Funded Futures

In this episode, Emily sits down with Serena Lam, the powerhouse founder behind Fuzzy AI – a radically new platform transforming the way sales and marketing teams create content, build personal brands and generate leads.

Serena shares how Fuzzy AI grew from a pivot, a prototype and one founder friend who pulled out his credit card on the spot. What began as a completely different startup quickly evolved into a tool built on deep research, relentless curiosity and a very human understanding of what modern salespeople actually need.

Together, Emily and Serena dive into:

• Why traditional outreach flops and how relevance, credibility and personal brand now trump everything

• The shift from brand-first to expert-led selling, and why people buy from people (not logos)

• How AI is reshaping go-to-market strategies faster than most teams can keep up

• Serena’s journey through tech, consulting and banking, and how a lack of category definitions became a strength

• The real barriers for women in AI and other male-dominated sectors

• Why confidence is often overrated, competence is underrated and women are still under-applying for big opportunities

• The subtle ways societal expectations still shape female founders’ decisions, ambitions and career trajectories

• The importance of asking for more – salaries, roles, responsibility and airtime

• And how building a startup often comes down to asking boldly, building quickly and backing yourself even when the ground is moving beneath you

Serena’s energy is magnetic, her honesty refreshing and her insights razor sharp. Whether you’re a founder, a marketer or someone wondering how on earth AI keeps getting smarter, this conversation delivers both inspiration and practical gold.

In this episode of Funded Futures, Emily sits down with Bijin Johnson, founder of Gradus, the AI-powered platform tackling one of the knottiest problems in business: finding great people without losing your sanity or your runway.

Fresh off winning VentureCrowd’s Pitch Night, Bijin shares the surprisingly human story behind Gradus, from his days as a systems engineer at Boeing to building an MVP in a three-week sprint powered by grit, insomnia and a touch of chaos.

He breaks down why recruitment is fundamentally broken, why referrals work but don’t scale, and how AI can finally make the hiring process faster, fairer and far less painful for both graduates and employers.

Expect thoughtful insights, founder-level honesty and a few good laughs as Bijin and Emily unpack:

• The leap from aerospace engineering to entrepreneurship

• How a grassroots grad community sparked a national movement

• Why hiring the wrong person can cripple a young company

• The true cost of recruitment and where AI can meaningfully help

• The future of “vibecoding” and building software with AI

• Sustainable growth vs. the trap of “scale at all costs”

A brilliant episode for founders, HR leaders, grads navigating the job hunt and anyone fascinated by how AI is reshaping work.

In this episode of Funded Futures, Emily Macfarlane sits down with Mark Burrell, Founder and CEO of AiCarer, a predictive wellness and safety platform built to support families caring for ageing or vulnerable loved ones.

Born from Mark’s personal experience as a carer, AiCarer uses everyday wearables and proprietary AI to detect early changes in wellbeing — before a crisis occurs. The technology is already gaining traction with Carers Queensland, Garmin Health, and major insurers, and is now scaling across Australia and into the UK.

Mark shares how a deeply personal challenge inspired him to create a solution that empowers carers, reduces hospitalisations, and restores dignity for millions of people ageing at home.

In This Episode:
💡 The personal story that sparked AiCarer’s creation
💡 How predictive AI and wearables are transforming aged and disability care
💡 Why unpaid carers are the invisible backbone of our health system
💡 How AiCarer secured major partnerships and early commercial traction
💡 What’s next — Australia-wide rollout and UK expansion
💡 How investors can get involved through AiCarer’s VentureCrowd raise

In this episode of Funded Futures, Emily Macfarlane sits down with Josh Sprague, founder of Trove, an innovative app designed to democratise access to alternative investments. Josh shares his mission to level the playing field for everyday Australians who are locked out of high-return asset classes typically reserved for the wealthy.

They discuss:

• The challenges faced by retail investors in Australia and the barriers to building meaningful wealth.

• What it means to be a “sophisticated investor” and how the rules often favour the already wealthy.

