Promise

In this week's episode, I chat with Cameron Higgins, founder of Resonait. Resonait is out to change the face of mental healthcare, by mapping and triggering our symphony of brainwaves. Sound far-fetched? Have a listen, and Cameron's drive and experiences might just change your mind.

We speak about mental health versus mental illness, Cameron's neuroscience research at Oxford, his life leading disaster response for the UN, how both led to founding Resonait, and the drive to tackle a crisis of mental healthcare.

If this cause resonates with you, Cameron is looking to build out a broad team - tune in at the 34 minute mark to hear what skills he’s looking for. If you’re interested to get in touch with Cameron, you can email cam[@]resonait.com.

If you feel in need of help, please reach out to your local helpline. Australian resources can be found here.

Otherwise, please enjoy my discussion with Cameron Higgins.

Links

* Cameron’s research area at Oxford and associated published articles

* Microsoft’s study on taking breaks between video calls, displaying the “brainwave symphony” Cameron describes

* The Default Mode Network, or our brain’s activity when we’re not engaged in any particular task

* Cognitive Behavior Therapy, a common psychotherapy method based on the premise that actions/behavior can influence thoughts/feelings

* The Black Dog Institute that Resonait has been partnering with

* Finally, a reminder of how and where Australians can access mental health resources should you need them.

Show notes

[00:01:54] - [First question] – How Cameron describes himself, as well as what Resonait is trying to do

[00:03:48] - The distinction between mental health and mental illness

[00:05:50] - Cameron’s PhD and post-doc research topics

[00:08:34] - Striking a balance between tangible engineering outcomes and intangible research outcomes

[00:10:31] - Cameron’s start and journey with the UN

[00:13:28] - Mental healthcare in disaster response settings

[00:15:22] - Burning out of the all-action UN work to relax with a PhD

[00:16:39] - “The brainwave symphony”

[00:18:12] - The tragedy with mental healthcare as it is

[00:20:20] - Creating a wearable device that aims to solve systemic issues

[00:22:57] - The real-world research done to understand where the device fits in

[00:24:48] - How patients might interact and use this device

[00:28:12] - The behavior change required by both psychologists and patients for best effectiveness

[00:30:06] - Cameron’s strategy to grow recognition of Resonait

[00:31:31] - The next steps in Resonait’s development

[00:33:08] - Dream partners and the need to grow the team

[00:35:58] - The 10-15 year vision of mental healthcare

[00:37:29] - The razor sharp focus required

[00:38:47] - Contact info

This week I have a short and sharp conversation with Zoe Piper. Among her many other ventures, Zoe is founder of CareerVitae, a platform designed to rethink the concept of resumes or CVs.

We chat about Zoe's many different pursuits and how they contribute to her expertise, the power of networking, the changing nature of multi-faceted careers, why the concept of a CV is outdated, how corporate hiring and redundancies are a broken model, and ultimately how CareerVitae is setting out to tackle these issues.

CareerVitae is currently looking for UX/UI skills, so if you’re interested in this problem space, please reach out!

Please enjoy my discussion with Zoe Piper.

Show notes

[00:01:47] - [First question] – A high level view of Zoe’s pursuits

[00:02:31] - Leveraging this diversity of roles and interests

[00:03:37] - Defining what constitutes a “career”

[00:04:45] - Why the CV and resume are outdated concepts

[00:05:35] - Suggestions for organizations to innovate in this space

[00:06:45] - Laggards and inefficiencies in hiring

[00:07:35] - Zoe’s multi-faceted career in a wide variety of industries

[00:09:03] - Pursuing career interests vs taking roles out of necessity

[00:09:56] - Employer attitudes towards people whose work history has moved in many different directions

[00:10:57] - Setting up CareerVitae to solve these problems

[00:12:13] - How CareerVitae solves these issues, comparisons with LinkedIn, and ongoing knowledge sharing

