In this episode, I interview Simon Beard - co-founder of Culture Kings. Culture Kings is a premium streetwear company founded by Simon and his wife Tah-nee in 2008. Together, they grew the business from a market stall on the Gold Coast to a $600 million valuation and a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. This was a wide ranging and insightful c…

Inventia is a science and technology company focused on building devices that can create advanced cell models that help accelerate drug discovery and biomedical research. Founded in 2013, Julio Ribeiro has grown the company to now have over 70 employees and scale internationally to the US, Europe and many more locations. Throughout the episode, Jul…

In this episode, I interview Tim Levy, founder of Qoria. Qoria is a global technology company that is dedicated to keeping children safe in digital environments. Founded in 2014, Tim has grown the company to have over 500 employees and be listed on the ASX where it now has a market cap of around $500 million. Throughout the episode, Tim talks about…

In this episode, I interview Izhar Basha - founder of EHPLabs. EHPLabs is a sports nutrition company that develops various supplement products. Founded in 2012, Izhar has grown the company globally with revenue forecast to reach $500 million in 2025. Izhars’s story is fascinating. Coming from humble beginning as a refugee from Fiji at age 5 he talk…

In this episode, I interview David Dicker, founder of Dicker Data. David started the business in 1978 has grown it over 46 years including listing it on the ASX where it now has a market capitalization of around $2 billion, making David one of Australia’s wealthiest people in the process. Throughout the episode, David talks about business in a very…

In this episode, I interview Adam Jacobs - founder of The Iconic and Hatch. Founded in 2011, Adam quickly grew The Iconic, a fashion e-commerce company, to now have just under 1000s employees and over $500m over revenue in 2023. Adam has now moved onto Hatch, helping young Australian’s find work with employers that match their skills and values. Th…

ResApp is a biotech company that commercialised technology to diagnose respiratory illnesses based on an audio recording of a patient’s cough on their phone. After proving immensely useful for diagnosing COVID-19 during the height of pandemic, Pfizer acquired the company for $180 million. Throughout the episode, Tony discusses the path of listing o…

Having founded and worked in multiple startups both here and in the US, Amanda has grown the venture quickly having now helped over 300 of Australia’s fastest growing companies with their expansion, especially those looking overseas. Throughout this episode, Amanda provides fascinating insights into the future of Australia’s tech scene and how we c…

CitrusAd is a software company that provides retailers with a system for merchants to compete for ad space on their websites. Starting in 2017, Brad Moran grew the business quickly before it was sold in 2021 for $205 million. Throughout the episode, Brad talks about the harsh reality of building a startup. I was fascinated by his insights on this o…

LocknCharge makes products for organisations to securely store their physical devices. Taking over the family business, James has led the growth of the company to now manage over 5 million devices, employ 100 staff, and operate internationally. Throughout the episode, James talks about the importance of perseverance as he reminisces about the door-…

In this episode, I interview Steven Maarbani - CEO of VentureCrowd. VentureCrowd is Australia’s leading digital crowd funding investment platform for alternative assets. Steven has helped grow the platform to crowdfund over $310 million for projects. Throughout the episode, Steven talks about the importance of trusting your own intuition and the da…

Flavour Makers is a food manufacturing business that develops products such as spices, baby food, curry sauces and much more. Founded in 1992, Adrian has grown the business to now employ 330 people and turn over $220m per year. Throughout the episode, Adrian talks about the importance of taking action when others won’t as this strategy helped get t…

InstantScripts is an online telehealth platform that enables customers to receive online medical scripts, consultations, and more. Founded in 2018, Maxim has helped grow the company to recently be acquired by Wesfarmers for $135 million. Throughout the episode, Maxim talks about how keeping a small but efficient team has enabled telehealth to thriv…

In this episode, I interview Craig Blair - co-founder of AirTree - one of the largest Venture Capital firms in Australia. AirTree has been an early investor in some of the country’s biggest startups, such as Canva, Mr Yum and LinkTree. Founded in 2014, Craig has helped grow the business to now manage over $1.3 Billion with over 80 active investment…

Premonition was an AI driven logistics company that helped couriers orchestrate their drivers and deliveries in the most efficient manner. In 2022, one of Australia’s largest startups - Shippit, acquired Premonition for $20.5 million. Throughout the episode, Brad explains how logistics makes up 20-30% of man-made emissions and by making the space m…

HotDoc is Australia’s largest platform that connects doctors to patients. Patients can easily book appointments with their favourite clinics while doctors can easily manage their patients. Founded in 2012, Ben has grown the business to now have 11 million patients and 20,000 doctors on the platform. Throughout the episode, Ben talks about how stayi…

Spreets was a deal comparison website that famously sold for $40 million only 12 months after it started. MadPaws is his current business - an all in one marketplace for all of your pet needs. Throughout the episode, Justus emphasizes the importance of skill, luck and timing all contribute toward being successful. Justus also mentions how sometimes…

