Launch Codes

Evan Wong is the co-founder of Checkbox.ai, a no-code solution that digitises complex regulations into automated cloud software. Through its no-code platform, Checkbox’s AI technology allows legal, human resources, and risk and compliance teams to better focus on higher value and strategic work. It’s used by the likes of Allianz, PwC, Air NZ, Telstra as well as government agencies in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and US. Prior to founding Checkbox, Evan started Hero Education, a tutoring business that has mentored 1000+ high school students. This was all done during his time studying a Bachelor of Commerce/Law at UNSW. 

Timestamps:

[1:13] How Evan defines success and his vision for Checkbox

[3:00] Evan’s personal mission in leading and inspiring others 

[4:00 ] Evan’s journey building Hero Education 

[ 7:27] The first two years of building Checkbox and Hero Education during uni 

[10:48] Comparing Evan’s corporate stint with his entrepreneurial pursuits

[11:55] De-risking entrepreneurship before going all-in to building Checkbox

[14:21] The early days of building Checkbox

[ 17:55] Choosing to build legacy technology & improve the enterprise software space 

[19:30] Raising $6.3 pre-series A: Tidal Ventures and Sequoia India’s Surge 

[21:55] Go-to-market strategy: Enterprise top-down sales and product-led growth  

[25:18] No-code revolution and the enterprise software space

[27:10] Evan’s vision for Checkbox 

[28:38] How to identify a compatible co-founder

[33:20] Being a hyper-generalist and validating the problem 

[40:22] Wizard-of- Oz effect: Sales process in the B2B space 

[44:56] Navigating the dark days as a founder

[48:10] Hiring and building great teams 

[50:48 ] Culture at Checkbox 

[56:43] Success and Failures at Checkbox

[1:01:11] Evan’s favourite Australian Startup Success Story 

[1:02:53] Books, podcasts and resources that have shaped the way Evan thinks

[1:04:00] What’s next for Evan? 

References 

TEDx talk: How to Fail at Life Successfully 

Hero Education 

The Hard Thing about Hard Things 

Dan Brockwell is the Co-founder & Chief Meme Officer of Earlywork, the home for 4000+ young people in Australia & New Zealand creating the careers of tomorrow in tech, startups & social impact. Dan launched Earlyhome earlier this year and shares early-career roles, career resources & industry analysis weekly at earlywork.substack.com.

As a Computer Science/Marketing graduate from UNSW, Dan is a hyper-generalist with experience across product, operations, project management, sales, marketing, consulting and design in both startups and leading tech companies like Atlassian, Amazon, Uber, Deloitte Digital & IBM. Hear Dan’s formative experiences at university, his journey creating community-powered career development with Earlywork and his vision for the community.

Timestamps:

[0:45]- How the name Earlywork originated

[2:00]- Dan’s favourite newsletter

[2:50]- Dan’s formative experiences at university 

[4:40]- Exploring corporate vs startup career paths

[6:50]- How Dan’s experience leading BusinessOne cultivated his founder and community-building skills

[9:20]- The impact of participating in ASES Stanford

[12:25]- How going on exchange changed Dan’s definition of success 

[14:18]- Campus culture in Australia vs USA

[19:40]- The problem Earlywork is solving 

[21:40]- Communal mindset with community-powered job search and career development 

[24:07]- The future of Earlywork: doubling down on sub-communities 

[25:54]- The vision for Earlyhome in Wollongong 

[27:50]- Co-founder dynamics with Jono and Marina 

[31:22]- Discerning signal vs. noise as a community-based business 

[33:08]- Process of raising a pre-seed round 

[35:09]- Future of work trends Dan is observing with careers 

[38:25]- What other problems would Dan be solving 

[39:38]- Books and podcasts that have shaped Dan

[41:15]- Advice Dan would give to his younger self- a fresh grad and aspiring founder

[44:16]- Adages Dan lives by: ‘create more, consume less’

References
Daniel Brockwell.com
Lenny’s Newsletter
ASES Stanford
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
1984 by George Orwell

Caleb Maru is the Head of Programs at EntryLevel- an edtech startup up-skilling students and young professionals through cohort-based courses. Caleb also invests in early-stage startups as the General Partner at Proximity Ventures.

 Caleb studied a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws at the University of Adelaide.  During his time at university, Caleb co-founded a social enterprise Humanitee that works with marginalised communities to co-design T-shirts. Hear Caleb's experience building EntryLevel, funding startups through Proximity Ventures and how you can expand your surface area of luck.

