Day One®

Sarah Kaur is not your typical technologist, and that’s the point. As Principal Design Strategist at Portable, she brings an artist’s eye and a community-first mindset to the world of AI and justice tech. In this episode, Sarah joins Georgie Healy to explore what it really means to build AI that works with people, not just on them.

They dive into the hidden biases in design, the pitfalls of “black box” systems, and the real cost of leaving communities out of the development process. From building tools in Australia’s family law system to dreaming up a sovereign digital twin that protects your data, Sarah’s approach to ethical innovation is bold, reflective, and deeply grounded in care.

Whether you’re designing for scale or simply wondering how AI can be made more equitable, this conversation will give you a new lens on what it means to build technology that respects, adapts, and listens.

03:20 – From Artist to AI Strategist: Sarah’s Unconventional Path

07:42 – What Human-Centred AI Actually Means

11:57 – Sitting in Ambiguity: The Black Box Camera Experiment

14:40 – Using ChatGPT to Surface Personal Bias

18:20 – What the Public Doesn’t Understand About AI Design

22:32 – Why Co-Design Matters More Than Ever

30:32 – Designing With Communities, Not Just for Them

35:40 – When Explainability Matters More Than Accuracy in AI

40:00 – Inside Portable’s AI Sprint Model

43:02 – Ethical AI vs. Imaginative AI

47:31 – Dream Tech: A Sovereign Digital Twin That Asks for Consent

👩‍💻 Sarah Kaur on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkaur/

🏢 Portable – https://www.portable.com.au/

📘 Amica (Family Law Tool) – https://www.amica.gov.au/

🛠️ AI Sprint Model by Portable – https://www.portable.com.au/articles/ai-design-sprints

Weekly Substack: https://georgiehealy.substack.com/

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

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

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

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that you can’t control? That’s the thinking behind Koup Music.

In this episode of Pick My Brain, Kartini Ludwig, co-founder and CEO of Koup Music, shares her vision for an ethical, artist-first AI music platform. Kartini explains how Koup allows artists to fine-tune and collaborate with AI models to unlock new sonic possibilities, while still maintaining creative control.

Alan Jones dives deep into Koup’s pitch, offering tactical advice on simplifying IP rights, presenting a stronger fundraising narrative, and testing paid marketing before hiring a CMO. They also explore why community-driven tools need clear go-to-market strategies, and how to make investors feel safe in uncharted territory.

01:33 – Kartini’s background, creative roots, and how Koup Music began

03:00 – What Koup Music is: empowering artists with tunable AI music models

04:50 – Industry validation: APRA stats and ethical concerns in AI music

06:05 – How Koup Music works: live performance demos and remix capabilities

09:35 – Alan’s feedback: clarify visuals, showcase real artists in action

11:22 – Business model: pay-as-you-go credits, future subscriptions, and a model marketplace

14:39 – Who owns AI-generated music? IP rights, artist licensing, and transparency

18:42 – Fundraising strategy: what $1M in seed funding will achieve for Koup

22:04 – Growth goals: 100K users, CAC targets, and early marketing experiments

🙋🏻‍♀️ Kartini Ludwig – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kartiniludwig/

🎶 Koup Music – https://www.koupmusic.com/

Deel: Global hiring and payroll can be a headache. Deel brings HR, IT and payroll together in one platform, helping companies including Shopify, Revolut and ElevenLabs scale internationally.

Ready to expand your business?

Build your global team with Deel at deel.com/dayone.

___

Galah Cyber offers Application Security Assessment Get a clear, ten-minute snapshot of your AppSec maturity across the five core principles. Fast, practical insights you can act on straight away at https://www.galahcyber.com.au/assess

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.

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Laura McClure, Member of Parliament for the ACT Party in New Zealand, joins In the Blink of AI to unpack her viral deepfake experience, her groundbreaking member’s bill, and why tech regulation must protect victims without stifling innovation.

In a powerful conversation, Laura reveals how she created a deepfake of herself in minutes—and why it’s a wake-up call for policymakers worldwide. She shares insights on balancing tech freedoms with responsible safeguards, why regulation is about behaviour not banning tools, and how New Zealand’s slow policy-making could leave them lagging behind.

Laura also discusses how ACT’s libertarian values shape her pro-innovation, pro-startup stance and why deepfakes are a threat not just to teenagers, but to democracy itself. From the electricity grid challenges that could stall New Zealand’s AI adoption to the opportunities in agriculture and defence, this is a must-listen for founders, policymakers, and anyone passionate about the future of technology.