[00:14:58] - Shifting organizations onto such a platform

[00:15:35] - Individual’s ownership of the data

[00:16:41] - Coaching jobseekers on effective CV and resume-writing

[00:18:05] - The variety of early adopters using CareerVitae

[00:19:41] - The future of the company, leveraging the early adopters and Zoe’s wide networks

[00:21:41] - Dream partner organizations

[00:22:09] - Existing team as well as desired skills

[00:23:43] - A future enabling better and more efficient jobseeker-employer connections

[00:24:31] - Zoe’s style of working, and the desire to keep pushing and building networks

[00:25:26] - Contact info

This week, I host Chris Hudson, founder of Company Road. Company Road is his newly launched coaching and consultancy business.

We chat about “intrapreneurs”: who they are and what makes a good one. We also cover how Chris enables clients to be their own experts, how empowering intrapreneurship builds the future of work, and what this future could look like.

If you're interested in more thoughts about coaching and the future of work, pair this episode alongside my discussion with Paulwyn Devasundaram, co-founder of Medoo.

In the meantime, please enjoy my discussion with Chris Hudson.

Links

* Intrapreneuring by Gifford Pinchot, considered to be the origination of the term (Book | 368 pages)

* Why you should become an “intrapreneur” from HBR (Article | 5 mins)

* The “Double Diamond” method of divergent and convergent thinking (Article | 10 mins)

* Seth Godin and Simon Sinek, two intrapreneurial luminaries who have created huge amounts of associated content

* The Johari Window - more commonly known as the “Knowns and Unknowns” grid

* The Carrot Collective, the distributed decentralized “agency” Chris is now part of

Show notes

[00:02:48] - Chris’s definition of an “intrapreneur” and further resources to dive into

[00:04:06] - Why intrapreneurs are important to businesses

[00:04:54] - The type of role that intrapreneurs usually come from

[00:06:12] - The type of person that thrives at intrapreneurship

[00:07:26] - The organizational barriers that limit success

[00:08:27] - How those barriers also affect a sense of self-worth

[00:09:42] - How Chris became attracted to intrapreneurs and wanting to work more with them

[00:11:06] - Chris recognizing the patterns in his career to focus on this space

[00:12:01] - Leveraging Human-Centered Design as an agent of change

[00:14:48] - The culture of experimentation in intrapreneurship that excites Chris

[00:16:22] - The meaning behind the name “Company Road”

[00:18:39] - Chris’s take on the status quo of consulting

[00:19:18] - How Company Road differentiates itself from general cons

[00:22:55] - Various methods and connections that Company Road could leverage to solve problems

[00:27:05] - The balance between solving legacy issues and building the future of work

[00:28:34] - Chris’s thoughts on what the future of work could look like

[00:30:23] - Existing examples of how this future might play out

[00:31:46] - What plans Chris has in store for Company Road

[00:34:14] - Setting up a community based around transformation

[00:36:00] - Envisioning a self-powered and self-learning future for everyone

[00:34:14] - Setting up a community based around transformation

[00:37:09] - Building connections to make education, empowerment and ultimately transformation easier for everyone

[00:39:06] - Getting in touch with Chris - socials and website

This week, I have a short discussion with Dr Shafali Gupta and Andy Epifani. Together they're the co-founders of Uuvipak, a biodegradable alternative to single-use plastics.

We chat about the plastic problem, the rapid trajectory of the company, why Uuvipak is genuinely biodegradable, making and tasting edible plastic alternatives, and sharing an inspirational message for all the kids out there.

Shafali and Andy have recently completed the Blackbird Giants program, won the Nespresso Startcup Challenge, and on the day of publishing have just been accepted into the Queensland Government’s Low Carbon Accelerator.