• How Trove makes investing in alternative assets accessible, diversified, and goal-based.

• The reality of raising capital, navigating venture capital, and dealing with investor gatekeeping.

• The emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship, resilience, and sticking to your vision.

• Practical advice for founders, particularly female founders, on confidence, taking risks, and testing ideas.

• Why short-term hype investments like crypto are tempting but risky, and how structured approaches can build wealth over time.

Josh and Emily also share candid reflections on equity crowdfunding, financial literacy, and the importance of providing new pathways for Australians to grow their wealth outside of traditional property or stock markets.

This episode is perfect for anyone interested in fintech, investing, or the startup journey—especially those frustrated with traditional barriers to wealth creation.

In this episode of Funded Futures, host Emily Macfarlane sits down with Tod Pedler, Founder and CEO of New Dialogue — a revolutionary AI company delivering private, open-source GPT technology for enterprises.

Todd unpacks what it means to build an “open-source private GPT” and why data sovereignty and security should be at the heart of every company’s AI strategy. From healthcare to financial services, New Dialogue is helping regulated industries harness the power of AI without sacrificing privacy or compliance.

Emily and Todd discuss:

• 🔒 Why most businesses should not feed sensitive data into public AI models like ChatGPT

• 🌏 How New Dialogue’s “air-gapped” infrastructure keeps information safe and sovereign

• 💡 How one pilot helped a company uncover $20 million in lost opportunities

• 🤖 The rise of AI agents and what’s coming next in 2026

• 🧠 Why the future of work isn’t about replacing people, but freeing them from “busy work”

• 🎨 The growing value of human-created content in a world of generative AI

• 💬 The importance of ethics, transparency and provenance in AI-generated information

With wit and insight, Todd explains how New Dialogue bridges innovation with accountability showing how businesses can adopt AI safely, intelligently and with confidence.

This is episode was filmed at Hub Australia, providing vibrant business communities, networking events and opportunities to collaborate.

In this episode of Funded Futures, host Emily Macfarlane speaks with David Cummins, Founder and Managing Director of Future Property Group, a company redefining the construction industry through regenerative, nature-positive design.

David’s journey began with a life-changing moment — a near-death surfing accident that left him stranded on a remote island. There, he discovered a self-sufficient community living entirely in harmony with nature, sparking the idea for Future Property Group: a property business designed to heal the planet, not harm it.

Future Property Group builds regenerative bungalows — homes designed to work with the environment, not against it. By partnering with organisations like the World Health Organization, UTS, and the Living Building Challenge, David and his team are creating the world’s first nature-positive housing model.

Through evidence-based design, advanced biophilic architecture, and a deeply values-driven culture, Future Property Group is proving that sustainable building doesn’t have to come at the cost of comfort or profit.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How a surfing accident led to a complete career and purpose transformation

• Why the construction industry contributes 40% of global carbon emissions and how that can change

• The concept of regenerative bungalows and why they’re a world first

• The role of evidence-based design and partnerships with UTS & WHO

• How biophilia and connection to nature improve health, happiness and performance

• Why sustainability should be prioritised above time and cost in development

• The importance of diversity, leadership, and values-driven decision making in construction

• The dangers of greenwashing and how to spot it

• What we can learn from our ancestors about living simply and sustainably

David also shares how Future Property Group is walking the talk on diversity, with women leading key project roles, and how genuine values, not ego or profit, drive every decision.

This episode is a reminder that the future of property isn’t just about building better homes , it’s about building a better world.

This is episode was filmed at ⁠Hub Australia⁠, providing vibrant business communities, networking events and opportunities to collaborate.

In this episode of Funded Futures, host Emily Macfarlane sits down with Warwick Donaldson, founder and managing director of CapXcentric, to unpack the truth behind capital raising in Australia.

Warwick has supported over 160 startup raises worth more than $400 million, and his reputation as a fierce advocate for founders comes from telling them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

This conversation dives deep into what really makes a founder investable, beyond the pitch deck. From reflecting on personal purpose before chasing investors, to the emotional psychology of rejection, Warwick shares a no-nonsense playbook for raising capital the right way.

