Day One®

In this episode of the FNDN Series, we delve into startup compensation strategies with guest Jessica Zwaan, a seasoned COO and author of 'Built for People.'

We examine how applying product management principles can revolutionise People operations. Jesse shares insights from practical experiences, emphasising the importance of a market-informed approach to compensation and the dangers of freezing compensation in times of financial strain.

We discuss ways to build compensation models that foster trust and engagement among employees while maintaining flexibility for growth.

Key topics include performance-based pay, building compensation frameworks in dynamic environments, and the relevance of transparency. This episode offers invaluable lessons for HR leaders and startup founders looking to navigate the complexities of compensating their teams effectively.

00:00 Introduction to Startup Compensation

00:44 Guest Introduction: Jesse's Professional Journey

01:28 Applying Product Management to HR

03:31 Compensation as a Strategic Tool

05:23 Challenges and Solutions in Compensation

08:33 Transparency and Trust in Compensation

22:40 Iterating Compensation Practices Over Time

26:57 Exploring Pay for Performance Models

29:12 Challenges and Risks of Variable Compensation

30:55 Ensuring Agility in Compensation Structures

31:40 Discretion and Flexibility in Pay

39:37 Lessons from Past Compensation Rollouts

45:03 Bad Compensation Advice to Avoid

47:36 Final Tips for Startup Compensation

50:23 Conclusion and Farewell

Know more about Jessica!

Visit Jessica Zwaan’s Website 

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

Book: Built For People 

http://talentful.com/ 

More FNDN Episodes at Spotify 

Episode Summary

When Jamie Beaton co-founded Crimson Education, his goal was simple: help ambitious students get into the world’s best universities. Fast forward ten years, Crimson has 800+ staff, global offices, and a suite of education platforms spanning admissions coaching, an international online high school, and AI-powered study tools.

Jamie’s personal journey is just as remarkable—Harvard undergrad, four master's degrees, a JD from Yale, a PhD from Oxford, a Rhodes Scholar. His expertise? Elite admissions, scaling global businesses, and the changing economics of education.

In today’s episode, we cover:

• Why the traditional university model is broken and which institutions will survive

• How AI is making elite education accessible (and why most schools aren’t ready)

• Why New Zealand’s smartest students need to get out—and when to return

• The right way to build a world-class company, from hiring to leadership

• How top universities actually admit students (hint: it’s not just grades)

We also hear about Jamie’s biggest mentors, his leadership lessons, and the future of Crimson Education after its recent Series D.

Time Stamps

01:11 The wildest education history: Harvard, Yale, Oxford & beyond

03:40 Crimson’s 10-year journey from a bold pitch to a global business

06:48 How the real college admissions process works (and what most Kiwis get wrong)

09:52 Buying vs. building: How Jamie makes big bets on acquisitions

14:55 The myth of online education and why self-motivation changes everything

18:08 How Crimson finds the next generation of ambitious Kiwis

25:17 The AI revolution: Private tutoring for everyone—at 1% of the cost

35:53 Is there a reckoning coming for the long tail of higher education?

44:02 Why Kiwis need to get out—and when to do it

56:06 The biggest leadership lessons Jamie had to unlearn

Resources

Jamie Beaton’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiebeaton/

Crimson Education – Global admissions and education platform: https://www.crimsoneducation.org/

Crimson Global Academy – Online international high school: https://www.crimsonglobalacademy.school/

Revision Village – IB study resource platform: https://www.revisionvillage.com/

Need-Blind Financial Aid at Harvard – How top universities fund students: https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid

Episode Summary

AI can transform how you work, and you don’t need to be an expert to take advantage of it. Gareth Rydon, co-founder of Friyay, breaks down some of the most powerful AI tools for productivity, from meeting transcription assistants to AI-powered shopping hacks. This episode dives into practical ways to integrate AI into everyday tasks, how to think about AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and why you should stop stressing over perfect prompts. Plus, Gareth shares his insights on the evolving landscape of generative AI, the competition between LLMs, and which AI tools are actually worth your time.