02:20 – Meet Laura McClure (ACT Party MP): From accidental politician to tech advocate

07:25 – Why Laura Entered Politics: Tackling New Zealand’s alarming government debt

09:13 – AI Hacks of the Week: Game-changing educational tech and viral LinkedIn strategies

13:24 – Going Viral with a Nude Deepfake: The shocking truth behind Laura’s Parliament demonstration

23:47 – Why Target Individuals, Not Tech: How Laura’s bill tackles deepfake abuse effectively

27:16 – Pro-Tech, Not Pro-Regulation: Laura’s vision to accelerate AI adoption in NZ and Australia

35:01 – The Infrastructure Challenge: What NZ must fix to power an AI-driven future

39:57 – Skills for the AI Era: Why critical thinking trumps rote learning

44:50 – Laura’s AI-Powered NZ: Her 5–10 year vision of an AI-enabled economy

👩‍💼 Laura McClure on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7330443186185613312/

Weekly Substack: https://georgiehealy.substack.com/

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

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

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

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Win $2,000 in credits with the Day One Network — take our 2-minute audience survey before 30 June: dayone.fm/survey

Paul Stovell, founder and CEO of Octopus Deploy, shares his journey from coding side projects in a Brisbane library to building a $100M+ ARR global business in the competitive world of DevOps. Paul reveals how a relentless focus on product excellence, profitability, and customer value enabled Octopus Deploy to scale without relying on constant investor funding, becoming one of Australia’s most successful software companies.

He delves into the benefits (and pitfalls) of building with transparency, why he rejected Silicon Valley’s growth-at-all-costs mindset, and how he structured Octopus Deploy for sustainable, long-term growth. Paul also unpacks the personal challenges of balancing family, co-founding with his wife, and maintaining passion for building, plus why he’s still at the helm despite the inevitable burnout moments.

If you’re a founder, operator, or investor curious about bootstrapping vs. fundraising, scaling a product-led SaaS, or maintaining healthy relationships while building an empire, this episode is packed with raw insights.

02:20 – Building Octopus Deploy: From Brisbane library to $100M ARR

05:00 – Bootstrapping and turning down a $400K early acquisition offer

08:30 – Co-founding with your spouse: Paul and Sonya’s partnership story

12:10 – Creating a contrarian culture: Remote-first before it was trendy

15:45 – How Australia’s startup ecosystem evolved from 2012 to today

20:30 – Becoming profitable from day one: The mindset behind sustainable growth

26:00 – Facing down Microsoft: Pivoting to survive industry giants

31:10 – Why transparency and building publicly were key growth levers

36:50 – Scaling to 100 employees without losing the original vision

43:00 – Raising $172M from Insight Partners (without needing the money)

50:10 – The realities of taking on investors: How Paul views venture capital

57:00 – Navigating burnout and founder stress while scaling globally

01:04:20 – Hiring mistakes, culture clashes, and leadership lessons learned

01:12:45 – Goal-setting without rigid KPIs: Paul’s unconventional strategy

01:22:00 – Personal life balance: Family, renovating classic cars, and keeping perspective

01:29:30 – What’s next for Octopus Deploy: Staying independent and profitable

🐙 Octopus Deploy – https://octopus.com

📖 Octopus Public Handbook – https://handbook.octopus.com

📊 Octopus Investor Relations – https://ir.octopus.com

👤 Paul Stovell’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulstovell

Deel:

Global hiring and payroll can be a headache. Deel brings HR, IT and payroll together in one platform, helping companies including Shopify, Revolut and ElevenLabs scale internationally.

Ready to expand your business?

Build your global team with Deel at deel.com/dayone.

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

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Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our exploration of startup compensation with Melissa Theiss, Head of People at Kit and founder of Fledge. In this fourth episode of our conversation, we dive deep into one of the most operationally critical yet often overlooked responsibilities for people leaders—budgeting for the annual compensation cycle. We break down the five essential compensation buckets every startup should consider, discuss how to build a strong partnership with your finance team, and explore practical strategies for allocating your compensation budget effectively. If you've enjoyed our previous episodes with Melissa on cookie-cutter compensation, job structures, and rethinking bonuses, this final instalment offers equally valuable insights for getting your comp cycle right.

Chapters:

[01:41] Introduction to Melissa Theiss and her background

[02:29] Building a partnership with your head of finance

[03:27] The five essential compensation buckets explained

[05:52] Avoiding common budget allocation mistakes

[07:40] Becoming finance's best friend through collaboration

[08:44] Building goodwill with finance throughout the year

[10:18] Episode wrap-up and key takeaways

Connect with Melissa Theiss

Visit https://kit.com/

Linkedin: @melissatheiss

Other resources mentioned:

Matt Schulman: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-schulman-15911861/

https://www.pave.com/

More FNDN Episodes at Spotify | Apple Podcast 

Kunal Gupta, founder, investor, and author of 2034: How AI Changed Humanity Forever, joins Georgie Healy for a deep dive into the intersection of AI, self-awareness, and responsible innovation. From his base in sunny Lisbon, and with a live cameo from his AI clone, Kunal shares how meditation, writing, and intentional living helped him navigate burnout and build resilience in the fast-paced world of AI.

