Alex Valente is the founder of Redactive, an AI security startup helping enterprises control who can access sensitive data. Redactive ensures permissioning is done right—so companies can safely adopt tools like Copilot and AI agents without leaking internal documents, exposing secrets, or creating massive security risks.This episode is for anyone building or working with AI—especially in enterprise, security, or early-stage startups. If you're thinking about AI adoption, data risks, or how to take a product global, Alex shares hard-won insight, sharp takes, and a few great stories along the way.Thanks to our sponsors Zeller and KC Ventures. Zeller is building the financial stack to help startups scale, called Zeller for Startups. Join the waitlist at https://www.myzeller.com/startups to be eligible for a $100 cash bonus.KC Ventures helps Australian startups scale by providing strategic financial advice. You can find KC Ventures at http://kcventures.com.au/ or message their founder Luke Rix on Linkedin to get in contact directly.-00:00 Introduction02:05 The Bull Case for Europe05:03 Moving to San Francisco: Opportunities and Challenges06:28 Redactive's Mission and Vision07:25 The Importance of Exporting Australian Engineering15:03 Early Life and Career Path21:39 The Future of AI and Software28:13 Enterprise AI Adoption Challenges33:23 The Pitfalls of Relying on a Single Vendor34:05 The Importance of Agility and Grit in Founders35:51 Commerciality and Interdisciplinary Respect38:23 Identifying and Improving Weak Points41:05 The Reality of Moats in Modern Business49:20 Security Threats in the Age of AI53:39 Building a High-Performance Culture57:23 Strategic Bets and Market Predictions1:01:00 Reflections and Future Plans--JOIN OUR COMMUNITYLinkedIn 🚀: / the-sachin-and-adam-show 📸 Instagram: / sachinandadam 🐦 X: https://x.com/Sachin_and_Adam🎵 TikTok: sachinandadam LISTEN TO THE SHOWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3M29tMFbZ4mtzJbcRNY3N6?si=3ba0457fb1974595

Ben Pfisterer is an ex-NAB, Visa and Square employee who co-founded Zeller, an Australian fintech company that achieved unicorn status - reaching a valuation of $1 billion - in less than two years. Under his leadership, Zeller has attracted over 85,000 customers and secured $180 million in funding, revolutionizing business banking in Australia by offering integrated financial solutions that challenge traditional banking giants.He built fast, made bold bets, and outworked the competition - and Zeller is now challenging the banks that have dominated Australia for decades.If you're a founder, operator, or just someone who wants to understand how startups win at scale, this episode is for you.---Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, KC Ventures! They help Australian startups scale by providing strategic financial advice.You can find KC Ventures at https://kcventures.com.au/ or message their founder Luke Rix on Linkedin to get in contact directly.00:00 Introduction to Zeller's Success00:10 Challenges and Low Points00:22 Go-to-Market Strategy00:35 Ben Pfisterer's Background01:00 The Startup Community and Zeller for Startups01:25 Building a Culture of Speed02:33 Ben's Early Life and Influences04:48 Competitiveness and Design in Zeller05:52 Direct Approach to Leadership07:05 Navigating Bureaucratic Organizations10:02 Insights into the Financial System12:16 Founding and Growing Zeller17:33 Hiring and Building a Team19:40 Rapid Growth and Execution22:19 Sponsor Break: KC Ventures22:35 Strategic Work and Scaling Startups22:50 Optimal Timing for Founders to Seek Help23:11 Product Growth and Market Penetration25:25 Challenges and Resilience in Startup Journey28:27 Building a Culture of Speed and Efficiency30:58 Balancing Work Intensity and Employee Well-being33:37 Zeller for Startups: Revolutionizing Financial Services38:23 Future of Customer Experience in Financial Services40:47 Endless Entrepreneurial Journey42:46 Conclusion and Wrap-up

Casey Flint, the AI Business Lead at AWS and former VC at Square Peg, shares her remarkable journey from rural Queensland to AI leadership. She discusses the rapid advancements in AGI and the implications for the future of work, emphasizing the need for adaptation. Topics include AI's impact on job markets, ethical considerations in development, and the cultural lessons learned during her time at Uber. Casey highlights the necessity of domain-specific solutions and continuous learning to navigate the evolving tech landscape.

Steve Hind, co-founder of Lorikeet AI and a former manager at Stripe, shares his insights on career growth and the startup landscape. He discusses his transformative experiences that taught him when to leave prestigious jobs. Hind dives into the significance of operational principles in building strong company culture amidst rapid growth. He emphasizes Lorikeet's innovative approach to AI in customer support and reflects on the nuances of talent acquisition and team dynamics in the tech industry, especially within the context of Australian startups.

