Tara Whitehead is Security Engagement Manager at MYOB. Prior to becoming a cybersecurity specialist, Tara had an eclectic career, including working in advertising and international relations. In this episode Tara chats with Cole about how her non-technical background has in many ways been an asset working in security, leading change management in large enterprises, the importance of great communication skills, and plenty more.

7:15 - Tara's first days in AppSec

10:00 - How to influence people

12:30 - Why we should dial back on the doomsday conversation

14:10 - Find your change champions

21:30 - Is a non-technical background help or hindrance?

23:30 - Communication and influencing key skills

26:00 - Communicating with execs

28:20 - Rapid fire questions

🐙 Secured is grateful to be sponsored and supported by Chainguard.

Chainguard is the trusted source for open source. Get hardened, secure, production-ready builds so your team can ship faster, stay compliant, and reduce risk. Download your free CVE Reduction Assessment at https://dayone.fm/chainguard

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Mentioned in this episode:

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December 2025 - Chainguard

Jason Maynard, CTO of Zendesk, joins Georgie Healy for a conversation that cuts through the AI automation hype and gets to what is actually happening on the front lines of customer service.

Jason shares the framework every business needs right now for deciding where automation genuinely helps customers and where it quietly destroys trust. He introduces the dolphin problem, the counterintuitive reason why the brands that listen hardest to complaints end up winning the most. And he explains why, despite everything you are hearing about AI replacing jobs, customer service job postings in the United States went up 10% in 2025.

They also get into digital snap and how to design your way out of it, why your AI agent is really just an extension of your brand identity, a brand new role emerging inside service organisations that looks a lot like what happened to marketing in the early 2000s, and three rapid fire scenarios that reveal exactly when you need a human and when you do not.

This is one of the most grounded and practical conversations we have had on the show about what AI in customer service actually looks like when it is done well.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georginahealy/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgina_healy/

Twitter: https://x.com/georgina__healy?lang=en

In The Blink of AI is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.

Sign up to get your weekly insights into the up-and-coming AI startups: https://dayone.fm/newsletter

For most people, crypto is still a speculative asset. Something you buy in the hope that it increases in value. But advocates argue that crypto is much more than that. They believe it’s a technology that could fundamentally change how money moves, how assets are owned, and who has access to financial systems.

In this episode, Andy Jones speaks with Jason Titman, CEO of Swyftx, about whether crypto can move beyond hype and deliver real-world utility. They explore decentralisation, stablecoins, cross-border payments and the tokenisation of assets, alongside the risks of volatility, scams and regulatory uncertainty. The question isn’t whether crypto exists. It’s whether it can mature into something that meaningfully reshapes finance.

Most founders who've tried PR will tell you the same thing: it was a waste of money and they never got in the media. But when Marie Dowling digs deeper, the real answer is usually that they weren't involved enough to make it work.

In this episode, Alan is joined by Marie Dowling, founder and CEO of Newsary, a hybrid AI and human PR platform built for startups and small businesses. Marie walks through how Newsary works, why PR is becoming the new SEO, and how she landed enterprise client Flixbus, generating over 300 pieces of Australian media coverage.

Alan challenges Marie to think beyond founder-led sales, pushing her to consider referral incentives, agency partnerships, and her LinkedIn audience as scalable distribution channels. If you're a founder who's written off PR, this episode might just change your mind.

Time Stamps

02:13 – Meet Marie Dowling and her path from PR agency to founder

04:37 – Why bigger clients mean less interesting press releases

06:09 – What Newsary does and who it's for

07:02 – The pivot: from "how to write" to "what is a good story"

08:01 – Why PR is the new SEO

09:09 – How Newsary works: interview-style, not AI-generated

11:05 – Pricing: what Newsary costs vs. a traditional agency

12:32 – How Marie finds customers (and what they all say about PR)

13:39 – The real reason most PR fails: founder involvement

15:14 – Alan's challenge: scaling beyond founder-led sales

18:03 – The Flixbus campaign: 300+ pieces of coverage

19:14 – Who's behind Newsary: the team and advisors

20:16 – Co-hosting industry events: lessons learned

23:18 – Platform rebuild and January launch plans

25:10 – Marie's one ask of listeners

Resources Mentioned

💸 Newsary: https://www.newsary.co/

🎙 Ask Alan a Question – https://speakpipe.com/pickmybrain

🎧 More from Alan Jones – https://www.startupfoundercoach.com

Galah Cyber offers the Foundations of Application Security course: a practical, hands-on AppSec course built for engineers who actually ship code. Two days of real-world lessons you can apply immediately. Learn more at galahcyber.com.au/learn.

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.