To protect their intellectual property, we couldn't broadcast more about the materials and processes behind Uuvipak. However, if you enjoy this conversation, I encourage anyone interested in finding out more, to get in touch with the founders. They can be followed or contacted through Linkedin above, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

Links

* The video mentioned showing a puppy eating an Uuvipak (Video | 2 mins)

* About the well-known Great Pacific Garbage Patch (Article | 1 min)

* Unintended consequences of relying on microorganisms to break down plastic (Article | 4 mins)

* More on the different kinds of plastic pollution and their impacts (Article | 8 mins)

* Human health impacts from ingesting microplastics (Article | 5 mins)

* Other producers of “biodegradable” packaging in Australia

* PHA and PLA, that make up the existing biodegradable alternatives

* Other examples of edible cups

Show notes

[00:01:37] - [First question] – What is Uuvipak?

[00:03:00] - Uuvipak’s take on the existing plastic problem, and where they fit in as a solution

[00:06:05] - Observing the problem personally and dreaming up the idea during covid lockdowns

[00:07:20] - The complementary backgrounds of the founders

[00:08:21] - Starting the company from the kitchen, to a garage, to raising money and winning awards in the last year

[00:11:22] - Quandaries around entering the Nespresso Startcup Challenge

[00:12:47] - The story behind the unique name

[00:13:40] - The biodegradable nature of Uuvipak’s materials

[00:15:14] - Comparing Uuvipak with other “biodegradable” packaging

[00:17:33] - Making the packaging edible, and taste-testing the early prototypes

[00:20:05] - Next steps for Uuvipak - growth, partnerships, and recruitment

[00:22:20] - A vision of eliminating new plastic production, and a cleaner world

[00:23:12] - A call to action for any young visionaries to step up

[00:24:04] - Getting in touch with Uuvipak - socials

This week I have a conversation with Brock Ford, co-founder of MedaData.MedaData is setting out to save lives by minimizing medication errors.

We chat about the cost of these medication errors, why this problem has never been solved, the data-driven solution being built, the regulatory challenges of medical tech, using said tech to build trust, and how one small tool could change the face of medicine.

Brock and co-founder Siobhan Kelliher recently completed the LuminaX healthtech accelerator program. Together they won the “Startup of the Year” award, and individually were both nominated for “Young entrepreneur of the year” awards.

To find out more about MedaData, investing, or signing onto becoming a customer, you can get in touch with Brock by emailing brock.ford[@]medadata.com.au

Links

* The full report that details the volume of medication errors in Australia (Report | 32 pages)

* A summary article of the above with additional opinions (Article | 4 mins)

* Software as a Medical Device regulation that MedaData would fall under (Policy | 15 mins)

* MIMS, one of the medical databases that MedaData draws from and who they are developing a partnership with

* ViralCheckRX, the MVP that Brock built that is currently in use

* Paxlovid, a recently-released antiviral aimed at treating COVID-19

* Best Practice, the practice management software who are in early stages of a partnership

Show notes

[00:01:23] - [First question] – What is MedaData and what are your goals?

[00:02:10] - The scale of problems surrounding medication errors

[00:04:29] - The root causes of medication errors

[00:06:01] - How Brock’s background factors into founding the company

[00:06:56] - The depth of research Brock and Siobhan did to understand the root cause of the problem

[00:08:36] - What a potential solution could look like, and where could it be most useful

[00:10:45] - Sourcing medical data to make recommendations on medication

[00:11:36] - Why some parts of the process shouldn’t need human input

[00:13:33] - Why Paxlovid was the first drug that MedaData used in the MVP

[00:16:45] - The role non-identifiable patient data plays in making a recommendation

[00:18:49] - How this benefits clinicians

[00:20:22] - The regulatory environment around building this kind of software

[00:22:44] - Navigating not just one set of regulations, but new ones in every expansion country

[00:25:18] - The risks associated with operating in such a fragmented cyber-infrastructure environment

[00:27:56] - Current traction and feedback on the MVP

[00:30:00] - The status quo and the competitor landscape

[00:33:57] - The next steps for MedaData and integrating into practice management software

[00:36:50] - Building networks with clinicians and selling into a notoriously difficult market

[00:38:08] - The dream partnerships to build and raising money to scale

[00:39:53] - What the world looks like if it all pans out

[00:42:37] - Brock’s personal committment to seeing it through

[00:44:38] - Getting in touch with MedaData - socials and emails

This week I have a conversation with Jada Andersen, Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Xylo Systems. Xylo Systems is setting out to be the central data hub for all global biodiversity information.