Time Stamps

00:00 – Intro: The myth of the "perfect prompt" and why you don’t need to save lists of them

02:18 – What is Friyay, and how it helps businesses implement AI

03:22 – The AI tool that made Gareth’s LinkedIn post go viral

05:34 – AI in real life: Using ChatGPT for meal planning and school schedules

09:04 – AI Tool #1: Otter AI – The best AI-powered meeting assistant

13:19 – Why AI note-taking is better than manual transcription

17:35 – How accurate are AI transcription tools?

22:32 – The AI model race: OpenAI vs. DeepSeek vs. Google vs. XAI

26:02 – The celebrity personalities of AI models (ChatGPT as Matt Damon?)

32:20 – AI Tool #2: GPT-4o’s 03 Mini Mode – The ultimate online shopping assistant

37:43 – Pro tip: How to find discount codes with AI

41:55 – Why you should ask AI to prompt itself

Resources Mentioned

1. Friyay – Generative AI studio helping businesses integrate AI (https://www.friyay.ai)
2. Otter AI – AI-powered meeting transcription and note-taking (https://otter.ai)
3. ChatGPT 03 Mini – OpenAI’s reasoning model, great for online shopping (https://openai.com)
4. DeepSeek AI – Open-source LLM making waves in AI accessibility
5. One Useful Thing – AI insights from Ethan Mollick

✨ Connect with Georgie Healy

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

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

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

The Day One Network

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:

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Episode Summary

Kiera Farrell, Cyber Analyst at David Jones, shares her journey from studying a Bachelor of Cybersecurity to landing a role in cybersecurity operations. She reflects on the challenges of breaking into the industry, the lessons learned from risk management, and the importance of networking in career growth. Kiera and Cole discuss the value of stepping outside your comfort zone, the evolving landscape of cybersecurity degrees, and what hiring managers can do to attract and retain young talent. If you're an aspiring cybersecurity professional or a leader looking to support early-career hires, this episode is packed with insights.

Timestamps

2:00 – Kiera’s journey: From Bachelor of Cybersecurity to David Jones

5:00 – What studying cybersecurity is really like

8:10 – The surprising importance of risk management

12:00 – Ethical hacking & the role of security education

16:30 – The grad job hunt: what works, what doesn’t

19:45 – The power of stepping out of your comfort zone

21:30 – Building a strong professional network

23:50 – What makes an employer attractive for graduates?

26:40 – How mentorship accelerates career growth

30:35 – Advice for students and early-career professionals

Mentioned in this episode:

Call for Feedback

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Episode Summary

🌿Brewing a Sustainable Future with Lab-Grown Palm Oil – Mick Liubinskas sits down with Tom Collier, CEO and co-founder of Levur, to uncover how precision fermentation is transforming the palm oil industry.

Palm oil is found in 50% of supermarket products and 70% of cosmetics, yet its production is a major driver of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and carbon emissions. Levur is tackling this crisis by using synthetic biology to brew palm oil in a lab, eliminating the need for rainforest destruction. Tom shares his journey from molecular biology to entrepreneurship, the challenges of scaling biotech solutions, and why global regulations and corporate demand are accelerating the shift to sustainable alternatives.

From waste-to-feedstock innovation to mass fermentation at industrial scale, this episode explores how lab-grown palm oil could reshape the future of food, cosmetics, and climate tech.

💡 Tune in to learn why regulation, consumer pressure, and cost-efficiency are aligning to drive massive change—and why sustainable solutions must not only be greener but cheaper and better to win the market!

⏱️ Time Stamps

00:00 – Introduction: Live from Macquarie University’s Synthetic Biology Lab

00:24 – Meet Tom Collier and Levur’s mission to brew palm oil

01:07 – The devastating impact of palm oil production

02:05 – Why global demand for palm oil is set to quadruple by 2050

03:12 – How microbes and precision fermentation create sustainable palm oil

06:11 – Why palm oil is used in everything from chocolate to shampoo

08:43 – Scaling up: From lab samples to industrial fermentation

12:03 – Overcoming biotech manufacturing bottlenecks

16:01 – The challenge of making sustainable products cost-competitive

18:44 – How waste feedstocks can power a circular economy

19:38 – Why Europe’s palm oil regulations are a game-changer for Levur

22:08 – The $70M ton problem: Can lab-grown palm oil scale fast enough?