Timestamps:
[1:01]- Who Caleb wanted to be when he grew up
[1:48]- Founding a social enterprise in university   
[5:50]- Caleb's career journey
[7:39]- How Caleb builds programs at EntryLevel
[10:45]- The importance of cohort-based learning
[12:35]- Having skin in the game as an investor 
[14:30]- Barriers to entry to raising capital as a fund vs. startup
[16:50]- Industries Caleb is interested in investing in
[19:13]- How investing in Africa motivated Caleb to create impact at scale
[25:07]- Investing in teams vs. Investing in products
[26:10]- Diversity & Inclusion in startups
[28:27]- The benefits of taking the leap by joining or building a startup
[30:18]- Caleb's experience working as both an operator and investor
[32:37]- How Caleb manages his time and prioritises deep work
[34:45]- Books and podcasts that have shaped Caleb's thought process
[37:35]- Caleb's experiences with failure and the power of saying 'no'
[38:55]- Expanding your surface area of luck by understanding systems and questioning conventional wisdom

References 
EntryLevel
Humanitee
All-In Podcast
My First Million Podcast
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
The Black Swan: The Impact Of The Highly Improbable 

James Alexander is the co-founder and Partner at  Galileo Ventures– an Aussie VC firm backing emerging founders looking to change the world.

James studied Computer Science at Usyd, before starting the Incubate Startup Program in 2012, where he helped over 100 startups launch and grow. In 2020, he closed a $10 million tranche of Galileo’s first fund with co-founder Hugh. I chatted with James about starting Incubate, why and how he’s backing emerging founders at Galileo and why Australia can become a global leader in technology.  

Timestamps:

[1:08]- Who James wanted to be when he grew up

[2:41]- How James learned about business through his dad

[4:19]- James’ career journey

[8:50]- Working at Atlassian in the early days

[12:30]- The process of starting Incubate

[16:26]- Do founders have common backgrounds?

[18:39]-Why the name Galileo?

[21:19]- The Galileo model

[24:05]- How do you develop the conviction to invest in early-stage startups?

[26:32]- Why do traditional VCs overlook emerging founders?

[27:48]- What does the accelerator look like?

[29:20]- What support do coaches provide?

[31:42]- Galileo’s unique investment process

[33:23]- What’s the long term vision for Galileo?

[34:35]- Can Australia become a global tech powerhouse?

[36:51]- Government regulation that is holding Australia back

[38:15]- Is technology a bipartisan issue overseas?

[39:36]- Exciting tech trends

[41:35]- Discussing Galileo’s portfolio 

[44:04]- James’ perspective on failure

[47:06]- Advice for students looking to start a company

References:
Galileo Ventures

Relevance AI

Huey the Bookbot

Space Services

Ally Assist

Incubate

This is a special episode of Launch Codes from one of Textbook Ventures' events earlier this year. 

In this episode, Max Marchione interviews Kylie Frazer from Flying Fox Ventures, Rayn Ong from Ong Heng Investments and Marvin Liao from GAMEGROOVE capital on their experiences as angel investors.

Deepesh Banerji is Senior Vice President of Technology at Deputy – a workforce management software for shift-based businesses. 

Deepesh has worked across many firms and industries, starting as a product manager at Everyday Health Group in New York and rising to VP Product as the business scaled from startup to IPO. He also worked in senior product roles at ViacomCBS and Beem It before joining Deputy in 2019. I chatted with Deepesh about launching Beem It, dealing with the pandemic at Deputy and what skills you need to work in product management.  Enjoy!

Timestamps:

[1:06]- Who Deepesh wanted to be when he grew up

[1:36]- Deepesh’s founder journey in college

[2:48]-Deepesh’s career journey

[5:22]- Was it a challenge jumping between industries?

[7:28]- What skills are needed in any industry you are in?

[9:26]- Deepesh’s experience launching Beem It 

[13:20]- Was there ever a conflict between the banks behind Beem It?

[14:02]-Handling the pandemic at Deputy

[17:10]- What does product at a startup involve?

[21:01]-Traits that good junior PMs display

[22:45]- How to learn these traits 

[24:24]-How to align people to a unified mission in a large company

[27:10]- Is it more difficult to talk to your customers in a larger company?

[30:40]- What’s the best investment Deepesh has made in his personal life?

[32:15]- Deepesh’s perspective on failure

[33:45]- Advice for students

References:
Deepesh's LinkedIn and Twitter
Deputy
Everyday Health Group
Beem It
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Working Backwards
Inspired: How to Build Tech Products Customers Love

Abhi Maran is an Investment Analyst at Folklore- an Aussie venture capital fund focused on investments in the seed stage. 

Abhi studied applied finance at Macquarie University. After uni, he worked at Cambridge Associates, working with foundations and endowments to build their investment portfolios. He then jumped into startup land in an ops role at share rewards company Upstreet, before recently starting his role as a VC. 

I chatted with Abhi about what separates good companies from great companies, why he’s excited about the metaverse and why you shouldn’t get caught up in comparing yourself to others. Enjoy!

Timestamps:
[1:08]- Who Abhi wanted to be when he grew up

[2:33]- Abhi’s career journey

[7:12]- What was Abhi’s mindset moving into the startup world?

[8:23]- Operating experience at Upstreet

[9:53]- Abhi’s role at Folklore 

[10:34]- Future career goals

[11:26]- What makes Folklore unique?

[12:57]-Team dynamic at Folklore

[14:04]- Trends in tech that Abhi is interested in

[16:05]- What is the metaverse?

[18:30]- Motivations in starting a Substack

[20:44]- What separates good companies from great companies?