We chat about information silos, the huge variety in conservation data, bridging the gaps between that world and tech, how anyone from individuals to corporations can get involved, and the beautiful goal to go out of business.

Jada and co-founder Camille Goldstone-Henry recently launched their beta product and completed the Startmate Accelerator program alongside our previous guest Billy. They are currently in discussions with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and Bush Heritage. At the time of publishing this episode, Camille has also just wrapped up presenting at Purpose Conference.

To find out more about existing clients, joining as a new client, or even just contributing data, you can get in touch with Jada by emailing jada[@]xylosystems.org

Links

* iNaturalist, a hub for citizen science and one of Xylo’s many data sources

* A quick “what is citizen science?” summary (Article | 5 mins)

* The Atlas of Living Australia, an open source biodiversity data hub specific to Australia

* The Wolf Restoration project in Yellowstone National Park, and a summary of the resulting ecological changes (Article | 10 mins)

* Biodiversity offsets and issues surrounding them (Article | 6 mins)

* How biodiversity offsets should work, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Article | 7 mins)

* The $44 Trillion figure and how it is dependent on ecosystem strength and diversity (Article | 11 mins)

* A map of Indigenous Australian land and sea management projects

Show notes

[00:01:32] - [First question] – What is Xylo Systems and what are your goals?

[00:03:34] - The manual and siloed nature of biodiversity data collection

[00:05:22] - How Jada met co-founder Camille and got Xylo started

[00:07:20] - Jada’s background and how it was a unique fit for this space

[00:08:42] - Entering the accelerator and learning how hard they could push themselves

[00:10:31] - Where Xylo sources its data from and contextual relevance of that data

[00:12:45] - How in-person data capture can change results significantly

[00:13:45] - Automatically digitizing historical data, and why that’s needed

[00:15:28] - Practices and platforms to ingest informal “citizen science” data

[00:16:55] - How someone can get involved with citizen science

[00:18:39] - What a Xylo customer would see right now

[00:20:31] - Understanding the root problems on a project-by-project basis, in order to make projections accurately

[00:23:23] - “Security by design” across the platform, considering the value of the data

[00:24:48] - Practices to limit double handling of data collection

[00:26:04] - Building a new frontier of climate change accounting with corporations

[00:27:56] - Why Xylo’s first targets are in the construction industry

[00:29:30] - What a corporate client could do with Xylo data

[00:31:05] - Measures of success for a corporation and speaking in financial terms

[00:32:15] - The economic value reliant on biodiversity

[00:33:10] - Shaping the next steps based on customer feedback

[00:34:32] - Working closer with and learning from Indigenous Australian conservation organizations

[00:36:07] - Expansion of the team, sophistication of the data, and into other countries

[00:37:47] - The goal to grow their way out of business

[00:38:51] - Jada and Camille’s personal commitment to seeing it through

[00:40:23] - Getting in touch with Xylo - website and emails

In this week's episode, I chat with Billy Jeremijenko, co-founder of Aquila. Aquila is building the quote unquote, "internet of energy" using lasers. If you think that sounds crazy, have a listen and Billy might just change your mind.

We chat about energy abundance and scarcity, why what sounds like science fiction is much closer to science fact, how Aquila is leveraging existing tech to build this future, and a vision of humanity amongst the stars.

Alongside co-founder Nelson Smith, Billy has evolved Aquila from an idea to a proof-of-concept able to power drones mid-flight. A few days after recording, Aquila also completed the Startmate Accelerator program, and announced upcoming partnerships with Hover UAV, Swoop Aero, and Dovetail Aero.