In this episode, I interview Dorry Kordahi, founder of DKM Blue, Swanky Socks and the former owner of Illawarra Hawks Basketball team. DKM Blue, Dorry’s main business, specialises in the development and delivery of promotional merchandise, corporate uniforms and PPE. Starting in 2002, Dorry has grown the company to now be generating tens of million…

Agworld is an agriculture technology startup that creates data management tools to help farmers and agronomists work more efficiently. Founded in 2009, Doug and his co-founders grew the business and eventually sold in 2021 for $100 million. Throughout the episode, Doug talks about the importance of staying the course of your business and persisting…

Linktree is a tool allows you to create a directory to multiple websites from one URL link. Starting in 2016, Nick and his co-founders have grown the company tremendously to now have over 40 million users and was valued last year at $1.3 billion dollars. Throughout the episode, Nick talks about the difficulty of trying to control a rapidly growing …

In this episode, I interview Daniel Petre, Co-Founder of AirTree - one of the largest VC firms in Australia and New Zealand. Over it’s lifetime, AirTree has been an early investor in some of the country’s biggest startups, such as Canva, Mr Yum and LinkTree. Founded in 2014, Daniel has helped grow the business to now manage over $1.3 Billion with o…

Deutsch Miller is one of the top boutique legal firms in Australia specialising in corporate law and dispute resolution. After moving across the world from London, Paul recalls how he started the business from scratch and his journey along the way. Throughout the episode, Paul talks about the importance of networking and relationship management as …

In this episode, I interview Bruce Mackenzie, founder of Humanforce. Humanforce is a workforce management software company which has been recently acquired for $60 million. Humanforce specifically targets the “standing-workforce”, making software products to help manage shift and roster driven workers such as retail and hospitality staff. Founded i…

Internet 2.0 is one of Australia’s leading cybersecurity companies and is now worth $50 million. Founded in 2018, the company has gone on to make various cybersecurity products including Malcore which made headlines for exposing exactly how much data social media companies take from us. Spoiler alert, TikTok was over double the amount compared to t…

Being in the firm for 25 years, Grant has helped grow MPH Lawyers into one of the most successful law practices in Western Australia. Since 2002, he has also worked extensively in the innovation space such as AI, robotics and automation through advising founders on investment, partnerships and scaling. Throughout the episode, Grant talks about the …

28 is an online fitness platform and community that provides workouts that anyone can do in under 28 minutes. Founded in 2016, Sam has grown the platform to help over 500,000 people stay fit and has recently sold the company for $71 million. Throughout the episode, Sam explains the importance of building a strong team to offset your weaknesses is e…

Car Next Door was a peer-to-peer car sharing service that set out to challenge the one person, one car mentality. Starting in 2013, Will and his co founders grew the company up until their recent deal with Uber at an estimated valuation of 50 million to create Uber car share. Throughout the episode, Will talks about the intricacies of building a tw…

Judo Bank is one of Australia’s largest and most trusted banks for small to medium-sized enterprises. Starting from a PowerPoint idea in 2016, Joseph and his co-founders have grown the business to now be valued at over $1.5 billion, have over 600 staff and a loan book of $9 billion. Throughout the episode, Joseph talks about Judo’s philosophy of me…

Stu is a third-generation publican of his family business that now owns around 90 venues and is worth an estimated 1.4bn dollars. Throughout the episode, Stu talks about how consumer behaviour has changed over time, the strategy of acquiring venues and words of wisdom from his friends and mentors such as Gerry Harvey. Stu also discusses the benefit…

Arkose Labs is a SAAS company that protects its customers against cyber criminals. Founded in 2016, the company has raised 130m USD and has grown to now protect some of the biggest tech companies such as Microsoft, Twitter, Roblox and many more. Throughout the show, Kevin lets us in on the fascinating world of defending against cybercrime, the impo…

Working as a receptionist at his Mum’s business, Mark quickly became frustrated at the repetitive processes and boldly claimed “How hard could it be to build software”. Since then, Mark started and grew his childcare software company Xplor to a substantial 100 million dollar valuation. Only two weeks after “retiring”, Mark founded his second compan…

Sidekicker is Australia’s largest online staffing platform that is re-inventing casual and temporary work for businesses and workers. Founded in 2012, Tom and his co-founder Jacqui have grown the company to now have 130 employees and raise $43m to date including Seek as a major investor. Throughout the episode, Tom explains the importance of not ge…

Shippit is Australia's leading multi-carrier shipping software and connects stores with the best courier at the time of purchase. Founded in 2014, William and his co-founder Rob, have grown the company to now have 175 employees and tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue. They've raised over $100 million in capital with a valuation of over $3…

