Open the Pod Bay Doors

Darren Miller, CEO of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, returns for a candid look at seven years of energy forecasts. They explore solar’s falling costs, wind’s surprise price surge, batteries, green steel, hydrogen’s evolving role, and data centers’ growing power demands. Miller also introduces ARENA’s $30 million Launchpad for climate-tech startups and looks toward Australia’s 80% renewable future.

Recorded live at Venture Down Under on the Gold Coast, Ian Gardiner sits down with Jonathan Yip, Managing Director and Head of Innovation Banking, Asia at HSBC Innovation Banking. Jonathan’s career with HSBC began as an intern in 2008 and has since taken him across the UK, Hong Kong, San Francisco, New York and Korea. Today, he leads HSBC’s Innovation Banking business across Asia, supporting venture capital firms and the high-growth companies they back. In this episode, Jonathan explains what “HSBC Innovation Banking” is, how HSBC Innovation Banking built a global platform following its acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank UK, and why the next wave of innovation will require much more than traditional venture capital. They cover: What HSBC Innovation Banking banking offers founders, scale-ups and venture capital firms Why Australia’s closely connected startup ecosystem stands out globally The growing international interest in Australian founders in HSBC Innovation Banking and frontier technology How Asia’s innovation markets differ across India, China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia Why venture funding is growing but becoming increasingly selective The shift from financing software to financing “atoms” The infrastructure behind AI, including energy, data centres and semiconductors Where Australia can compete within the global AI stack The opportunity across quantum, climate tech and advanced infrastructure Why the current innovation cycle requires venture capital, sovereign capital, bank credit and venture debt working together See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Open the Pod Bay Doors, Ian Gardiner sits down with Ella Greer, AI Customer Engineer at Google Cloud, for a deep dive into how AI is actually being built, deployed, and scaled inside real businesses today. Ella works hands-on with some of Australia’s leading companies — from startups to enterprise — helping them design and implement AI roadmaps. This conversation cuts through the hype and focuses on what’s really happening on the ground: from early experimentation to production-scale AI systems. They cover: The shift from AI experimentation to real-world deployment and scale What an “AI Customer Engineer” actually does inside Google Why startups are still the most exciting (and fastest-moving) AI adopters What “agents” and “agentic systems” really mean — explained simply  How companies are moving from proof-of-concept to real business outcomes Why the SaaS model is under pressure — and what replaces it Where the new “moats” are in an AI-first world (data, verticalisation, expertise) The rise of usage-based pricing and token-driven business models How AI is reshaping product development, engineering, and startup costs Why great engineers still matter — and what skills actually endure How founders should think about AI today (and why it’s no longer optional) They also explore: The future of AI pricing — why intelligence gets cheaper, but better models cost more Whether AGI is close (and why definitions matter) The role of DeepMind as Google’s research engine Why AI adoption is still uneven — and why most people aren’t using it deeply (yet) How founders and investors should evaluate AI companies in a noisy market Ella brings a practical, engineering-first perspective with clear takeaways for founders, operators, and investors navigating the AI shift. Quick Fire Round📚 Book recommendation – Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro🎧 Podcast recommendation – Latent Space (AI engineering deep dives)🗞️ News source – Alpha Signal (AI research + repo summaries)👩‍💼 Favourite leader – Lila Ibrahim (COO, DeepMind / Chief AI Readiness Officer)🛠️ Productivity tool – Gemini CLI (with strong context engineering)📺 TV / entertainment – Married at First Sight (pure brain-off viewing) A sharp, grounded conversation on where AI is actually delivering value — and what to do about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Open the Pod Bay Doors, Ian Gardiner sits down with long-time friend and tech leader Matt Loop, now Head of Asia Pacific at Rippling. Matt has been at the heart of SaaS for two decades. From opening Salesforce’s first Australian office out of his Bondi apartment, to helping LinkedIn scale across Asia and the US, guiding Slack through the chaos of COVID, and now leading Rippling’s rapid expansion across APAC — Matt has lived through (and helped build) some of the most iconic software companies of our time. They cover: Opening