Startup Theatre Podcast

Welcome back. It is season ✌🏻 and we are going bigger and better. Our first episode of the season is with Brooke Roberts. Brooke is the co-founder, director and 3EO (co-CEO) of Sharesies and mother of two. Sharesies is an empowering money app with over half a million investors who’ve collectively invested over $2 billion. At Sharesies, their vision is to give someone with $5 and $5m the money investment opportunities. Brooke is passionate about creating equal opportunities and business being a force for good—she puts a lot of focus on making sure Sharesies has a positive impact on people, customers, communities, and the environment. Brooke was awarded the 2022 NZ Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual and we can see why after this conversation. We talked about the Sharesies story from a conversation between 6 friends and how they designed the values and DNA of the company that stands today over a soda at Egmont street eatery in Wellington. Brooke is open, insightful and just plain impressive and so we hope you enjoy this podcast as much as we did. You can check out what a convertible note below. https://kindrik.co.nz/guides/convertible-notes-vs-equity-a-beginners-guide/ Please share with anyone who you think might enjoy and get them to subscribe like you.

This podcast has made us all very happy by doing something that brings us and others joy in the world. With season one wrapping, let's go back and look at our final question and the answers to: "What makes you happy?" Thank you to our major sponsor for season one in Talent Army Thank you to Jono, Dom and Troy for putting this together and Jen for her lovely voice over skills.

In the final episode of the WFLS podcast, we chat with Mike Riversdale & Raj Khushal who were one of the reasons this podcast was created. Our host Troy Hammond was a big fan of the Access Granted podcast that Mike & Raj founded and ran for many years. It was a gritty podcast started in Wellington to celebrate the tech startup community. Mike and Raj usually recorded at Goldings Free dive bar in Wellington and got some great guests on to come in and tell their stories and help the community. We at the WFLS know how hard it is to create a podcast and so we wanted to pay homage to these legends that went before us and so we decided to finish with the Access Granted famous question: "What makes you happy now?" Troy thought it only fitting to finish the season by having a fun podcast with Mike and Raj and so they all got together and reminisced about the old show that changed so many people's lives and probably drank too much going from all the laughing we had to edit out of this show. Thank you Mike and Raj for doing what you did to help the industry and we appreciate your show and you both. Season one of the WFLS podcast is now concluded and we are taking the show nationally now and so please get in touch if you are wanting to be a guest. Subscribe to help us keep building the show and send us any feedback you are willing to send to help us improve for season two. Thank you to everyone involved and everyone who has watched and or listened to any of the pods. We appreciate you all.

In this episode of the WFLS podcast, we chat with Matthew Hayter who is the CEO & Founder at Projectworks. We talk about Matt's journey from working in a consulting company to spinning off a startup from that company that invested in them. When the company got acquired, so did Projectworks and this was before they had even got the product off the ground. Matt and his team found themselves pitching the new owners to keep his product alive. They are very much alive and going from strength to strength now. Mat is Co-Founder and CEO of Projectworks, the B2B SaaS platform that’s improving the lives of professional services firms across the globe. He’s a proud dad, who loves tech, cars, retro gaming, and spending his spare time on DIY projects. Educated at Victoria University in Wellington, Matt started his career in software consulting before taking up the entrepreneur life. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Please subscribe to help us. About 60% of our audience does not subscribe and the numbers help us greatly.

In this episode, we speak with Carlos Chambers. Troy and Carlos chat about his journey from being a lawyer, to a climate activist to now a successful founder of two saas companies. They discuss the highs and lows of this journey and a brief psychadelic-infused trip to Burning Man that help put Carlos on a better path. Carlos is on a mission to make a dent in the world. He is a climate fintech founder building CarbonInvoice™. A company where services firms can do the right thing and grow their business. Carlos is also the CEO of Common Ledger which is a platform for open data for SMEs. Previously he was a commercial lawyer at Russell McVeagh, climate organiser Generation Zero and he is always seeking higher knowledge. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Please subscribe to help us. About 60% of our audience does not subscribe and the numbers help us greatly.

In this episode, Troy chats with John-Daniel Trask, or JD, who is the Co-founder & CEO of Raygun. He has been developing software for over 30 years, has produced 14 products, built 4 joint ventures, invests in start-ups, and spends his days leading Raygun and building Lego with his family. Troy and JD chat about his story from knowing he was going to be a successful entrepreneur at 9 years old, building products that have scaled more than most NZ companies and performance culture. JD is not shy in giving his opinions on things and we loved that. He talks honestly and authentically about what he views as a high-performing culture and what he believes employees are really looking for. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Please subscribe to help us. About 60% of our audience does not subscribe and the numbers help us greatly.

