania, Loveth has noticed the same themes appearing again and again, regardless of industry, experience or geography. In this episode, she unpacks the truths founders whisper privately, the lessons they wish they’d learned earlier, and why failure is rarely catastrophic but always transformative. You’ll hear insights on: • Why hesitation breaks more companies than bold moves • Why product doesn’t kill startups, people do • The emotional skill set founders underestimate • The messy middle: that foggy space where you’re too far to quit but too early to win • How co-founder dynamics can make or break everything • Why chaos is normal (even for founders with exits) • Why failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s part of it.. Loveth also shares, for the first time, the behind-the-scenes of building Fayl Tales:  the fear, the self-doubt, the shift from corporate to creative, posting online as a private person, the growth of the show, and her vision for where it’s going next, across Australia and eventually globally. If you’re in that foggy middle right now, wondering whether something is failing you or you’re failing it, this episode will give you language, comfort and a reminder that you’re not alone. Even founders who’ve exited $100M companies are still figuring it out one step at a time. Follow us on all platforms! Instagram ~ @fayltales Tiktok ~ @fayltales LinkedIn ~ @fayltales

    25 min

  7. 12/22/2025

    Making Big Moves From Unexpected Places: Amy Fogarty

    From booking bands to backing founders in Tasmania. Amy Fogarty has lived multiple lives. And somehow they all make sense. In this episode, Amy shares how she went from booking talent for live gigs, coordinating hundreds of performers and managing the chaos of the creative economy, to becoming a leader in the startup world. She explains why those early chapters, with all their pressure and unpredictability, turned out to be the perfect training ground for her biggest roles. You will hear:  • Lessons from the gig economy that unexpectedly translate into startup life  • The emotional load of being the reliable one in every room  • How to build a career when the path never feels linear  • Why founders outside major hubs often develop advantages that last  • What she has learned from supporting creatives, founders and early stage teams This conversation is warm, funny and full of the kind of honesty that defines Fayl Tales. 🎧 Search “Fayl Tales” on any platform or YouTube to listen. This one is special. Follow us on all platforms! Instagram ~ @fayltales Tiktok ~ @fayltales LinkedIn ~ @fayltales

    37 min

  8. 12/15/2025

    “The Hire That Nearly Broke Me” ~ Steve Grace on Bad Hires & Pivots Into Wild Ventures

    What do you do when your first hire steals from you, your business partner stops working, and your media company burns nearly half a million dollars? For Steve Grace, founder of The Nudge Group and private members’ club The Pillars, the answer has always been the same: you keep going, even when the chaos feels personal. In this episode, Steve opens up about: The shocking betrayal he uncovered the day before his weddingWhy growing too fast nearly destroyed NudgeHow a fully funded media venture lost ~$480,000 and forced him to shut it downThe hidden emotional toll of entrepreneurship (and what his wife never hears)Creating a 2,000 sqm private members club with six co-founders and zero hospitality experienceHis unapologetically honest take on failure, risk-taking and why “fail fast” is terrible life adviceFrom recruitment floors in London to filming tanks in the outback, Steve’s career has been anything but predictable. This convo is packed with pivots he’s never shared publicly before. #StartupLessons #EntrepreneurLife #FounderStories #BusinessFailures #LeadershipLessons Follow us on all platforms! Instagram ~ @fayltales Tiktok ~ @fayltales LinkedIn ~ @fayltales

    1h 2m
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About

Behind every startup success story is a trail of mistakes, pivots, broken plans and brilliant comebacks. Fayl Tales is the podcast where entrepreneurs, founders, investors and early employees share the real side of building something new - the failures that shaped them, the lessons they learned the hard way, and the resilience it takes to keep going. Hosted by Loveth, each episode dives into the raw, funny and honest moments most business stories leave out - so you can learn faster, fail smarter, and feel less alone on your own journey. Follow the show for weekly conversations that prove: failure isn’t the end, it’s part of the story.

Information

  • Creator
    Loveth Ochayi
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Fayl Tales
  • Show Website
    Fayl Tales