Wild Hearts

What if you could take the most mysterious force in physics—and make it useful? In our final  episode of this season of Wild Hearts, we sit down with Pete Shadbolt, co-founder of PsiQuantum, a company racing to build the world’s first utility-scale quantum computer. But this isn’t a conversation about quantum theory. It’s about execution. Engineering. Scaling. Building something that moves humanity forward - not in decades, but now. Pete shares why 300 or 3,000 qubits won’t cut it, and why a million is the magic number. We explore the technical marvels (and madness) involved in the team’s journey: superconducting detectors millimetres from red-hot heaters, lasers brighter than a trillion photons, and a cryostat that throws out the chandelier model altogether. But most of all, this is a story of ambition. Of leaving behind prestigious academic careers, raising a billion dollars, and assembling a team of physicists, welders, aerospace engineers, and cryo-specialists to take one shot at building something historic. In this conversation, we cover: 🚀 Why PsiQuantum is chasing 1 million qubits—not 300, not 3,000🏗️ What it takes to move quantum computing from theory to hardware—with welders, chip designers, and aerospace engineers  📉 Why academia can be a trap—and how PsiQuantum built an anti-academic company culture  🌐 The real-world applications of quantum computing: from designing drugs to revolutionising materials science  👩‍🔬 How team DNA, not just tech, shapes PsiQuantum’s ability to scale and execute  ⚙️ Why quantum computing isn’t a mass adoption tool - and why that’s perfectly okay 🔥 How engineering targets that once caused mutiny are now being hit daily This episode concludes our fifth season of Wild Hearts. Over the past 40 weeks, it’s been our honour to chat to the founders and operators shaping the world we live in. If you’ve enjoyed the conversations, we would be grateful if you could like, subscribe, and share our program with other wild hearts.  Wild Hearts will take a short break, and will return to all streaming platforms later this year.  From everyone at the Wild Hearts team, thank you! 

What if planning dinner wasn’t a chore—but something you looked forward to? In this episode, Wild Hearts guest host, Silk Kadala - investor at Blackbird - chats with Anna Guerrero, founder of Clove, a beautifully designed cooking app that’s reimagining how we cook at home. You might know Anna from her nine years scaling the creator marketplace at Canva—but it was a stint as a pasta chef in the Dolomites that ultimately set her on the path to launching Clove. Whether you’re interested in the role of AI in reducing decision fatigue, why brands are betting big on recipe creators as the next wave of culinary entrepreneurs or just stood in front of the fridge thinking “what’s for dinner?”—this episode is for you. 🔍 In this conversation, we cover: 🍳 The invisible mental load of everyday cooking—and how Clove is removing it with Smart Planner 📲 Why Clove’s approach to AI is more whisper than shout—and why that matters for creativity 📚 Building for creators: how Clove is giving food bloggers, TikTok cooks and chefs a new way to publish and earn 🎯 From pitch decks to real traction: Anna’s high-stakes decision to pause Clove’s creator program and set a new quality bar 🚀 The leap from Canva exec to culinary school student—and what working in a Michelin-starred restaurant taught Anna about product 🧠 Low ego, high initiative: what Clove looks for in early team members and building a culture of adaptability 🧭 What it means to follow the dots—why you don’t need to have it all figured out to move forward 🍽️ The long-term ambition: turning Clove into the global go-to for “what’s for dinner?”—with a billion recipes cooked through the platform From Canva to Clove, Anna Guerrero shows what it looks like to reinvent yourself, back a bold vision, and build something that truly changes how we live and cook.

Kate Vale, the first employee at Google and Spotify in Australia, shares her incredible journey launching these iconic tech giants from her lounge room. She discusses the challenges of scaling Spotify compared to Google and the cultural rituals that fostered high-performance teams. Vale also reveals the critical lessons learned in tech, the mistakes startups often make, and her commitment to supporting female founders through her venture capital fund. Her insights offer a fascinating glimpse into the tech world and the importance of investing in women.

What happens when a side project becomes a platform used by over 75 million people—yet  the founder feels like they’re losing control of it? In this special live episode of Wild Hearts , Linktree co-founder and CEO Alex Zaccaria joins Mason Yates on stage at Sunrise Australia to unpack the messy, inspiring story behind one of Australia’s most iconic tech exports.  From unpacking Alex’s early creative instincts to the cultural tensions between Australia and the US, this is an unfiltered conversation on clarity, leadership, and staying close to the product that made it all possible. In this conversation, we cover: 🚀 How Linktree grew from a music industry side project into a global internet infrastructure tool 🔁 Why Alex Zaccaria scrapped traditional org charts and rebuilt the team from a “zero-based budget” approach 🧠 The internal mindset shift from people-pleasing to product-led, founder-first decision making 🔗 Why simplicity is one of the hardest product challenges—and how Linktree maintains it at massive scale 🗺️ What it means to build a business across two cultures—Australia and the US—and how the team navigates tall poppy syndrome 💸 How Linktree's new “Sponsored Links” marketplace is flipping influencer marketing into measurable performance 🎤 The evolution of leadership clarity and why Alex now operates in “mandate mode” 📈 What it takes to stay true to your product intuition—even when everyone around you tells you otherwise And of course, because this is a live episode, there’s some audience questions and banter along the way! Listen in for a conversation about reclaiming vision, rewriting culture, and building at global scale while staying grounded in creative instinct.