24:14 – 2025 goals: Delivering first samples and proving market fit

26:29 – The path to mass adoption and commercial success

Resources Mentioned

🔗Levur – Brewing sustainable palm oil with precision fermentation

🤝Levur’s Linkedin🙋🏻‍♂️Tom’s Linkedin🌱 EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) – Banning unsustainable palm oil imports

📊 Australian Genome Foundry – Supporting synthetic biology startups

🔬 Macquarie University’s Synthetic Biology Lab – Cutting-edge research in bioengineering

📖 Net Positive by Paul Polman – How businesses can lead sustainability transformations

🌍 Ready to discover more innovative climate tech solutions? Here's what you can do:

▶️ SUBSCRIBE to never miss an episode featuring amazing founders solving climate challenges! → youtube.com/@climatesalad3378.

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🔄 Share this episode with others who care about climate innovation!

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Episode Summary

In this episode of "In the Blink of AI," host Georgie Healy interviews Steve Hind, co-founder of Lorikeet, a leading AI customer support platform tailored for complex industries like FinTech and health tech. Steve discusses the evolving landscape of AI, addressing common misconceptions about its capabilities and the importance of prioritising customer experience. He emphasises that delivering effective support, whether through humans or AI, hinges on the intent and goals of the business.

Steve elaborates on the uniqueness of Lorikeet's platform, which enables companies to train AI agents to handle intricate support queries, and highlights the significance of understanding the diverse needs of customers across various sectors. The conversation also touches upon the recent $14 million funding round for Lorikeet and the impact of AI technologies like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) in enhancing customer support.

Throughout the discussion, Steve shares insights on the importance of empathy in AI interactions, the role of customisation in chatbot personalities, and the necessity for businesses to adapt to the fast-paced AI advancements. He concludes with a reminder to approach AI with a mindset focused on improving customer experiences, urging listeners to be kind to AI as it continues to evolve.

Time Stamps

00:00 – Why AI customer support gets a bad reputation

01:52 – What makes Lorikeet different from other AI support tools

02:49 – Why banks and healthcare companies need AI-driven customer support

09:00 – What is RAG, and why does it matter for AI-powered customer service?

14:09 – The biggest mistake AI chatbots make in customer support

16:26 – What does "agentic reasoning" really mean?

19:12 – The cost of running AI models and why RAG reduces compute power

27:46 – AI tools Steve uses every day (and his take on Perplexity and Replit)

30:36 – How to stand out when applying for an AI job

39:18 – What people get wrong about AGI and AI scaling laws

Resources Mentioned

Lorikeet – AI-powered customer support for FinTechs and health techs (https://www.lorikeetcx.ai/)

Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg, Skip Capital – Major investors in Lorikeet

Replit & Cursor – AI-powered developer tools for software engineering

Perplexity AI – AI search and research assistant

Superhuman AI – AI-powered email client with automated responses

✨ Connect with Georgie Healy

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

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

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

The Day One Network

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 the Blink of AI is made possible by our wonderful partnersDeel

Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders.

It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast.

Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone

Mentioned in this episode:

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of First Cheque, hosts Cheryl and Maxine dive deep into the complexities of fund cycles, providing invaluable insights for emerging fund managers and entrepreneurs alike. They discuss the key aspects of raising and deploying funds, including the significance of understanding the timing and structure of fund cycles. Cheryl emphasises the importance of recognising that announcements of fundraising often indicate the beginning of the fundraising process rather than immediate capital deployment.

Maxine elaborates on the differences in fund management strategies, particularly in Australia, where choices about fund structures, like ESVCLP (Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnership), can influence tax benefits and administrative requirements. The hosts also touch on the challenges faced by fund managers, such as the necessity to maintain liquidity and the common practice of deploying smaller checks to riskier companies at the start of a fund’s lifecycle, while gradually shifting to larger, safer investments as the fund matures.