This episode unpacks the rise of the “digital aristocracy,” explores the untapped potential of AI literacy as the next great equaliser, and reveals Kunal’s personal hacks for balancing the demands of a hyper-connected world. He also gives listeners an inside look at his acclaimed AI newsletter, Pivot Five, and why consistency, and curiosity, are key to building authentic communities in the AI era.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, AI enthusiast, or just trying to find balance in an AI-driven world, Kunal’s insights will inspire you to ask the right questions, and stay human at the heart of it all.

03:06 — How Meditation Helped Kunal Conquer Burnout

07:49 — From Burnout to Introspection: The Power of Knowing Yourself

11:13 — Kunal’s First Ever Blog Post: A Time Audit That Changed Everything

15:17 — AI Hack of the Week: Summarising PDFs with ChatGPT

17:44 — The Value of Prompting ChatGPT to Learn About Yourself

20:20 — Why Kunal Wrote 2034, And What’s Already Coming True

22:24 — The Rise of the Digital Aristocracy and AI’s Social Divide

29:21 — Designing AI for Seniors: A Huge Untapped Opportunity

31:19 — Why AI Literacy is the Next Big Equalizer

35:00 — Experimenting with Kunal’s AI Clone—Live on Air

38:57 — The Ethics of AI: Enhancing Humanity vs. Diminishing It

42:03 — How Education Must Adapt for AI Literacy

46:41 — Building Communities & Movements in the AI Era

48:15 — Staying True to Yourself: Consistency, Expectation, and Trust

50:16 — Rapid Fire: AI Dinner Guests, AI Music, and Tech’s Next Big Bets

53:13 — The Great Humbling of Humanity: The Future of Work & Skills

👨‍💻 Kunal Gupta on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/bykunal/

📚 Pivot Five AI Newsletter – https://pivot5.beehiiv.com/

📝 How to Live Weekly Journal – https://www.howto.live/

📘 2034: How AI Changed Humanity Forever (Book) – https://www.amazon.com/2034-How-Changed-Humanity-Forever/dp/B0D8VB32NJ

Weekly Substack: https://georgiehealy.substack.com/

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

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

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

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Win $2,000 in credits with the Day One Network — take our 2-minute audience survey before 30 June: dayone.fm/survey

Episode Summary

Imagine navigating a festival with ease, knowing exactly where to go, how busy each venue is, and what’s happening around you. That’s the vision behind Bardar, an app revolutionising the festival experience.

In this episode of Pick My Brain, Dexter Todd shares how Bardar pivoted from a nightlife discovery app into a data-driven platform that helps festival organisers improve attendee experiences and prove their economic impact. Alan Jones dives into the importance of positioning Bardar as an enterprise SaaS product rather than a one-off event app, and how this strategy can unlock longer-term revenue and growth.

They also discuss Dexter’s cold outreach success with South by Southwest Sydney, landing a $25K contract, and the power of leveraging real-time foot traffic data to build value for festival clients.

00:00 – Dexter on festival frustrations and app clunkiness

02:01 – From ANU student startup to Bardar’s growth

03:37 – How Bardar pivoted to focus on festivals

08:23 – Landing a contract with South by Southwest via cold email

11:55 – Using foot traffic APIs to track venue capacity

14:24 – Post-event reports and insights for festivals

15:09 – Fundraising journey: $225K pre-seed and $200K extension

16:36 – Alan’s advice: converting seasonal deals into SaaS contracts

17:27 – Positioning Bardar as a data-driven SaaS enterprise

21:38 – The importance of annual contracts to build a sustainable business

🙋🏻‍♂️ Dexter Todd’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dexter-todd-77a600242/

📍 Bardar - https://www.bardar.app/

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.

Deel: Global hiring and payroll can be a headache. Deel brings HR, IT and payroll together in one platform, helping companies including Shopify, Revolut and ElevenLabs scale internationally.

Ready to expand your business?

Build your global team with Deel at deel.com/dayone.

