Ben Chinwah has spent over 20 years in the work health and safety space, and what started as a career pivot sparked by a conversation with a relative has turned into a mission to protect Australian workers and the businesses that employ them.

As Founder and CEO of Laminar Pro, Ben is tackling one of the most underestimated compliance challenges facing small to medium businesses across the country: keeping their people safe, staying on the right side of the law, and not finding themselves on the front page of the Herald.

In this episode, Ben breaks down why workplace safety is a $60 billion problem that too many businesses ignore until it's too late. From facing up to 25 years imprisonment and $20 million in company fines for duty officers, to the real-world cost of a fatality on a team and a community, the stakes are high.

This one is for founders, operators, and anyone running teams in high-risk environments like construction, logistics, manufacturing, or warehousing.

Here's a taste of what they get into: 

💡 Why workplace safety sits at the intersection of compliance, culture, and leadership maturity, and why audit scores alone don't tell the whole story 

💡 The legislation changes that made directors and managers personally liable for what happens on their watch 

💡 How Laminar Pro was built off 20 years of consulting experience and real operational data across hundreds of Australian businesses 

💡 The difference between a reactive safety culture and a resilient one, and what it actually takes to shift behaviour on the floor 

💡 How Ben is exploring camera vision AI to detect PPE compliance and near misses across multi-site operations 

💡 Why Ben believes bundling consulting with software is the right model for the SME market 

💡 The hard lessons from building a SaaS product as a non-technical founder, including when not to overpromise on development timelines 

💡 Why slow to hire, quick to fire is one of the most important lessons from building his team  If you're running a business with people in high-risk environments, or you're curious about what a purpose-built SaaS product looks like when it grows out of deep industry knowledge, this is well worth your time.

Check Out Laminar Pro Here: https://laminarpro.com.au/ 

#ScaleUp #SoundBytes #ScaleUpRecruitment #WorkplaceSafety #WHS #StartupAustralia #SaaS #SME #Founder #Leadership

In Episode 20 of ScaleUp Sound Bytes, Sam sits down with Sam Carigliano, Co-Founder and CEO of SkyCiv, to unpack how a simple beam calculator built at UNSW turned into a global structural engineering platform used in 160+ countries.

No funding. No hype. Just solving a real problem and sticking with it.

🚀 From a University Lab to 15 Million Projects Solved 🚀

What happens when two civil engineering students can’t find the right tool online… they build it themselves?

Here’s what Sam shares:

🔥 Why the best startups begin with a problem you’ve actually experienced

🔥 The power of “sell before you build” and testing demand with a fake buy button

🔥 How trust becomes your biggest barrier in a risk-averse industry

🔥 Why quality and QA had to overtake speed as the company matured

🔥 The shift from generalists to specialists as you scale

🔥 What it takes to win over engineers who have used the same software for 20 years

They also dive into:

🔥 Bootstrapping in a slow-moving, highly regulated industry🔥 Building a global team organically across time zones

🔥 Why comfort and habit are harder to disrupt than competition

🔥 The 1% rule and how compounding improvements shape long-term growth

🔥 Hiring for curiosity, proactivity, and culture fit

One of the biggest takeaways?

Start. Don’t overthink it. Don’t build something “cool.” Solve a real problem. The rest compounds from there.

If you’re building a product, leading a technical team, or navigating the shift from startup hustle to sustainable growth, this episode is packed with practical lessons.

#StartupJourney #Bootstrapped #EngineeringLeadership #ProductMarketFit #ScaleUp #TechFounders #SoftwareEngineering #SaaS #ScaleUpSoundBytes #ScaleUpRecruitment

In Episode 19 of #ScaleUpSoundBytes, Sam sits down with Nicole Gibson, founder of InTruth, former Mental Health Commissioner, and a force of nature at the intersection of biotech, empathy, and AI.

🧠 Emotion as Data. Consciousness as Design. 💡

They explore how Nicole is building technology that translates the subconscious language of the body into science. And it’s not just about decoding emotion it’s about designing systems that scale human connection, emotional intelligence, and mental health outcomes.

🔥 Here’s what they unpack:

• Why emotion is faster than language and how it shapes every decision

• What it means to build a biotech startup grounded in data sovereignty

• The shocking reason utility bills can be an early indicators of domestic violence

• How InTruth is being used across domestic violence, mental health, and rural farming

• The power of emotion data in enterprise and team dynamics

• Why Nicole believes mental health needs hard data like blood pressure for the mind

🌐 They also dig deep into:

• Building a trillion-dollar business without selling your soul (or user data)

• The problem with how governments treat innovation

• Conscious leadership in a world racing toward artificial augmentation

• The next wave of wellness: emotional AI + smart homes

• Emotional literacy as the foundation of social change

Nicole doesn’t just talk about disruption, she lives it! From influencing national policy to launching AI biotech grounded in ethics and empathy, this episode is packed with insights you won’t find anywhere else.