Salesforce AU with nothing but a laptop and a dream Lessons from LinkedIn’s hypergrowth and $26B acquisition by Microsoft Scaling Slack globally during the pandemic and its $27B acquisition by Salesforce Building Rippling’s Australian business from scratch to 100+ people in two years The hard realities of scaling from 10 → 100 people (and why it’s “really bloody hard”) How to hire and evaluate top sales talent (including Matt’s playbook) Product-led growth vs sales-led growth, and why the best companies do all three (PLG, SLG, and community-led) How Rippling is using AI today — and where it’s headed Scaling culture across regions and why “toxic hires” can kill momentum Liquidity, secondaries, and the trade-offs of staying private at $16B+ valuation Matt is a natural storyteller with practical lessons for founders, operators, and investors — and plenty of laughs along the way. Quick Fire Round📚 Book recommendation – Going Infinite by Michael Lewis (Sam Bankman-Fried story)🎧 Podcast recommendation – SmartLess (Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes)🗞️ News source – AFR, LinkedIn Newsfeed, and a mix of global outlets👨‍💼 Favourite CEO – Satya Nadella (plus reflections on Benioff, Jeff Weiner, Stewart Butterfield, and Parker Conrad)🛠️ Productivity tool – Slack (still his #1)📱 Favourite app – Slack (for staying connected to work + investor/advisory communities)📺 TV / movie recommendation – Mob Land (Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Tom Hardy), plus Yellowstone and the Taylor Sheridan spin-offs🎤 TED Talk topic – The evolution of US sports: from blue-collar pastime to corporate billion-dollar industrySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Ian sits down with Evan Walden, CEO of Getro—a startup rethinking how VCs support their portfolio companies through meaningful connections and talent networks. From his early days at General Assembly to leading a platform used by top-tier VC firms, Evan shares candid insights on leadership, founder relationships, startup career pathways, and why authentic networking matters more than ever. Whether you're a founder, investor, or ecosystem builder, this conversation is packed with practical ideas and fresh perspectives on value creation in venture capital. 🔑 Key Conversation Highlights: From Philosophy to Tech:Evan’s unconventional path from studying philosophy to building tech platforms that empower communities and ecosystems. Lessons from General Assembly:The founding journey, scaling a mission-driven business, and how career outcomes, not just education, shaped their growth. The Power of “Network-Driven Outcomes”:Why intros and warm connections still drive results, and how Getro helps VCs operationalise this at scale. Rebuilding the VC Tech Stack:What most venture firms get wrong about talent support—and why the future of VC is about network intelligence. Getro’s Origin Story:From internal project to standalone company, and what it’s like spinning out of a fund like OnDeck. Tactical Advice for VCs:How to actually help founders. Hint: it’s not just capital. Evan shares real strategies around intros, hiring, and network mapping.   Quick Fire Round: 📚 Book recommendation – The Great CEO Within - There's a PDF that's available for free, but to me this is like the Bible for any startup founder and I would just recommend anyone starting a company go get it like right now.🎧 Podcast recommendation – This Jungian Life - not business related but a funny poscast to listen to🗞️ News source – I've actually been using X a lot more recently. I realised once I curated who I follow it became the best place to learn about the nuances of what's getting built in AI and tech, stuff that never makes it into the news cycle.👨‍💼 Favourite CEO –  Collison brothers (Founders of Stripe) for their ability to build a massive company while maintaining their value system and Brian Chesky (Founder of Airbnb).🛠️ Productivity tool – Superhuman and chatGPT📱 Favourite app – Whisper Flow - a speech to text app that's 99% accurate📺 TV or movie recommendation – I'm half way through The Last of Us🎤 TED Talk topic – Networking doesn't have to suck: building authentic relationships in a world of fakeness. The Innovation Bay job board is powered by Getro. Looking for your dream role? We have you covered with over 450 open roles across almost 5000 companies: https://jobs.innovationbay.com/jobsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Morgan, Co-CEO of Oxygen Advisors, shares insights from his journey growing a finance service for tech startups in Australasia. He discusses scaling from a one-man band in New Zealand to a 45-person team and the unique challenges of the Australian market. The conversation highlights the rise of fractional roles like CFOs, the role of AI in finance, and the significance of maintaining strong client relationships. Chris also reflects on his personal growth, illustrating how empathy and connection pave the way for business success.

