This month on In Venture, Gavin and Tobi step into 2026 like it’s Game 7.From December through mid-February, the scoreboard is flashing.💰Funding Is Back. But Smarter.Cut Through Venture’s latest report shows $5.1 billion raised in 2025 - up $1 billion on 2024. Fewer deals, bigger conviction.👀390 investments, down from 47061% of capital - $3.1 billion - flowing into AI-led businessesCheckbox $100mOperata $100mSplose $46mFluency $30mTranslation? Less spray-and-pray. More sniper fire.🦄New Unicorns Enter The ArenaGilmour Space blasted past a $1B valuation after raising $200m+Neara raised $90m using AI to digitise power infrastructureSpace and energy. Not exactly side hustles.🤑VCs Sitting On Dry PowderEVP - $100m new fundSquare Peg - $650m first closeSecond Quarter Ventures - Fund III chasing a $2.6B opportunityCapital is loaded. Now it’s about discipline.🚀IPO Watch. Still Warming Up.ROKT - no IPO in 2026Airwallex - regulatory headwindsCanva - quiet, but now bigger than Atlassian in local tech pecking orderHotDoc - sold to Potentia Capital for $200m+Not a flood of exits. But smart ones.And Then… Elon 🧞Tesla invests $2B into xAIxAI merges into SpaceXCombined valuation - $1.25 trillionFocus - self-growing city on the Moon, then MarsMeanwhile Starlink runs its first Super Bowl ad.🏃People Moves + Local Shake-UpsMichael Batko steps down from Startmate after 8 yearsRobyn Denholm departs Tech Council of AustraliaCulture Amp appoints Caroline Rawlinson as CEO, Didier Elzinga to Executive ChairmanAnd then the harder headlines:Sendle shuts downLaunchVic winds downSXSW Sydney goneWaymo raises $16B to scale robotaxis globallyAnthropic drops Claude updates that rattle marketsIt’s messy. It’s fast. It’s opportunity.This episode isn’t just news. It’s pattern recognition. Funding is up. AI dominates. Fewer but bigger bets. IPOs cautious. Exits selective.The game has changed. The serious players stayed on court.Tune in 🎯

SHOW LINKS

Connect With Gavin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinappel/ 

Connect With Tobi:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/ 

Show Links:

https://www.ignitionlane.com/ 

https://cubes.co/ 

What if hot springs weren’t a luxury… but essential human infrastructure?In this powerful episode of Hear Me Roar, we sit down with Charles Davidson - Co-Founder of Peninsula Hot Springs and Chairman of the Hot Springs Initiative at the Global Wellness Institute.This is not a spa conversation.This is a long-term vision conversationand we're lucky to have Charles Davidson on the pod to learn moreFrom Japanese Onsen to the Mornington PeninsulaIn the early 1990s, Charles travelled the world studying bathing cultures - from Japan to Europe to the Middle East. What he saw wasn’t indulgence. It was ritual. Community. Healing.He returned to Australia with a belief:Geothermal water connects people.That belief became Peninsula Hot Springs - now one of Australia’s most iconic wellness destinations, attracting visitors globally and reshaping how we think about wellbeing, tourism and community spaces.But the real story?Years of risk. Deep drilling - literally and figuratively. Conviction when few understood the opportunity.In This Episode We Explore:- The cultural power of hot springs around the world- Why thermal bathing is more than relaxation - it’s preventative health- The rise of the global wellness economy- How geothermal destinations drive regional growth- Why modern society needs places to slow downCharles shares insights that go beyond business. This is about building spaces that restore humanity in a world moving at full speed.If you’re a founder, developer, wellness leader or simply someone thinking long-term about legacy - this conversation will expand your lens.👇 Hit subscribe. Drop your thoughts in the comments.And let us know - what does wellness mean to you?..SHOW LINKSConnect With Charles:https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-davidson-4926061a/ Connect With Kate:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesavebefitfood/ Connect With Tobi:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/ Web Links:https://www.peninsulahotsprings.com/ https://befitfood.com.au/ https://cubes.co/

This episode is a wake-up call for brands still fighting for attention in crowded inboxes.

Kate and Tobi sit down with Brian Pham, Managing Director of Litecard, to unpack how mobile wallets are quietly becoming one of the most powerful and underutilised channels in modern marketing.

Litecard helps brands and retailers communicate directly with customers through the mobile wallet - a space 4 out of 5 people globally use every single day. Less noise. Better experience. Smarter engagement.

Brian breaks down how Litecard:

• Unlocks true omnichannel engagement

• Delivers personalised, timely experiences

• Connects online to offline customer journeys

• Integrates seamlessly with platforms like Klaviyo, Dotdigital, Salesforce, D365, Shopify, Square and more

• Helps brands invest smarter as email, SMS, and paid channels become more expensive and AI reshapes the landscape

This isn’t hype. It’s practical, scalable, and already working.

💡 And yes - Cubes.Co proudly uses Litecard across our ecosystem. We back what works, and this works.