#AI #MentalHealth #TechForGood #EmpathyInTech #ScaleUp #EmotionalIntelligence #StartupLeadership #InTruth #EmotionData #ScaleUpSoundBytes #ScaleUpRecruitment #WomenInTech #HealthTech #Technology #ScaleUpSoundBytes

In this episode of ScaleUp Sound Bytes, Sam sits down with Xharmagne Carandang, founding engineer at Lorikeet, one of Australia's hottest startups, and someone who is quietly redefining what it means to build great tech with purpose.

From working in federal government to startups barely past MVP, Xharmagne has intentionally gone from big to small, chasing learning, ownership, and impact at every step. We talk about what changes when you scale down, why engineers should care about the why behind what they build, and how Lorikeet is bringing clarity, trust, and empathy to AI in customer service.

We dive into:

💡 Moving from “feature factory” coding to mission-driven product thinking

💡 Why clear context beats company size when it comes to making an impact

💡 How Lorikeet is helping teams train AI to sound human, and when AI should just butt out

💡 Designing UX for AI when the rules don’t exist yet

💡 The drop-off of women in engineering and how visibility, community, and role models matter

💡 Why engineers should act more like collaborators and less like keyboard monkeys

💡 Her favourite framework: thinking in bets (and how to avoid betting the house)

💡 Building sustainably, with dance classes as a burnout barometer

Xharmagne brings a sharp mind and an open heart to her work, and this episode is packed with insights for anyone navigating engineering culture, ethical AI, or what it actually means to build software that helps people.

#ScaleUp #SoundBytes #WomenInTech #AI #FoundingEngineer

From Delivery Vans to Design Led SaaS: The Wild Ride of Niklas Olsson!

In this episode of ScaleUp Sound Bytes, Sam sits down with serial founder and spreadsheet disruptor, Niklas Olsson. He’s the brains behind klaro and has previously built everything from delivery startups to data platforms, with an acquisition or two along the way.

Niklas is what happens when you mix industrial design, a love of math, a dash of chaos, and five startup journeys. He’s gone from sketching Ferraris to building what he calls the “Canva for numbers” empowering non-finance folks to make big decisions without breaking a spreadsheet or their spirit.

Check out a little of what we cover:

💡 Why numerical thinking is a superpower and how klaro is making it mainstream

💡 Building startups by living the customer experience (yes, he drove the van himself)

💡 How posting a humble Google Sheet exploded into thousands of downloads and sparked a company

💡 The dangers of spreadsheet spaghetti and why templates aren’t enough

💡 What it means to build a values-led team: mindful intentions, side by side, forever a student

💡 Getting from zero to MVP using content, community and pure scrappiness

💡 Lessons from five startups with what worked, what flopped, and what he’d never do again

Whether you’re an aspiring founder, a frustrated spreadsheet warrior, or someone who’s ever wondered if maybe there's a better way to crunch numbers, this one’s for you.

Niklas is sharp, honest, and design led in everything he does and it shows.

#ScaleUp #SoundBytes #StartupWisdom #DesignLedFounder #ScaleUpRecruitment

Sam kicked off 2025 with a bang, sitting down with none other than Yaniv Bernstein, Founder and CTO of Vera (check them out here  https://vera.guide). He's the co-host of The Startup Podcast, former VP of Engineering at Airtasker, ex-Google-er, and all-around startup legend.

In this episode, we dive into the mindset, mechanics, and missteps of scaling early-stage startups. Yaniv talks candidly about what drew him into the startup world after a decade at Google, how he accidentally launched a bootstrapped podcast business, and why the title "Principal Engineer" is often misunderstood, especially in startups.

Whether you're an aspiring founder, a startup engineer with ambition, or someone trying to decode the difference between a CTO and a VP of Engineering (spoiler: it's messy), this is one to get stuck into.

Here’s a taste of what we get into:

💡 What makes a great startup hire (smart, gets shit done, and thrives in chaos)

💡 Why founders should do everything themselves until they absolutely can’t

💡 Principal Engineers as multipliers, not managers

💡 Hiring too senior, too soon: the rookie mistake most founders make

💡 AI’s impact on engineering teams and why junior devs should be worried

💡 The difference between being a technical founder and a founder with technical help

💡 Knowing the rules of the game: the most underrated startup advice ever

💡 How a podcast side hustle accidentally turned into a real business

This episode is honest, unfiltered, and packed with wisdom from someone who’s seen it all – from corporate giant to zero-to-one startup and everything in between.