In this special live edition of Open The Pod Bay Doors, Ian sits down with independent MP Allegra Spender in front of a live audience at Jelix Ventures. With a federal election in Australia just weeks away, Allegra offers candid insights into her journey as a parliamentarian, Australia’s economic crossroads, and the critical reforms needed to ensure a thriving, future-facing nation. The conversation explores Australia’s global trade vulnerabilities, the urgent need to diversify partnerships, and the growing capital challenges faced by the startup sector. Allegra shares her perspective on climate policy, the energy transition, and why Australia is uniquely positioned to lead in solar innovation. The discussion also delves into geopolitical dynamics, immigration, education, and the pressing need for smarter regulation and stronger support for innovation. Throughout the episode, Allegra outlines clear action items—from improving access to innovation funding to bringing startup voices into Parliament—while encouraging Australians to stay politically engaged. This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about Australia’s economic future, climate leadership, and the role of independent voices in shaping smarter policy. We hope you enjoy this insightful and special live recording of Open The Pod Bay Doors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this episode of Open the Pod Bay Doors host, Ian Gardiner, is joined by Rob Sibo, Head of AI/ML Customer Engineering ANZ, Google. Ian and Rob sat down in late 2024 to discuss all things AI. From demo's to production: Scaling AI in 2025. Rob’s focus for the coming year is clear: move beyond quick wins and proofs of concept to real production use cases. He anticipates a leap in conversational and multimodal AI agents—ones that can autonomously act on your behalf via voice, text, or other inputs. In this incredibly insightful session you can expect:🧠 Insights on AI Adoption📊 Advice for Startups & Builders🧭 On Ethics, Responsibility & The Agent Era🌐 How to Get Involved with Google Cloud“In 2025, the conversation won’t be about what’s possible, it’ll be about what agentic experience do we want to create.” Quick Fire Round: 📚 Book recommendation – I'm a sucker for dune by Frank Herbert. I've read them all twice🎧 Podcast recommendation – The Well, Babbage, and AI daily brief👨‍💼 Favourite CEO – Sundar Pichai, Google and Sam Altman, OpenAI🗞️ News source – Google news🛠️ Productivity tool – OmniFocus📱 Favourite app – The Gemini App and Apple Music📺 TV or movie recommendation – Historical dramas, whether they're accurate or not. Medicis and the Ancient Apocalypse.🎤 TED Talk topic – ethical and responsible AI Google Cloud program mentioned:The Google for Startups Cloud Program helps pre-seed to Series A startups thrive by giving them access to the technology, community, and resources they need to start and scale their business. Check out the additional benefits for AI and Web3 startups. Eligible AI startups can get up to US$350k in Google Cloud credits, dedicated technical supports, hands-on AI training, exclusive access to events, webinars, and more. Apply today. Web3 startups can get up to US$200k in free credits, invite-only access to gated Discord channel, foundations grants, VIP event access and more. Apply today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuart Dullard, Partner at Ashurst and an expert in tech M&A, dives into the challenges facing founders today. He discusses the critical importance of experienced legal support in the startup ecosystem, especially in Australia. The conversation highlights funding strategies, the impact of secondary sales in venture capital, and the need for building empathetic teams. Stuart also champions initiatives for gender equality in law and tech while reflecting on the evolving culture within the legal profession, fueled by technology and a focus on work-life balance.

After a brief hiatus, Open the Pid Bay Door is back with an exciting new episode! Host Ian Gardiner sits down with Bryan Williams, Founder of Hockey Stick Advisory, to dive into the world of strategic partnerships and growth acceleration. Hockey Stick Advisory provides market leading strategic partnerships advisory, operational and executional guidance with accountability for growth alongside prioritised partners. We empower ambitious companies to accelerate top line growth, whilst protecting scarce bottom line resources.   Highlights from their conversation include: 📊 Understanding Partnerships 🚀 The importance of Partnerships for Startups 🔍 Identifying Potential Partners 📈 Measuring Partnership Success 💡 Common Pitfalls in Partnerships 🌐 Building a Partnership Ecosystem 🛠️ Best Practices for Partnerships 📅 Community and Networking  Quick Fire Round: Book recommendation - "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. He's a former Navy seal, hardcore guy, but I think it's similar to the lines of Kim Scott's book Radical Candor.  Podcast recommendation - "Rich Roll - when it's relevant and something I like, Stephen Bartlett's Diary of a CEO and there's a bunch of really good partnership ones in the US where I can sort of follow along and absorb best practices. Favourite CEO - Yamini Rangan, CEO, Hubspot News source - Capital Brief Productivity tool - "I'm a big believer in power naps!" Favourite app - Strava TV show or movie recommendation "Well, the new Gladiator is coming out this weekend, so looking forward to that one"   If you were asked to do a TED talk, what topic would you speak about? Going viral and what not to do Don’t miss this insightful conversation packed with actionable advice for growth-focused businesses!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.