AgriWebb is a digital platform that helps livestock producers with record-keeping, compliance and productivity. Starting in 2014, AgriWebb has now grown to the point where 25% of Australia’s farm animals are managed under the platform. To date, they've raised over $40 million at a market cap of over $100 million. Throughout the episode, John discus…

In this episode, I interview Geoffroy Henry, founder of Ofload. Ofload is a digital B2B platform that helps shippers and road freight carriers connect to minimise wasted space in vehicles. In only three years from 2019, Geoffroy has raised $100m in funding which has led to the company now having 120 employees and making $100m in annual revenue. Thr…

In this episode, I interview James Bruce and Stafford Fox from boutique beverage company StrangeLove. Starting out in Byron Bay, the guys grew the business to become one of Australia’s trendiest drinks companies and have recently been acquired by Asahi. Throughout the episode, James talks about how differentiating themselves through creative and un…

In this episode, I interview Giovanni Pino, co-founder of Sourci. Sourci is Australia’s largest sourcing company that connects individuals and businesses to manufacturers in China, India, Vietnam and many more. Starting out in 2017, Sourci has grown exponentially, expanding from a two-person startup to a team of almost 30 generating tens of million…

In this episode, I interview Jeremy Mujis - founder of Grown Alchemist. Grown Alchemist is a skincare company that produces a range of innovative skin and beauty products. Recently, global beauty giant L’Occitane Group bought a large stake in the brand for a reported $50 million. Throughout the episode, Jeremy provides deep insight into the traditi…

In this episode, I interview Vu Tran - founder of Go1. As described by Vu, Go1 is the Netflix or Spotify of workplace learning. They aggregate training programs from all around the world and bring them into one platform - making them available for any company. Recently, the company’s valuation hit an astonishing $2.8 billion after a $140 million ra…

In this episode, I interview Julie Mathers. Julie is the founder of Flora and Fauna, which is a successful beauty and personal care e-commerce brand that was voted number one in e-commerce in 2019 and 2021. The business recently sold for around $30 million last year. Not long after the sale, Julie has since gone on to acquire her new project, a bab…

In this episode, I interview Mick Liubinskas. This is a very special episode as Mick was our very first guest on the podcast. While we covered his career in tech last time, this episode we focus on his latest venture - Climate Salad. Climate Salad is a fast-growing ecosystem for climate technology entrepreneurs, investors and supporters. Mick discu…

In this episode, I interview Jon Gregory, founder of Vitruvian. Vitruvian is a fitness technology company that is famous for their “Trainer+” device. This device is a smart resistance training system that uses artificial intelligence to adjust weight dynamically to provide the perfect workout for the user. Since 2018, Jon and his team have raised $…

In this episode, I interview Cameron Falloon - founder of Body Fit Training. Body Fit Training is Australia's fastest growing fitness franchise with hundreds of locations across the world and revenue of over $120 million. It was really interesting to hear the strategies that Cameron and the company implemented throughout tough times such as Covid. …

In this episode, I interview Tim Fung, co-founder of Airtasker. Airtasker is Australia’s largest online marketplace that connects local community members to freelancers and small businesses. The company has been massively successful since it’s initial launch in 2011 with a current valuation of over $160 million and an employee count of over 300. It…

In this episode, I interview Kristy Chong – founder of Modibodi. Kristy started the business in 2013 after 2 years of R&D before ultimately selling the business this year for $140m to a Swedish multinational. This is a fascinating interview. Kristy talks in depth about how the business started from simply trying to solve a common problem women face…

In this episode, I interview Nick Hazell - founder of v2food. v2food is one of Australia's largest producers of plant-based meat. After raising over 180 million since 2019, v2 has made strides to revolutionise the meat industry with a focus on maintaining flavour, nutrition and sustainability. The company is also famous for providing the patty for …

In this episode of the Dion Guagliardo Podcast, I interview Graeme Goldman - executive chairman at Clark Rubber. Clark Rubber is an iconic Australian retailer that was founded in 1946 which is famous for selling pools, foam and rubber products. Graeme is an entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience growing businesses from startups to internatio…

In this episode, I interview Phil Morle - partner at Main Sequence Ventures. Phil is a prominent name in the venture capital ecosystem who's well known for co-founding Australia's first start-up incubator - Pollenizer. From its foundation in 2008, Pollenizer went on to help hundreds of ideas turn into real businesses including Spreets which was fou…

In this episode, I interview Jalal Shaik - founder and managing director of GAMEFACE.AI. GAMEFACE.AI is a real-time sports analytics company that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide key insights and analytics from the match. Founded in 2015, Jalal and his co-founder James grew the business from the StartMate accelerato…

In this episode, I interview Brian Sullivan - managing director at Sullivan Property Consultants (SPC). SPC is a property investment, development and management group specialising in the retail, commercial and industrial sector in Western Australia. Started in 2010, Brian grew the business from the ground up using his vast experience in property in…