Throughout the conversation, they highlight the importance of planning for exits, the dynamics of raising subsequent funds, and the need for flexibility, especially within micro funds. They conclude by encouraging fund managers to be diligent in their planning to ensure success and sustainability in their investment journeys. This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for anyone looking to navigate the intricate world of venture capital and fund management.

Time Stamps:

00:00 – Introduction: Why fund cycles matter for investors & founders

01:21 – Who this episode is for: Emerging fund managers & startup founders

03:23 – Understanding fund cycles: Raising, deploying, and exiting

05:48 – The reality of raising a fund: Why it takes 12-24 months to close

09:35 – Deployment periods: How VCs decide when and where to invest

12:34 – The risk of running out of money—how fund managers avoid this mistake

16:57 – Fund sizes & check sizes: Why $50M is a magic number in VC

21:09 – Micro VCs vs. bigger funds: How different strategies impact returns

25:14 – Opportunity funds: When fund managers double down on winners

30:08 – The importance of liquidity planning and secondaries in VC

37:17 – Exits: How and when fund managers start planning for returns

43:59 – Final thoughts: The key takeaways from this episode

Resources Mentioned

- Angel Academy – The most comprehensive angel investing course for Australia & NZ: www.venture.academy

- Aussie Angels – Cheryl’s platform for angel investing https://www.aussieangels.com/

- Co-Ventures – Maxine’s venture capital firm https://www.coventures.vc/

- ESVCLP (Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnership) – How tax benefits impact Australian VC funds

- AFR & Startup Daily – Understanding VC funding announcements in the media

- Adverb Ventures (April Underwood) – Case study on fast fund cycles

- Australian Super Funds & VC – Why institutional capital is hard to secure

- Venture Fund Deployment Data (US vs. Australia) – Insights on how quickly funds deploy capital

- Fund Liquidity & Secondaries – How fund managers plan exits when IPOs & M&A slow down

Sponsors:First Cheque is supported by our wonderful sponsors:

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.

___

Pear Tree: Pear Tree helps Australian and New Zealand founders build high-performing offshore teams without the agency middleman.

As local hiring becomes more expensive and harder to fill, many operators are turning to offshore talent across engineering, development, marketing, accounting and operations at a fraction of local salary costs.

The offshore horror stories you hear usually aren’t a talent problem. They’re the result of outsourcing agencies that overcharge clients while underpaying staff. Pear Tree takes a different approach through a direct, transparent model where your team is paid fairly, fully compliant, and focused entirely on your business.

As part of the Day One community, you’ll receive a free team audit to identify where offshore talent could move the needle in your business, plus 20% off your first hire. Learn more at http://dayone.fm/peartree

First Cheque is part of Day One.Day One helps founders and startup operators make better business decisions more often.

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

Mentioned in this episode:

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Episode Summary

In this episode of In The Blink of AI, Georgie Healy chats with Jing Wei, Lead AI Engineer at Fetch, an InsurTech startup backed by Airtree. Fetch is leveraging AI to streamline pet insurance claims, making vet care more accessible and efficient.

Jing shares insights into AI’s role in pet healthcare, tackling handwritten vet notes, PDFs, and complex medical data to speed up claims processing. She also discusses the rise of robotic pets, including China's viral AI guinea pig Boo Boo, and the implications of AI-driven pet monitoring.

The conversation explores how AI is improving veterinary diagnostics, the challenges of building AI models, and the unexpected costs of running AI startups. If you’re curious about AI in pet healthcare, robotic pets, or the technical realities of AI adoption, this episode is for you!

Time Stamps

00:00 – How AI is transforming pet healthcare

01:11 – What is Fetch and how does AI improve pet insurance?

06:00 – The rise of AI-powered robotic pets like Boo Boo

13:29 – AI-powered pet monitoring: Useful or dystopian?

16:11 – Can AI detect pet emotions and health issues?