If you're in tech, thinking about launching a startup, or just want to understand how high-performing teams actually get built, do yourself a favour and listen in.

#ScaleUp #SoundBytes #ScaleUpRecruitment

Sam sits down with Nicholas Clancy, CTO of EngineRoom. What’s special about Nic is that Piero actually placed Nic into his first role as a software engineer into Pooled Energy about a decade ago. Fast forward a to now years and Nic has scaled his career into CTO. All of this would not of been possible if he was in a corporate environment.

Tune in a discover Nic’s personal journey, what it’s like to work in a high growth start up and the mindset of what's required to succeed.

If you are thinking of joining a start-up or leaving your cushy corporate role for an opportunity with one, you need to listen to this. Learn from someone who has navigated their way to Head of Engineering and CTO of two start-ups and is continuously challenging the status quo.

We talk about:

💡 High tolerance to risk and failure

💡 Velocity of decision making and execution

💡 Time and indecision kills start-ups

💡 Ownership and accountability

💡 High tolerance to risk + fast decisions = things going wrong.

💡 How do you react and own those mistakes when it impacts real customers?

💡 Start-ups own it, normal companies cover it up and play the PR game

💡 Changing the status quo

💡 How what you do is fundamentally different

#ScaleUp #SoundBytes

Time Stamps 00:00 Intro01:02 Overview of Nick’s Journey so far12:02 Angel Investing15:33 What defines a start-up?17:01 4 Characteristics true startups exhibit24:17 Most important thing you need to have when joining a start-up39:16 Do you need to mimic characteristics of a Start-Up to succeed?45:10 What do startups want to see in Engineers?52:35 What start-ups need to be able to offer59:00 Most valuable tech and leadership books1:01:26 What habits do you attribute to your success?1:02:52 Who is the most influential person in your career and why?1:04:07 Outro

Ben Meneses-Sosa shares a blueprint for any aspiring leaders of tech teams to ensure smooth leadership and deliverables.

Ben came into the ScaleUp Sound Bytes office to share his wisdom in the latest episode of ScaleUp Soundbytes.
 
Find out first hand why he is considered one of the best leaders of leaders in Sydney as he shares a play-by-play for any aspiring leaders of tech teams to follow ensuring smooth leadership and deliverables.

Some key insights:

💡 The 3 three D’s of effective team management.
💡 How not to be a blocker and debug the team.
💡 Why aligning your team with other teams (i.e. product) is critical for the success of project delivery.
💡 How to achieve balance and what the difference is between open, closed and technical decisions are.
💡 The Why, the What and the How you can delegate.
💡 How the DACI framework ensures effective communication for all decisions.
💡 How to involve the team, recruit the right people and review activities.
 
What we love about this chat is that even if you are stepping into a leadership role, with ZERO experience, you can use the thoughts shared in this podcast to feel confident that they’ve got a tool kit to effectively manage a team and deliver projects successfully.
 
If you are a current leader, stepping into a leadership position or aspire to ber a leader (team/people/delivery) then this is a must listen!

Ben's framework will give you the freedom you need to get things done. You'll be able to spend your time working on the team instead of working in the team.

#ScaleUp #SoundBytes

Dale Hurley, former CTO of CreditorWatch & COO/CDO of Avenue Bank, joined us at the ScaleUp SoundBytes studio for a chat about all things Start Up sharing his journey from corporate consulting into the start-up world. 

Listen on as you get to hear what led Dale to leave an incredibly well paying & stable role into the gamble of a startup. You get to hear what made CreditorWatch the success it was and how it was able to not only disrupt but almost create a market.

Dale shares his unique view into what the journey was like from inception through to exit and I'm sure you can imagine the journey with Avenue wasn't so smooth. Tyson said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” which is a term that gets used a lot in the Startup world.

After hearing Dale's story I genuinely feel the team not only took a few on the chin but had to pivot harder than Ali's rope a dope to keep going.

Some key insights:

💡 What it was like to take on the banks.

💡 Dealing with working in a highly regulated market.

💡 Navigating through COVID.

💡 The collapse of the Neo Banks.

💡 A failed takeover bid.

💡 The rise of the Interest rates.

This is a must-listen if you want to peep behind the curtain and hear an uncensored story of what it's like to ride the start up roller coaster.

#ScaleUp #SoundBytes

In this episode, Sam sits down with Raj Senanayake, Technology Delivery Director, at WTW (Willis Towers Watson). Follow his journey from a kid mucking around with computers to working at one of the world’s biggest global risk advisory, insurance brokerage and consulting solutions companies as their Director.