Mary Haddock-Staniland is the SVP of Global DEIB & People APAC EMEA at EverCommerce a global software company. In this episode, Troy and Mary talk about Mary's journey, transitioning into one of the most remarkable and mana-enhancing wahine we have ever had the privilege of talking with. They cover Mary's personal story, what it is like being a trans woman in New Zealand and now sitting at the exec table of a global software company. Mary has garnered an impressive reputation for championing change and advocating for a more equitable world, sparking positive change, in the corporate world as a highly regarded thought leader and in social spheres as a committed advocate. She joined EverCommerce after Timely was acquired by us back in 2021; Mary held the role of Chief People & Inclusion Officer at Timely, the first people and inclusion role at an executive level to exist in New Zealand. We absolutely loved our chat with Mary and believe that if the world was as empathetic, curious, and kind as this chat... Everything would be so much better. Please subscribe to help us. About 60% of our audience does not subscribe and the numbers help us greatly.

In this episode Troy Hammond talks with Mark Clare from Clare Capital. Please subscribe to help us continue bringing you great podcasts. There has been so many acquisitions over the last few years and we wanted to know when is the best time to bring an investment banker in. Mark gives us a great insight into the M&A process and how you can maximise your opportunities. They discuss a range of topics including:🤝🏻 Mergers & acquisitions📊 Corporate finance advisory💰 Capital raising and many others. Mark is the founder of Clare Capital and works primarily with clients to help them complete transactions. Mark has over 25 years’ commercial and corporate finance experience, with a background in investment banking, strategy, and technology. Mark has completed a multitude of M&A transactions for large entities and private companies. Mark holds an MBA (with distinction) from Victoria University and a Bachelor of Business Studies (Accountancy) from Massey University. Mark is a Certified Member of the Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand Inc. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as us.

In this episode of We F*@KIN Love Startups, Troy Hammond chats with Kimberley Gilmour who is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sprinklr. We talk about the highs, lows, and comebacks Kimberley has had in tech, where she has had to take time off from heavy life situations. Kimberley is a breath of fresh air in the People Experience space for startups and she and the Sprinklr team, help startups grow. Previously to Sprinklr, Kimberley has worked with some of New Zealand’s most iconic and successful high-growth companies through periods of global expansion and change, including Icebreaker, Vend, 8i, UneeQ, and Groov. She is skilled in developing and embedding proven people processes and practices that fuel growth, strengthen culture, enhance performance, and support well-being.She is passionate about using her experience now to help startups navigate the many and varied challenges and opportunities that arise on the journey, to remove friction and toil, to minimise risk, and help startups and their people thrive. *****DISCLAIMER***** In this episode, Kimberley talks about the suicide of her partner at the time. Suicide is a very sensitive topic to discuss for many and for some it can trigger intense emotions and thoughts. If you or anyone you know are struggling with suicidal thoughts or behaviors, please direct them to a healthcare provider immediately. Please like, share, and subscribe to help us continue sharing the stories of remarkable people like Kimberley. This podcast is dedicated to Angus. Please pour one out for him when watching or listening. We miss you mate.

"Ka mua, ka muri" is a whakatauki that many will know means "walking backwards into the future" - the idea we should look to the past to inform the future. We felt that this podcast with Lee really embodies "walking backwards into the future" as Lee helps the next generation of young Māori and Pasifika understand that the things, they need to be innovators are all told in the stories of their ancestors. In this episode Troy Hammond chats with Lee Timutimu. We chat about Lee's mission to increase both representation and participation of Māori in tech. His personal background kōrero of how he personally got into STEM and what he is doing to help young Māori and Pasifika to enter STEM. Lee is CEO of Arataki Systems - a Māori owned, whānau (family) owned tech company that he founded in 2016. He has 20+ years working in IT and is a Founder & Co-Founder of multiple community initiatives that seek to empower Māori communities in the tech and digital space. Born and raised in Whakatāne, Lee now lives with his whānau in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton). Troy and Lee had a wonderful chat about the great work that Lee is doing and we hope you enjoy this podcast as much as we did shooting it. Please like, share and subscribe to help us continue sharing the stories of remarkable people like Lee.