Jeanne DeWitt Grosser, Chief Operating Officer at Vercel, joins Georgie in Sydney to discuss what the shift to agentic AI actually means for developers, founders, and enterprise teams in 2026. Jeanne shares why the primitives required to build reliable agents at scale have only just arrived, and what that means for companies still stitching together fragmented infrastructure.

They explore Vercel's product suite, the real-world application of vibe coding for non-technical builders, and why Next.js has become the default framework that AI models reach for unprompted. Jeanne also breaks down the go-to-market and engineering alignment model Vercel has built internally, and the design partnership approach, refined at Stripe, that turns customer relationships into a product roadmap.

The conversation covers what founders should prioritise right now, why small and fast beats big and planned in the current AI landscape, and how to get genuine signal from customers before you try to sell them anything.

Time Stamps

0:00 Intro

03:07 The Role of Engineers in AI Development

06:01 Transitioning from Tech Giants to Startups

08:56 Vercel's Impact on Development in Australia

12:10 Understanding Vercel's v0 and Next.js

14:53 The Future of AI and Development Tools

18:10 Bridging the Gap Between Technical and Sales Teams

21:10 Feedback Loops and Customer Insights

24:03 The Emergence of Go-to-Market Engineers

27:02 Empathy in Sales and Engineering

29:50 Advice for Navigating AI Overwhelm

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georginahealy/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgina_healy/

Twitter: https://x.com/georgina__healy?lang=en

In The Blink of AI is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.

Sign up to get your weekly insights into the up-and-coming AI startups: https://dayone.fm/newsletter

In this episode of First Cheque, Cheryl and Maxine sit down with Laura Chambers, CEO of @Mozilla to dive into the transformative power of open source technology and its role in shaping the future of the internet and artificial intelligence. Laura shares insights on Mozilla’s unique nonprofit structure, the importance of transparency and accessibility in technology, and the critical need for an open AI ecosystem to drive innovation and equity. From the historical impact of open source software like Firefox to the current challenges of balancing ethical AI development with business needs, this conversation is packed with lessons for early-stage investors and tech enthusiasts alike. Laura also provides an inside look at Mozilla Ventures and the Builders Program, which are supporting the next wave of open-source innovators. Whether you're an investor, founder, or just curious about the future of tech, this episode is a must-listen!

00:00 Intro & Guest Highlights

00:21 Why We're Excited About Laura Chambers

03:14 Interview Begins: Laura's First Investment at Age 10

05:20 Open Source 101: What It Is & Why It Matters

07:08 Firefox vs Internet Explorer: The Open Source Origin Story

09:58 How Healthy Is the Internet Today?

13:50 Can You Actually Make Money From Open Source?

15:45 What If the Internet Had Stayed Behind Paywalls?

17:33 Gen AI Is the New Model T: We're Missing the Seatbelts

19:37 The Case For & Against Closed Source AI

21:35 Why Researchers, Academics & Governments Need Open Access

22:17 Where Are We in the Gen AI Infrastructure Cycle?

24:18 AI in Education: What Skills Do Kids Actually Need?

26:36 Older Generations & the AI Learning Gap

29:16 Open vs Closed: Who's Winning Right Now?

33:49 Meta's Llama & the Strategic Logic of Going Open

35:21 Advice for Founders & Investors Building on Open vs Closed Models

39:21 Inside Mozilla Ventures: What They're Investing In

41:31 Prompt Engineering Tips From a CEO (Say Please!)

46:13 The Biggest Brave Moment: Moving Her Family & a 17-Year-Old Dog to Australia

49:20 The Weight of Being CEO & What That Feels Like

1) Mozilla Ventures: Supporting startups focused on privacy, AI, and open source innovation. (https://mozilla.vc/)

2) Mozilla Builders Program: Investing in and mentoring early-stage entrepreneurs building ethical tech solutions. (https://builders.mozilla.org/)

3) Harvard University Study: Open Source Software’s $8 Trillion Economic Impact A study on the global economic value created by open source technology. (https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/24-038_51f8444f-502c-4139-8bf2-56eb4b65c58a.pdf)

4) Anthropic Report on Bias in AI: Research highlighting the impact of bias and the importance of transparency in AI models. (https://www.anthropic.com/research/mapping-mind-language-model)

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new First Cheque episodes and upcoming shows.

Stripe’s Head of Startups, Hayley Hopwood, joins Georgie to unpack what the next era of commerce actually looks like and why founders need to rethink payments now, not later.

They start with something unexpected: vibe coding a household chore app in 20 minutes. But the conversation quickly moves into much bigger territory. From OpenAI’s arrival in Australia to agentic commerce and Stablecoins, Hayley explains how AI is reshaping the final mile of every transaction and why payments are no longer just infrastructure, they are strategy.

