Veronica Harwood-Stevenson, founder of Humble Bee, had an idea to up-cycle materials to make picnic blankets to replace synthetic blankets. There was just one problem - she couldn't a waterproof membrane that was sustainable. With a background in reproductive biology, her first response was to look at what nature does to find a solution. This was the pathway that led her to Humble Bee, a biotech startup creating a new bioplastic by reverse-engineering the nesting material of a solitary bee found in New Zealand and Australia.

With a highly diverse career background that spans from science and research to film production to a lingerie company, Veronica provides an interesting, energising perspective on how to solve a complex, important problem and how to get stuff done!

Listen to this podcast to:

• Be inspired by Veronica's amazing story, vision and insights
• Learn some of the specific steps required to start a company like Humble Bee, including how to raise money and get the right people involved
• Learn how to build a biotech company without completing a PHD and going through the University system
• Learn some of the benefits of this approach and some of the challenges in New Zealand
• Very honest, practical advice for creating a company and making the most of your existence!

Aidan Kenealy launched, grew and exited emgn.com between 2013-2017. Within a year of launching, EMGN.com was consistently attracting 1 million unique visits and serving upward of 63 million ad impressions per day. By mid-2015 EMGN.com entered the Alexa.com global top 500 websites and the US top 10 mobile websites.

Aidan did many things counter to conventional startup wisdom and because of this EMGN.com grew into a unicorn of a business. EMGN enjoyed three years of self-funded growth, having achieved profitability and positive cash flow on day one before selling in 2017.

Aidan now spends his time advising and investing in startups. With his scientific background and mindset, Aidan has a unique, practical view of startup development.

Learn the story behind EMGN, Aidan's approach to building companies and insights into the way his brilliant mind works.

Latesha Randall is the co-founder of Raglan Coconut Yoghurt, co-author of The To Be List, and a serial entrepreneur.

Raglan Coconut Yoghurt started as an attempt to solve a dairy intolerance and within 4 years grown into a multi-award-winning, market-leading yoghurt brand, which is paving the way for sustainable food processes in New Zealand.

Our conversation, which takes place in a yurt in Raglan, one of Tesh and her partner Seb’s projects, is full of wonderful insights about self-development, understanding and getting the best out of people. It’s a glimpse into a unique mind of someone who follows their curiosities and has very little resistance when it comes to executing on ideas. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Shaun Quincey, Founder, investor, extreme athlete and dedicated father, shares his experience starting and growing a Genoapay.

Genoapay's buy now, pay later financing solution has revolutionised the way consumers purchase products and services.

Shaun’s superpower seems to be his ability to get stuck in and do the hard yards, cut through the crap and focus on what matters most. We dig into the things that have mattered most, before and during his journey starting and building Genoapay.

The highlights of this episode include:

• The importance of structures and routines to help manage the chaos of starting and growing a company.
• The value of having the right people around you to pick apart your idea and shape it into something that’s more valuable.
• Using customer discovery to find your right target market and make decisions about your product.
• The realities of working in a corporate job vs. getting out at starting your own company.
• Managing a capital raise, sales and many more good things!

In this episode, we interview Cath Archer, co-founder of Joiy. We dig into her mind and hear about how she, and her business partner, carved out a new niche in the wine industry by creating a uniquely compelling brand and an innovative new product - wine in a can.

Disrupting an industry takes courage and it wasn't always smooth sailing. But from their years of industry experience, they knew that modern consumer behaviours weren't being catered to and there was an opportunity worth pursuing. And, as you'll find out, Cath clearly isn't someone to shy away from hard work and an exciting challenge.

Listen to this episode to learn how to create a compelling brand, the importance of confidence and valuable insights for food and beverage companies.

https://entrepreneursunleashed.blog/
Thanks to Contento and Mum's Garage

From handing out movie coupons to running a successful movie-tech company (Movio). Will shares his insights and learnings that have got Movio to where it is today. 

Quietly flying under the radar of the New Zealand tech scene, Movio has grown into the dominant global player in movie analytics. Part of Vista Group, valued at almost $1B. 

https://entrepreneursunleashed.blog/
Thanks to Contento and Mum's Garage