30:23 – The biggest challenge in AI: Handling unstructured vet records

34:57 – Why PDFs are AI’s worst nightmare in pet insurance

38:42 – The real cost of AI: Jing’s accidental $1,000 cloud bill

39:35 – Fetch’s expansion plans: Taking AI-powered pet insurance global

46:04 – Why pet owners should brush their pet’s teeth to avoid massive vet bills

Resources Mentioned

- Fetch: InsurTech startup focused on pet insurance, utilising AI to streamline claims.

- Google AI Accelerator: Program where Jing Wei refined her AI implementation skills.

- Archive: Platform for non-peer-reviewed research papers, commonly used to find the latest AI research.

- Hangzhou Genmo Technology: Company that produced the AI guinea pig called Boo Boo.

- Tably: An app that reads cat facial cues to assess their emotions and health.

- OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Technology used for text extraction from images and documents.

✨ Connect with Georgie Healy

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

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

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

The Day One Network

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 the Blink of AI is made possible by our wonderful partnersDeel

Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders.

It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast.

Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone

Mentioned in this episode:

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Episode Summary

In this episode of In the Blink of AI, host Georgie Healy sits down with Danielle Haj-Moussa, an investor at Main Sequence, Australia’s largest deep-tech VC fund. As the first VC guest on the podcast, Danielle offers a rare inside look into what investors are really looking for in AI startups, how scaling laws are shaping the future of AI, and whether we are in an AI bubble.

She dives deep into the intersection of AI and robotics, how foundational AI models are impacting real-world applications, and why Australian founders are uniquely positioned to thrive in deep tech. Danielle also shares her thoughts on AGI, AI bias, and compute efficiency, plus an unexpected insight into why so many deep-tech VCs are also DJs!

If you’re a founder, investor, or just someone who wants to understand how AI startups succeed, this episode is packed with valuable insights.

Time Stamps

00:00 Scaling Laws & AI's Constant Evolution

04:05 What Makes Deep-Tech VC Different?

07:25 AI and Robotics: The Next Big Leap

09:58 Is the AI Boom a Bubble?

14:49 How to Spot a True AI Bubble

18:25 Scaling Laws: Why They Matter (and Their Limits)

21:47 The Future of Compute and AI Infrastructure

27:37 What Investors Look for in AI Startups

30:09 Can AI Startups Compete with Tech Giants?

39:38 The AI Job Market: Will AI Replace or Create Jobs?

44:44 AGI: Should We Be Freaked Out?

48:19 The Regulatory Landscape for AI Startups

51:11 VC Myths: Are Investors Just Vulture Capitalists?

Resources Mentioned

1. Main Sequence – Australia’s largest deep-tech VC fund
2. Lovable – AI-powered tool for instant app creation
3. Rekordbox – DJ software used by professionals
4. Danielle Haj-Moussa's Linkedin

✨ Connect with Georgie Healy

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

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

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

The Day One Network

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 the Blink of AI is made possible by our wonderful partnersDeel

Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders.

It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast.

Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone

Mentioned in this episode:

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Episode Summary

In this special solo episode, host Cole Cornford reflects on the journey of the Secured podcast over the past two years. He shares behind-the-scenes insights, from the unexpected challenges of cicada season disrupting recordings to the podcast’s growth, hitting 45 episodes and over 7,000 downloads. Cole discusses listener feedback, format changes, and his plans to expand the show, including moving to weekly episodes, introducing video content, and diversifying guest profiles. He also highlights listener engagement stats, the importance of audience reviews, and the future direction of Secured with a focus on delivering more valuable and dynamic cybersecurity content.

Timestamps

00:20 – The impact of cicada season on recording and production

01:10 – Hitting 45 episodes: reflections on the podcast’s growth

01:54 – Asking for listener feedback and reviews to support the show

02:51 – Plans to move to weekly episodes and potential sponsorships

03:51 – The possibility of introducing video content and its challenges

04:35 – Listener engagement stats: unique listeners, downloads, and demographics

08:05 – Most downloaded and highest engagement episodes revealed

10:55 – Diversity in guests and topics: striving for representation

13:48 – Changes in podcast format: cutting certain segments for better engagement

17:03 – The shift towards professional development-focused content

19:50 – Future goals: more international guests and sharper conversations

Mentioned in this episode:

Call for Feedback

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

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