He also opens up about his own entrepreneurial journey, his decision not to scale CapXcentric, and how prioritising mental health, boundaries and authenticity has made him a better advisor and leader.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why most founders raise capital too early—and what to do instead

• The importance of self-reflection before a raise (personal, business, and investor)

• Why investor-pleasing kills authenticity and credibility

• How rejection sensitivity and psychology shape founder behaviour

• The bias in investor decision-making and the emotional side of venture capital

• Why warm introductions still matter more than ever in 2025

• How to build resilience and maintain perspective when raising capital

Whether you’re preparing for your first raise or navigating your next one, Warwick’s practical and candid advice will reshape how you approach investors and yourself.

In this episode of Funded Futures, host Emily Macfarlane sits down with Ben Circosta, founder and CEO of Bippi, the fast-growing Australian food brand transforming authentic Calabrian family recipes into supermarket staples.

What started in his Nonna Emilia’s kitchen during lockdown has become a national success story, with Bippi’s chilli condiments, hot honey, and salsa verde now stocked in 1,200+ retailers including Coles and Woolworths.

Ben shares his entrepreneurial journey from experimenting with traditional recipes, to navigating food production challenges, scaling distribution, and crafting a bold Italian-inspired brand identity that resonates with modern consumers. He also reflects on winning the Melbourne Young Entrepreneur Award (Food & Beverage) and how that recognition fuels his next chapter.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How heritage and family traditions shaped Bippi’s brand identity

• The challenges of scaling food production without compromising quality

• Securing national distribution in Coles and Woolworths

• The role of branding, marketing, and storytelling in building consumer trust

• Lessons from bootstrapping and reinvesting profits into sustainable growth

• Advice for aspiring founders in the food and beverage industry

Whether you’re a food lover, a startup founder, or simply curious about the future of Australian food brands, this episode is packed with practical insights and heartfelt storytelling.

In this episode of Funded Futures, Emily sits down with Brendan Leeds, founder of Choosey App, the hospitality hiring platform built to solve one of the industry’s toughest challenges: finding the right staff, fast.

Brendan shares his journey of turning industry frustration into a tech-driven solution that connects venues with pre-vetted workers — reducing time-to-hire and helping hospitality businesses stay focused on what matters most: their customers.

They cover:
🍴 The inspiration behind Choosey App and why the hospitality sector needed a smarter hiring tool
📲 How technology is reshaping casual and shift-based work
💡 Lessons from the early startup journey, from MVP to scaling
🤝 Why community and networks are key to growth in hospitality tech
🚀 The role of crowdfunding and how investors can back solutions tackling real-world problems

Whether you’re a founder building in a tough industry, an investor looking at the future of workforce platforms, or simply interested in how technology is transforming hospitality, this conversation offers fresh insight and a dose of startup grit.

This week on Funded Futures, Emily sits down with the brilliant Kate Save - dietitian, exercise physiologist, diabetes educator, serial entrepreneur, Shark Tank alum, and co-founder of Be Fit Food.

From surfing on the Mornington Peninsula to scaling a company that’s changing the way Australians approach health, Kate’s story is one of relentless curiosity, resilience, and razor-sharp purpose.

In this deeply personal and inspiring episode, we cover:

• The life-altering moment that sparked her mission to treat food as medicine

• How she went from seven casual jobs to multiple degrees and founding two companies

• The reality of pitching (and surviving) Shark Tank Australia

• Why equity crowdfunding was the right fit for Be Fit Food—and how she raised during one of the hardest times of her life

• The powerful role of values-aligned investors and customer communities

• How she’s bringing personalised nutrition to the masses, from pharmacies to DNA-based health

• What it means to lead with purpose, even through profound personal loss

Kate’s story is proof that building a business with purpose isn’t just possible, it’s essential. Whether you're a founder, investor, or health-conscious listener, this conversation is packed with insight, warmth, and a hefty dose of entrepreneurial grit.