Add in Brian’s journey as a recognised innovator:

• 💫 UN 2022 GBLA Business Leadership Award - Innovation & Sustainability

• 📰 AFR / SmartCompany 2023 Up & Coming Startups

• 👓 25under35 2025 Business Aficionado Awards

If you’re serious about retention, loyalty, and building deeper customer relationships in a tougher economy - this episode is mandatory listening.

👇 Watch now and rethink how your brand shows up in customers’ pockets.

SHOW LINKS

Connect With Brian:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianpham-aus/ 

Connect With Kate:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesavebefitfood/ 

Connect With Tobi:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/ 

Businesses:

https://litecard.com.au/ 

https://befitfood.com.au/ 

https://cubes.co/ 

On this episode of Hear Me RoAR, Ronn Bechler joins Kate and Tobi for a masterclass in capital markets, boardrooms, and building businesses that last.Ronn is one of the quiet architects behind modern Australian investor relations.

Over a 30-year career, he advised boards and executive teams across private and public markets, spanning tax, corporate finance, M&A, capital markets, and growth strategy. Then he saw a gap no one else did.He pioneered corporatised investor relations consulting in Australia, broke a near-monopoly in shareholder data, and built Market Eye into the country’s largest IR consultancy and second-largest shareholder data business.

After 15 years of scale, he sold the business to Automic Group in 2022 and stepped into the role of Executive Director.After nearly three decades of 6–7 day weeks, Ronn made a rare move in February 2024 – he stepped back.

Today, he operates as a non-executive director at Kogan.com (ASX: KGN), Advisory Board Chairman at Argall, an active investor, and contributor across multiple not-for-profit organisations.

In this conversation, we unpack:

🛠️ How to build businesses that dominate niche markets

🧑‍💻 What boards really look for in founders and CEOs

🚀 The inflection point between growth, governance, and exit

🤝 Why stepping back can sometimes be the smartest strategic move

If you care about capital, credibility, and long-term game thinking – this episode is for you 🎯

SHOW LINKSConnect With Ronn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnbechler/

Connect With Kate:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesavebefitfood/

Connect With Tobi:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/

Kate's Company

https://befitfood.com.au/

Tobi's Companies

https://cubes.co/

What if the best business strategy isn’t a spreadsheet… but your life clock?On this episode of Hear Me RoAR, Kate and Tobi sit down with Athan Didaskalou – Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of July, the modern luggage brand redefining how the world travels.Athan opens with a line that stops you in your tracks:“You’re born with roughly 30,000 days to live. The best strategic planning I can give you is to think about that.”From there, the conversation goes deep.Athan shares how July was designed from the ground up – not just as a suitcase, but as a more considered travel companion for modern life. Beautiful. Functional. Thoughtfully engineered. Sold direct, cutting out bloated retail margins so customers get premium features without the premium nonsense.Kate and Tobi don’t just talk about July – they live it. Both travel with July suitcases, and yes, their families are fully kitted out too. This episode is not sponsored – it’s genuine respect for a product and a brand done right.But July is just one chapter.Athan’s journey spans:Founder of Thieves Coffee – Australia’s largest online coffee retailer, reaching over 70,000 people every month through subscription ecommerceFounder of Neighbourhood – quiet, creative cowork spaces built for focus and intentionEx-strategist at Ogilvy/DT (WPP Group) – working with brands like NAB, Google, Honda, Deakin, Origin Energy, Officeworks, Myer, Suncorp, Simplot and moreThis episode is about time, taste, restraint, and building brands with soul.Less hype. More intention.Less noise. More meaning.If you care about design, entrepreneurship, strategy, or simply making your days count – this one’s for you.🎧 Press play.✈️ Travel better.⏳ Think harder about how you spend your 30,000 days.Show Links:https://july.com/au/ https://befitfood.com.au/ https://cubes.co/ Connect With Athanhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/athand/ Connect With Kate:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesavebefitfood/ Connect With Tobi:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/

Matt Nunn is stepping into the Hear Me ROAR studio with Kate and Tobi... and this one is going to hit different.Most people know Matt as the founder of Nunn Media, Australia’s largest independent media agency. He took a small, values-driven idea in 2002 and built it into a $500m powerhouse with 200+ people across Australia and the US. Digital strategy, media buying, brand building... he’s one of the few operators who has actually done it from scratch, scaled it, and kept the culture intact.But what we love most is the other side of him.Before the boardrooms, he was on the hardwood. A serious basketball guy. A competitor. A leader. And he’s still coaching today, taking teams from grassroots energy to national titles. The discipline, the standards, the team-first mindset... you can see those fingerprints all over the way he runs his agency.This episode is going to cut right into the stuff that matters:📈 building at pace without losing your values👫 leading teams that actually want to perform🎙️ staying relevant in a changing media landscape🏀 how sport shapes business and business shapes lifeMatt is proof that great leaders aren’t built in meeting rooms. They’re built in the grind, the reps, the culture, the moments where the pressure either breaks you or builds you.This ep is one for the founders, the operators, the marketers... and anyone chasing a winning edge.Show Links:https://www.nunnmedia.com.au/ https://befitfood.com.au/ https://cubes.co/ Connect With Matthewhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-nunn Connect With Kate:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesavebefitfood/ Connect With Tobi:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/

When a billionaire builder of empires steps into the studio… you lean in.