Harry Flett, VP of Product at Tracksuit, shares insights on creating a thriving product culture that balances fun and performance. He discusses the importance of the 'say-do ratio' in building trust within teams. Harry also delves into managing burnout, emphasizing the need for intentional delegation. His approach to clear writing enhances team clarity and strategy. Additionally, he reveals effective hiring practices focused on genuine connections and the role humor plays in fostering engagement and creativity in the workplace.

George Howes, former creative lead at Eucalyptus and founder of Magic Brief, dives deep into the cluttered world of online content. He highlights how creative teams thrive on feedback loops, not just freedom. Discussing AI, George emphasizes that it should enhance, not replace, creativity, while also sharing his 15 principles for high-performing teams. He offers insights on optimizing marketing strategies and the evolving role of technology in fostering genuine customer engagement. A masterclass for marketers seeking innovation!

Vu Tran, co-founder of Go1 and Black Sky Industries, shares his unique journey from edtech to the defense sector, driven by concerns for future generations. He discusses the moral dilemmas that guided his shift to missile manufacturing and emphasizes the need for Australia to become self-reliant in its defense. Vu believes in adopting a startup mindset to innovate within this slow-moving industry, advocating for a defense philosophy akin to an echidna—small yet formidable. His insights on personal mission and national security spark a conversation about reshaping Australia’s military landscape.

Jesse Creighton, Director of Heidi Health in the US, dives into the challenges of scaling a healthcare startup in a competitive market. He shares insights on awkward networking experiences and the obstacles of initial customer outreach. Jesse discusses how switching to a freemium model transformed their growth and the importance of adapting strategies to achieve product-market fit. He also explores building a customer-focused team and the unique hiring dynamics between Australian and American talent. Get ready for lessons in persistence and product innovation!

What does it take to achieve nuclear fusion in less time than it takes to build a traditional power plant prototype? In this episode of Wild Hearts, we’re joined by Ratu Mataira, CEO of OpenStar, a company that just hit the crucial "first plasma" milestone in a staggering 16 months. We unpack the misconceptions surrounding fusion, the unique design of OpenStar’s levitated dipole reactor, and why the pathway to commercial fusion might be shorter -and more valuable - than most people think.🔍 In this conversation, we cover:⚡ How OpenStar achieved first plasma in just 16 months—years faster than competitors💥 Why fusion isn’t “30 years away” anymore—and never really was 📉 How misconceptions about cost, scale and safety are holding the industry back 🔩 The engineering breakthrough that allows OpenStar to iterate faster 🧪 Why their first product won’t be a power plant—and what it might be instead 🏥 Medical isotopes, nuclear waste and imaging: the early use cases for fusion 🔧 “Always include a crank”: how failure tolerance fuels rapid learning 🚀 The startup mindset behind building a trillion-dollar fusion company This episode goes beyond fusion hype; it’s a candid look at how OpenStar is breaking barriers in one of the world’s hardest engineering challenges.

How do you take a scientific hunch and turn it into a breakthrough that could change medicine forever?In this episode of Wild Hearts, we sit down with Elise Jenkins, co-founder of Opto Biosystems, to discuss the journey of building a first-in-class brain implant that merges neurotechnology with oncology. 🎧 Subscribe on Apple or Spotify to learn.We explore the highs and lows of moving from academia to a high-stakes startup, the unexpected hurdles of working with neurosurgeons, and the race toward first-in-human trials.In this conversation, we cover:🧠 Bridging the gap between neuroscience and cancer research🔬 How brain-Computer interfaces could transform oncology📈 The road to the first-in-human clinical trials and what It means for the future💡 The challenges of moving from academia to a high-impact startup⚡ Why the next generation of neural implants need to be MRI-invisible 🏥 What It takes to get regulatory approval for a revolutionary medical implant 🌎 Opto’s long-term vision: using neural biomarkers beyond brain cancerIf you're fascinated by the intersection of science, engineering, and medicine, this conversation is for you.🎧 Subscribe on Apple or Spotify to learn.