[23:19]- What Abhi is currently reading

[23:58]- Abhi’s food waste habit

[24:38]-  Most impactful purchase under $100

[25:10]- Abhi’s billboard that millions of people would see

[26:28]- Abhi’s perspective on failure

[29:42]- Advice for students

References:
Superfluid Substack

Folklore
Cambridge Associates
Upstreet

Synthesis

Not Boring Substack
The Generalist Substack
Stratechery
The Contrarian

Jenny Chu is Head of Product at Eucalytpus. Eucalyptus is a healthcare tech company and one of Australia’s hottest startups. They have four brands: pilot for men’s telehealth, kin for women’s fertility, software for skincare and normal for sexual wellness  

Jenny studied a Bachelor of Information Systems at UNSW and was also a previous GM at Textbook Ventures. After uni she started as a product manager grad at Atlassian where she worked for over 2 years before joining Eucalyptus. I chatted with Jenny about leading product at Eucalyptus, the challenges of scaling rapidly and the differences between a startup and a large corporate. Enjoy!

Timestamps:

[1:08]- Who Jenny wanted to be when she grew up

[2:04]- What Jenny studied at uni

[4:01]- Jenny’s career journey

[8:27]- Jenny’s time at Atlassian

[9:53]-Her motivation in moving to Eucalyptus 

[11:54]- What does Eucalyptus do?

[13:00]- Was the house of brands always the goal?

[14:07]-Is there a lot of regulation in the healthcare space?

[15:50]- More on Eucalyptus’ Series B raising

[18:49]- Challenges in reaching healthcare professionals

[20:00]- Challenges of scaling rapidly

[22:10]- What does Jenny’s role as Head of Product involve?

[23:36]- Advice for people looking for roles in product management

[24:53]- The highlight of Jenny’s role

[26:30]-  Jenny’s tips for students tossing up between startups and larger companies

[28:35]- Long term goals for Eucalyptus

[30:04]- The best investment Jenny has made in her personal life

[32:00]- Jenny’s perspective on failure

[37:10]- Advice for students

References:
Eucalyptus
Atlassian
Eucalyptus Series B

Nick Couvret is an investment associate at Equitise. Equitise is an equity crowdfunding platform that allows Aussies to invest in exciting early-stage companies. Nick is also the co-founder of Lazy Wombat- a sand-free towel company.

Nick studied commerce at the University of Sydney and landed an internship at Equitise through the Industry Placement Program.  I chatted with Nick about how crowdfunding works and what makes it different from other early-stage capital, how he vets businesses for the platform and his tips for starting and growing a side hustle. Enjoy!

Timestamps:

[1:08]- Who Nick wanted to be when he grew up

[2:10]- Nick’s career journey

[4:38]- What does Equitise do?

[7:08]- Regulation on crowdfunding

[8:58]- How does crowdfunding differ from other early-stage capital 

[12:50]- The marketing benefits of crowdfunding

[13:28]- Examples of companies on the platform

[16:18]- Nick’s role at Equitise

[18:08]- How to vet businesses for the platform

[21:50]-Risk that is acceptable versus risk that is unacceptable?

[24:12]- The best part of Nick’s role

[25:30]-The journey starting Lazy Wombat

[28:46]- Handling manufacturing and distribution

[29:40]- Strategies to grow the brand

[33:00]- Advice for starting a side hustle

[35:28]- The best investment Nick has made in his personal life

[37:30]- Nick’s perspective on failure

[39:15]- Advice for students

References:
Equitise
Rhinohide
tbh Skincare
Xinja
SOFI Spritz
Batch Brewing Co.
Spinifex Brewing Co.
Your Food Collective
Lazy Wombat

Vicky Lee is the Growth Manager at women’s health brand Ovira. Their flagship product is the Noha- a device that uses electrical nerve stimulation to provide period pain relief.

At the same time, Vicky is completing an Economics degree at Usyd. And before joining Ovira she worked at live music ticketing startup GiggedIn. I chatted with Vicky about what’s involved in her growth role, how recruiting works at a startup and the importance of seeing the tangible impact of her work on the women who use Ovira.

Timestamps:
[1:13]- Who Vicky wanted to be when she grew up

[2:12]- Motivations for studying Economics and Law at uni

[3:22]- Taking a break from uni and working at GiggedIn

[5:30]- What is Ovira and Vicky’s role there?

[7:56]- How Vicky landed her role

[9:40]- The Noha device and how it works

[11:30]- Balancing full-time work and study

[15:05]- What does a day in the life as a growth manager look like?

[17:34]- How recruiting works at Ovira

[21:21]- Strategies used in growth to scale the business

[24:10]- Seeing the impact that Ovira is having on its customers

[25:50]- What advice does Vicky have for people looking to get into growth?

[27:50]- What’s the long term vision for Ovira?

[29:15]- How to build an effective community

[32:44]- Working at a startup over a corporate

[36:17]- Vicky’s perspective on failure

[37:57]- What advice Vicky would give her younger self

References:
Ovira
GiggedIn