They dive into frictionless checkout, tokenisation, and the psychology of “one click” buying. Hayley shares why Australia will not build the next foundational LLM but can absolutely dominate in niche AI verticals like health, insurance, agriculture and education. She also unpacks why founders must build for global from day one, even if they are only selling locally, and how ignoring tax, currency and billing models early can quietly kill your scale later.

Plus: is B2B SaaS actually dead, what jobs will change first in the AI era, why mediocrity will not survive, and what founders should do in 2026 to stay ahead of the curve.

This is a masterclass in building durable infrastructure in a world moving at AI speed.

For early-stage, venture-backed founders – Stripe Startups is where to start. Enrol in the program and receive access to credits on Stripe fees, expert insights, and a focused community of other founders building on Stripe.

Apply for Stripe Startups at https://www.dayone.fm/stripe

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georginahealy/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgina_healy/

Twitter: https://x.com/georgina__healy?lang=en

In The Blink of AI is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.

Sign up to get your weekly insights into the up-and-coming AI startups: https://dayone.fm/newsletter

Mentioned in this episode:

Stripe Startups

For early-stage, venture-backed founders – Stripe Startups is where to start. Enrol in the program and receive access to credits on Stripe fees, expert insights, and a focused community of other founders building on Stripe.

Stripe Ad_Nov 2025_02

Artificial intelligence is dominating headlines in cybersecurity, but how much of it holds up under scrutiny? In this solo episode of Secured, Cole Cornford, founder and CEO of Galah Cyber, shares his unfiltered take on three of the biggest AI narratives making waves in the AppSec space right now.

Cole breaks down the Claude Code security announcement and why the market reaction dramatically overstated its real-world impact, arguing that the most meaningful security vulnerabilities have never been the ones static analysis tools can easily catch. He then examines Aikido's continuous penetration testing proposition, raising serious questions around noise, cost, resilience, and whether most organisations are even architected to support it.

Finally, Cole tackles the AI job displacement narrative head-on, making the case that most high-profile tech layoffs are less about AI capability and more about mismanaged businesses using automation as convenient cover for decisions driven by poor performance and investor pressure.

00:00 – Intro & Cole's hot take on AI hype

01:30 – Claude Code Security: what it is and why markets overreacted

03:30 – Why meaningful vulnerabilities need context, not static analysis

05:30 – Autofix, token waste, and who's actually using Claude Code

08:00 – Aikido Infinite: the continuous pen testing promise

10:00 – Cost, resilience, and noise concerns with Aikido

12:49 – The AI jobs narrative: Cole's verdict

14:30 – WiseTech, Block, and the smokescreen theory

16:00 – Jobs shift, not job loss

17:03 – Closing thoughts and solo format feedback

🐙 Secured is grateful to be sponsored and supported by Chainguard.

Chainguard is the trusted source for open source. Get hardened, secure, production-ready builds so your team can ship faster, stay compliant, and reduce risk. Download your free CVE Reduction Assessment at https://dayone.fm/chainguard

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new First Cheque episodes and upcoming shows.

Mentioned in this episode:

Call for Feedback

In 2019, two founders launched Swyftx to make buying crypto easier and cheaper for everyday Australians. Seven years later, the platform processes over a billion dollars in monthly trades and serves 1.5 million users.

In this episode, Andy Jones speaks with Jason Titman, CEO of Swyftx, about the company’s remarkable growth journey. Jason shares his path from auditing banks at KPMG to building e-commerce platforms, and what convinced him to dive into crypto. We explore the early days of Swyftx, the culture that has driven its success, and what the Australian crypto landscape looked like when the company launched during a brutal bear market.

From a few hundred dollars a month to over a billion, this is how Swyftx became one of Australia’s largest crypto exchanges.

Two founders. A bear market. And a few hundred dollars in monthly trading. Six years later, Swyftx is doing over a billion dollars a month.

In this trailer for Episode 1 of Can Crypto Deliver?, Day One host Andy Jones sits down with Jason Titman, CEO of Swyftx, one of Australia's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, serving more than 1.5 million Australians.

Episode 1 goes beyond the growth story. Jason shares his own journey from KPMG auditor to hotel investor to crypto CEO, why he believes the traditional financial system has far more intermediaries than it needs, and why he thinks we are still at the very beginning of what crypto can become.

According to Jason, Swyftx grew its customer base by 70% in the last 12 months alone, and with independent studies suggesting another 20-25% of Australians are expected to invest in crypto in the next two to three years, the story is only getting bigger.

If you've ever been curious about crypto but not sure where to start, or you're already invested and want to understand the bigger picture, this one is worth your time.

Can Crypto Deliver? Episode 1 drops Thursday. Subscribe so you don't miss it.