Kate and Tobi had the absolute privilege of sitting down with Gabby Leibovich, one of Australia’s most prolific ecommerce entrepreneurs and a man who has turned garage ideas into category-defining giants.

This episode of Hear Me Roar is a genuine masterclass. No fluff. No theory. Just decade-shaping execution.

Why this one is unmissable:

• Co-founded Catch Group, Australia’s no.1 ecommerce powerhouseStarted in a garage in 2006.Acquired by Wesfarmers for $230m.Now part of Kmart and Target.

  
  

• Co-founded EatNow.com.au
  Merged with Menulog.
  Sold to JustEat for $855m.

• Co-founded Scoopon, now powering Luxury Escapes.

• Co-founded Fingertip.com, acquired by Linktree in 2025.

• Investor in 20+ tech ventures including Luxury Escapes, Catapult, Shiperoo, Tribe, Vervoe, Fresha, Flippa, Slyp, Archipro, Vivi…
  Basically, if it’s a rocket ship, Gabby is either building it or backing it.

On top of all of that, he’s a football tragic who bleeds passion for the game.

The gold in this conversation is wild.We go deep on:

• spotting opportunity early

• scaling with speed and clarity

• navigating big exits without losing your soul

• what founders consistently get wrong

• and how to build companies that actually last

If you’re building, scaling, investing or simply curious about what separates the good from the great, this episode will hit you right between the eyes.

This one roars!!!!

Show Links:

www.catchofthedecade.com 

https://befitfood.com.au/ 

https://cubes.co/ 

Connect With Gabby

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabby-leibovich-0b44174/ 

Connect With Kate:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesavebefitfood/ 

Connect With Tobi:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/ 

Dr Avi Charlton joins Kate and Tobi on Hear Me Roar for a fast, sharp and eye-opening episode that breaks down what REAL health transformation looks like.

No fluff. No fads. Just science, strategy and the kind of empowering clarity that helps you level up your life.

For more than fifteen years, Dr Avi has been a leading force in Lifestyle Medicine and Nutritional Counselling at the Melbourne Low Carb Clinic. She has helped thousands of people navigate obesity, diabetes and chronic health issues with a simple formula: education, accountability and sustainable nutrition. Her approach is reshaping how modern healthcare is delivered.

In this episode, she dives into:

• Why lifestyle medicine is exploding globally

• The truth about low-carb nutrition (and why it actually works)

• The biggest misconceptions about weight loss and chronic disease

• How clinical monitoring keeps people on track

• What patients REALLY need to make lasting change

• Her own story and the calling that shaped her work

• How community and environment create momentum

Expect a fun, honest and powerful conversation filled with real takeaways you can use today. Dr Avi Charlton is a force in the health world and we’re pumped she’s joined us for this one.

Show Links:

https://mlcclinic.com.au/ 

https://befitfood.com.au/ 

https://cubes.co/ 

Connect With Dr. Avi

https://www.linkedin.com/in/avi-charlton/ 

Connect With Kate:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesavebefitfood/ 

Connect With Tobi:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/ 

Craig Harper has spent more than 40 years shaping how Australia thinks about health, performance and personal transformation. From building one of the country’s most successful personal training businesses in the 90s, to coaching elite athletes, lecturing at universities and driving national conversations across radio and TV, Craig has been at the front line of human performance long before it was trending.

Today, he is deep in neuroscience research at Monash University, exploring the psychology of motivation, addiction and long-term change. He’s written seven books, delivered thousands of keynotes and built a reputation as one of Australia’s most raw, real and respected voices on human behaviour.

If you want leadership insights, performance truths and practical strategies to elevate your life or business, Craig Harper brings the heat. This episode gives you a front-row seat to four decades of experience, grit and transformation.

Show Links:

https://craigharper.net/ 

https://befitfood.com.au/ 

https://cubes.co/ 

Connect With Craig

https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-harper-speaker/ 

Connect With Kate:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesavebefitfood/ 

Connect With Tobi:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/ 

What does it take to turn decades of experience in fitness and nutrition into a global health movement?In this episode of Hear Me Roar, Kate Save and Tobi Skovron sit down with Donna Aston, founder of AstonRX - one of Australia’s most trusted and transformative digital health platforms.

With over 30 years in the health, fitness, and nutrition space, Donna shares how she built AstonRX from the ground up, helping thousands of people regain confidence, improve wellbeing, and create sustainable lifestyle change.

💬 In this episode, Donna reveals:

• How she transformed her personal training and nutrition experience into a scalable business model
• The science and data that power AstonRX’s approach to long-term health
• Why confidence, mindset, and growth are the ultimate keys to transformation
• Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the health and wellness space

If you’re passionate about health, business, or creating impact, this conversation will inspire you to think bigger and lead with purpose.

🎧 Listen now and subscribe for more episodes with Australia’s boldest thinkers, founders, and innovators...

Show Links:

https://astonrx.com/

https://befitfood.com.au/

https://cubes.co/

Connect With Donna

https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnaaston/

Connect With Kate:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesavebefitfood/

Connect With Tobi:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiskovron/