Recorded and Produced at The Podcast Boss podcast studio in Brisbane

Produced at our ⁠The Podcast Boss⁠ ⁠podcast studio in Brisbane

Produced at our ⁠The Podcast Boss⁠ ⁠podcast studio in Brisbane

Martin Shaw, President & CEO of Wounded Heroes Australia, joins us in The Briefing Room with frontline stories from supporting veterans and Defence families facing crisis. We discuss the hidden challenge of veteran homelessness, programs like Exercise Stone Pillow and Horses 4 Heroes, and how Wounded Heroes built national trust without government funding. Martin reflects on balancing business experience with charity leadership, the role of innovation in veteran support, and what younger founders can do to create meaningful solutions for those who've served.

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BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc

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Rob Nioa shares the remarkable story of how his parents started the family business in the 1960s selling produce from a roadside trailer, before eventually building one of Australia's most important defence manufacturing companies.

Today, Nioa Group is Australia's largest privately owned supplier of weapons and munitions, operating across Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

Rob explains the company's work across ammunition manufacturing, weapons logistics, missile collaboration programs, and international defence partnerships. We discuss sovereign capability and why domestic manufacturing matters as global security dynamics shift, including the Benalla ammunition factory, guided weapons production capability, and international expansion into the US and UK defence markets.

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BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc

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Kelly Hopkins leads Defence recruitment within one of the world's largest recruitment firms and works across the full spectrum of the industry, from global primes like Boeing and Northrop Grumman to fast-growing Australian defence SMEs.

Finding talent in defence is unlike any other industry. Much of the work is classified, the technology is highly specialised, and the people with the right skills often cannot publicly disclose what they do.

Kelly explains how recruitment in defence relies on deep trust, long-term relationships, and strong connections within the ecosystem. The conversation explores why recruiting for defence is one of the hardest talent challenges in Australia, how the defence sector has evolved from sustainment to advanced technology and innovation, and why recruiters must build genuine ecosystem knowledge to understand the technology they are hiring for.

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BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc

In this episode of The Briefing Room, Sean Singleton, US Venture Partner at Beaten Zone Venture Partners, breaks down what Australian founders really face when entering the United States Defense market. 

Sean’s role is simple but hard: to help portfolio companies open doors in the US and 'get on contract'. That means handling the nuance of how the US Department of Defense actually buys technology, not how founders assume it does. 

We unpack why the US public sector defaults to what it already has on contract, why Australian founders underestimate the complexity of the US Defence ecosystem, and why relationships and credibility take time to build. 

Sean explains the fastest paths to revenue. Why systems integrators like Lockheed Martin and Boeing matter. How master collaboration agreements can compress multi-year timelines down to 12–18 months. And why bringing experienced US operators onto your team is often the difference between progress and stall. 

The conversation also covers where founders should actually set up in the US. Which states are business-friendly for Defence and manufacturing? Why incentives, congressional support, and proximity to Defence assets matter. And why staffers on Capitol Hill are often more important than elected officials. 

Sean shares his own long career path, from the US Air Force Academy and the F-22 program, through counter-intelligence, federal sales, JP Morgan, and the Defense Innovation Unit. The result is a grounded, experience-led guide for founders serious about building in the US Defence market. 

This episode is essential listening for Australian founders, investors, and operators looking to move beyond theory and execute in the US. 

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Hosted by: Peta Ellis

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In this episode of The Briefing Room, Dr Will Crowe, Co‐Founder and CEO of HEO, walks

Episode Links

• HEO: https://www.heospace.com

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Veteran and entrepreneur Warwick Penrose reflects on a career spanning CIED and CBRN Army specialisation through to founding EPE, a company trusted to protect soldiers and first responders. We cover capability delivery in counter‑IED, counter‑drone, ISR, and ECM, the pitfalls of selling to Defence, and lessons from building businesses across Asia Pacific and the U.S.

Warwick shares candid thoughts on leadership, culture, and legacy,  and advice for the next generation of veteran‑founders shaping Defence innovation.

Guest Links:

Find out more:

Website: https://beatenzone.vc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos

Hosts & Cohosts:

Reservist officer and founder Ben Dullroy shares leadership lessons from leading 21 soldiers at 21, reflections from Iraq, and what end‑users actually need from startups. We discuss how to earn trust inside Defence, common mistakes founders make when pitching to the Army, and practical first steps for working with procurement pathways. Ben closes with candid thoughts on service, family, and the personal cost of a life lived between business and the Army.

Guest Links:

Find out more:

Website: https://beatenzone.vc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos

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Produced by The Podcast Boss