___

Galah Cyber offers Application Security Assessment Get a clear, ten-minute snapshot of your AppSec maturity across the five core principles. Fast, practical insights you can act on straight away at https://www.galahcyber.com.au/assess

Mentioned in this episode:

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Win $2,000 in credits with the Day One Network — take our 2-minute audience survey before 30 June: dayone.fm/survey

Nnamdi Okike is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at 645 Ventures, known for his early, contrarian bets on overlooked verticals and non-obvious industries. In this episode, Nnamdi shares how he leveraged a data-driven sourcing model to identify breakout companies like Squire and Goldbelly, and why seemingly small or niche markets often produce the biggest wins. Maxine and Cheryl dive deep into Nnamdi’s journey from Insight Partners analyst sourcing deals via cold calls, to launching his own fund and achieving a remarkable hit rate, landing him on the Midas Brink List. They explore how he evaluates founder insights, measures market inflection points, and strategically navigates the power law dynamics in venture capital. Packed with strategic insights and candid reflections, this episode is essential listening for emerging investors, fund managers, and founders curious about building defensible businesses in non-obvious spaces.

04:34 – Nnamdi’s first investment during the dotcom boom

06:52 – Defining “non-obvious industries” and spotting hidden TAM

10:40 – Squire: From barbershop bookings to vertical SaaS OS

13:20 – Goldbelly, marketplaces, and the power of founder insight

17:58 – Algorithmic sourcing meets founder conviction

21:30 – What 645 Ventures learned from missing Facebook

26:46 – Building a fund around risk profiles, not just stages

30:34 – Why the power law should shape every VC decision

35:16 – Does 2024 echo 2002? A macro take on the downturn

42:41 – The rise of zombie funds and quiet closures

45:20 – Bootstrapped AI startups and the future of defensibility

52:54 – When vertical AI gets sticky—and when it doesn’t

57:20 – Nnamdi’s Big Cojones moment: from Insight to starting fresh

🙋‍♂️ Nnamdi Okike on LinkedIn – Follow Nnamdi’s updates and insights. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nnamdiokike

💰645 Ventures – A VC firm investing in early-stage, non-obvious software winners. https://645ventures.com/

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

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Oscar Wahltinez, AI engineer at Google Sydney and longtime advocate for responsible AI, joins In The Blink of AI to demystify the most hyped, and misunderstood, parts of the AI revolution. From model size myths and token prediction mechanics to the surprising truth behind model leaderboards, Oscar explains the inner workings of large language models (LLMs) in clear, human terms.

With nearly a decade at Google, including time at the legendary Mountain View campus, Oscar shares his technical insights, product gripes (sorry, Google Assistant), and reflections on what it actually means to build AI responsibly. You’ll hear about the core innovations behind modern LLMs, the rise of decoder-only models, and the power of RAG systems and embeddings. He also calls on AI startups to stop obsessing over the models, and start building for real users.

If you’re wondering how AI models actually work, what responsible AI looks like in practice, or whether AGI will be our greatest asset or deepest threat, this one’s for you.

02:14 – Oscar’s Role at Google & Why Responsible AI Matters

06:04 – Hack of the Week: Using Gemini (and Oscar’s Honest Review)

10:07 – How LLMs Really Work (and Why It’s Just Predicting the Next Word)

14:21 – From Transformers to Emergent Behaviours: What Surprised Engineers

21:29 – AI Leaderboards, Model Size & the Case for Smaller Systems

28:40 – Decoder vs Encoder Models: What You Actually Need to Know

33:15 – How RAG & Embeddings Power Real-World AI Products

36:41 – What Is Responsible AI? And Why You Can’t Bolt It On Later

39:17 – Building Responsibly on a Budget: Oscar’s Advice to Founders

43:46 – Product Confession: Why Google Assistant Let Him Down

45:05 – AGI: Net Positive or Existential Risk?

👨‍💻 Oscar Wahltinez on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/owahltinez/

📚 Google’s Responsible Generative AI Toolkit – https://ai.google.dev/responsible

🚀 Google AI First Accelerator – https://startup.google.com/programs/accelerator/ai-first/australia/

Weekly Substack: https://georgiehealy.substack.com/

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

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

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

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Join us on the Engineering Success podcast as we sit down with David Leask, a project consultant at Novacom. David shares his fascinating journey from electronics apprentice to agricultural technology expert, offering insights into the world of Internet of Things (IoT) in agriculture.

Discover how David's passion for electronics, sparked by childhood curiosity and nurtured by mentors like Bob Cowan, led him to a diverse career spanning trade work, education, and innovative agricultural projects. Learn about Novacom's groundbreaking mesh network technology for water monitoring on farms and how it's revolutionising resource management.

David discusses the importance of passion, persistence, and adaptability in building a successful career in electronics. He shares valuable advice for aspiring professionals and emphasises the significance of hands-on experience and community engagement in regional projects.

From Sydney to Hobart yacht races to commercial beekeeping, David's varied interests showcase the multifaceted nature of engineering professionals. Don't miss this inspiring conversation about the future of electronics, the role of AI in engineering, and the importance of bridging the gap between industry, education, and regional communities.

Tune in for an enlightening discussion on innovation, career development, and the exciting possibilities in the world of electronics and agricultural technology.