You can get in touch with Billy via LinkedIn, and find out more on Aquila’s website.

Links

* The Aquila Whitepaper, for the fascinating if technical thesis behind Aquila (Article | 12 mins)

* The Breakthrough Starshot concept, as well as its backers and targets (Article | 3 mins)

* The optical arrays behind the concept (Article | 3 mins), being developed at Australian National University

* “Doping” of optical fibers (Research paper | 10 mins)

* Rocket Lab, where Nelson has previous experience in the New Zealand office

* Historic and projected reduction in costs of space travel (Article | 4 mins)

* Summary of the semiconductor supply chain (Podcast | 101 mins)

* More on the semiconductor supply chain, including geopolitics (Book | 464 pages)

* The little known photonics industry in New Zealand (Article | 2 mins)

* And finally, Mass Effect, one of the greatest games of all time.

Show notes

[00:01:36] - [First question] – What is the internet of energy?

[00:02:42] - The energy sources to be leveraged and why

[00:03:22] - Billy’s inspiration and motivation

[00:04:18] - The confluence of various trends that make this possible

[00:06:06] - Co-founder Nelson’s background at Rocket Lab

[00:07:48] - Using existing technology to create the network

[00:10:09] - Coming up with the idea and getting into an accelerator program

[00:12:56] - How the “internet of energy” would work in real life

[00:16:25] - Why a satellite is the preferred option for redirecting energy

[00:17:26] - Niche use cases that don’t yet exist

[00:19:05] - The various orbit types of satellites and what would be preferred

[00:22:07] - Aquila’s struggles with sourcing the right materials and components

[00:24:44] - Leveraging the burgeoning photonics and photovoltaics expertise in the Australia/New Zealand region to alleviate supply chain concerns

[00:26:56] - Scaling the idea from charging drones to using satellites as reflectors

[00:29:30] - Saving the redirection test for satellites, and unlocking new use cases

[00:32:37] - Identifying the right VCs to partner with as ownership dilutes

[00:35:17] - The modularity of the solution and dangers of distraction

[00:36:45] - Protecting the company and the world from bad actors

[00:38:45] - Billy’s vision of powering a limitless future for humanity, on earth and in space

[00:40:05] - Staying humble and building the right company to enable that future

In this week’s episode of Promise, we speak with Ciaran Ardren, founder of Constance Coffee. Ciaran is the man behind multiple award winning coffee roasts at Golden Bean, the world’s largest coffee roasting competition. Constance Coffee is his new micro-roasting business, aiming to bring wine-tasting style quality to those interested.

We have a discussion about how Australia became famous for specialty coffee, communicating the art of coffee, why the best quality roasters stay small, the volatility in coffee supply chains, the power of networking and kindness, and what the world looks like if it all pans out.

You can buy beans including a subscription via the Constance website, and follow along on Instagram and Facebook.

Links

* “Waves” of coffee explained (Article | 5 mins)

* Just after recording, an Australian took home the top prize at the 2022 World Barista Championship. (Article | 2 mins)

* List of 2017 Golden Bean awards (Document | 15 mins), where Ciaran took home Gold in the organic roast while representing Vertue Coffee

* List of 2018 Golden Bean awards (Document | 15 mins), where 28 of 33 entries received a medal

* Klein Constantia and Vin de Constance (Article | 7 mins), whose history and family footsteps Ciaran is seeking to follow

* Missionaries versus Mercenaries, mentioned by John Doerr in this Wharton article (Article | 5 mins) and articulated more broadly in this SVPG post by Marty Cagan (Article | 4 mins)

* The “Melbourne Magic” coffee, broken down - no affiliation with this site (Article | 3 mins)

* The power of networking and expanding one’s luck surface area (Article | 8 mins) by Sahil Bloom

* James Hoffman, 2007 World Barista Champion’s YouTube channel

Show notes

[00:01:54] - [First question] – How Australia came to have a reputation for coffee

[00:03:14] - Australian coffee’s influence around the world

[00:04:01] - The “waves” of sophistication in coffee making and light bulb moments

[00:06:40] - Ciaran’s entry into the industry and recognizing the limitations of working for an established brand

[00:07:38] - Helping to establish a new venture with greater freedom, and learning how to grow that brand

[00:09:40] - How customers want increased communication about quality, and why Ciaran wanted to serve that need through setting up Constance

[00:11:04] - The story and brief list of the awards Ciaran was behind

[00:13:36] - The desire to emulate a very storied family history, by creating a story of his own

[00:15:39] - Why the best coffee comes from very small operations

[00:17:01] - How the flavors of whiskey and wine are communicated, and making coffee similarly understood

[00:17:53] - The “missionary versus mercenary” divide

[00:19:13] - The knock-on effects across the industry of mercantile behavior

[00:20:50] - Leveraging networks to bootstrap Constance

[00:23:30] - The power of networking and importance of being kind when selling

[00:25:41] - Deciding to bootstrap versus accepting a capital investment offer

[00:28:50] - How scaling changes the founder’s role in a business

[00:30:35] - The recent supply chain volatility for coffee

[00:31:39] - How purchase prices are negotiated, and the affect that has on quality

[00:32:59] - How shipping and port charges affect the end-price

[00:36:01] - The factors to consider when establishing a bricks and mortar storefront

[00:38:09] - Why businesses and spaces must be designed to suit one another

[00:39:28] - Beyond bricks and mortar: becoming a coffee “hype machine”

[00:41:27] - What being a good leader looks like

[00:42:25] - Getting in touch with Constance Coffee - website and socials

For our second episode of Promise, we welcome Paulwyn Devasundaram.

Paulwyn has a background as a software engineer, previously climbing the ranks of Australian tech giants Canva and Atlassian. She is currently creating Medoo, a SaaS platform specific to supporting the coaching industry.

We discuss Paulwyn’s lightbulb moment to focus on this space, building an intentional but high-growth company, enabling people to unlock their potential, shaping the future of work, and what the world looks like if it all pans out.

You can find Sydney University’s certification here.

We spoke about Tim Grover’s book, which you can find here.

Afterwork Ventures just supported Medoo with pre-seed funding.

You can find out more about Medoo at their website where Paulwyn and co-founder Allard have deep-dive conversations with coaches. You can sign up to work with their beta product at the time of recording.

Further updates are available on Linkedin and Twitter. Finally, for their visual inspirational content, check out their Instagram.

Show notes

[00:01:21] - [First question] – The definition of personal and transformational coaches

[00:05:23] - How someone becomes a life coach

[00:08:03] - The personal and professional challenges that made Paulwyn seek help from coaches

[00:11:09] - Zeroing in on the lack of tooling for coaches

[00:12:23] - Founding a company with your life partner

[00:14:54] - The story behind the name “Medoo”

[00:16:59] - Validating the early concept with coaches

[00:19:34] - The sales and marketing strategy to reach more coaches

[00:21:55] - Initial feedback on the beta product, and the importance of individualzed experiences

[00:25:39] - Designing SaaS to be a companion, not a chore

[00:28:23] - The decision to (successfully) raise money, versus continuing to bootstrap

[00:30:51] - Expanding the team, creating a company culture, and future raises

[00:32:38] - The dynamics of traditional people management, and how Medoo will be part of what needs to change

[00:35:14] - Balancing intentionality and slowness with building a high-growth startup

[00:37:47] - Paulwyn’s committment to help build this future

[00:39:26] - Getting in touch with Medoo - socials and website

Danai is the founder of CoFutures, a specialist urban planning consultancy seeking to make planning easier for everyone to understand.

For the full show notes and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.