In today's episode we sat down with Daybreak founder Rex Woodbury to breakdown the importance of "taste" in forecasting high growth industries and the startups ripe to dominate them. As a former partner at Index Ventures, Rex is planning to build a generational VC firm focused on an artisanal approach to company building not just asset management. We also explore how "consumer AI" will transform customer experiences and why AI agents will become an integral part of nearly all businesses... Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sponsors Slice: https://www.slicegroup.co/ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction: Venture Capital Meets Architectural Digest 00:04 The Importance of Taste in Consumer Investing 00:29 Human Skills and PR in Venture Capital 00:49 Exploring the Remarkable Apartment 01:10 The Role of Design in Early-Stage Investing 02:00 The Anthropologist Approach to Venture 02:32 The Elusiveness of Brand and Taste 03:28 AI and the Future of Human Skills 04:29 Personal Insights: Card Game and Psychology 11:04 The Journey of Building Daybreak 12:26 The Importance of Independent Thinking in Venture 16:48 Trends and the Future of Consumer Behavior 30:19 The Vibrant Life in New York City 32:04 Conclusion and Reflections About us We tell the raw stories of the world’s tech leaders, by asking the vulnerable questions that no one else does. Guests have included former Prime Ministers, unicorn tech founders and the world’s top investors. Join us for these interviews and get a real behind the scenes look into 25 year old best friends building the company of their dreams.

Farouk Ismail, Co-founder of Slice, joins us to discuss the journey from bootstrapping his startup to raising a massive $7.5 million seed round. Farouk shares candid insights on the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the importance of risk management, and invaluable lessons learned from navigating a global pandemic. Tune in for actionable advice and inspiration for aspiring founders. Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sponsors Slice: https://www.slicegroup.co/ Zed Law: https://www.zed.law/ Timestamps 00:00 Trailer 00:41 Welcome to the Studio: Catching Up with an Old Friend 01:20 The Journey of Slice: From Inception to Public Recognition 04:21 Bootstrapping Slice: The Early Days and MVP 06:37 Slice 07:25 Surviving COVID: A Hail Mary Expansion to the US 19:50 Balancing Risk and Reward: Lessons from the Journey 24:44 Balancing Aggression and Building a Good Company 25:00 Embracing Risk and Reward 25:51 The Story of SoftBank's Masayoshi Son 27:11 The Importance of High Conviction Portfolios 27:50 Going All In: The Entrepreneur's Journey 29:00 Zed Law 29:35 Raising Capital: The 17.5 Million Seed Round 31:30 Finding the Right Investors 36:09 Evolving as a Founder and CEO 40:50 Instilling Company Culture and Principles 46:56 Recommended Resources for Founders 48:56 Podcast Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts About us We tell the raw stories of the world’s tech leaders, by asking the vulnerable questions that no one else does. Guests have included former Prime Ministers, unicorn tech founders and the world’s top investors. Join us for these interviews and get a real behind the scenes look into 25 year old best friends building the company of their dreams.

We interviewed David Brillembourg Jr. of Dune Ventures. David dropped out of NYU at 18 to join Galaxy Digital. He joined as employee number 5 and left when it was in the billions of market cap. After Galaxy Digital, at just 21 he started his own venture fund, Dune Ventures. Dune invests in the best founders in the video games industry. David shares his invaluable insights on venture capital, the impact of immersive video games, the importance of independent and creative thinking, and his own entrepreneurial journey, from dropping out of NYU to founding a venture fund. Along the way, he delves into the cultural differences between New York and San Francisco, his views on the future of Web3 and VR, and the critical balance between creativity and commercial success in the gaming industry. Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sponsors Slice: https://www.slicegroup.co/ Zed Law: https://www.zed.law/ Timestamps 00:00 Trailer 00:36 The Aesthetic Influence of New York 02:07 Entrepreneurial Journey and Philosophy 03:53 Impact of Background and Crypto 06:27 Early Career and Risk-Taking 08:43 Slice 15:02 Starting Dune Ventures 16:32 The Fascination with Gaming 22:59 Innovations in Gaming Business Models 26:11 Zed Law 27:37 Scaling Gaming Investments 27:58 Identifying Great Talent in Gaming 29:30 Balancing Creativity and Commercial Success 30:58 Portfolio Construction in Gaming 32:44 Non-Competitive Investment Strategy 35:01 Exploring New Markets and Opportunities About us We tell the raw stories of the world’s tech leaders, by asking the vulnerable questions that no one else does. Guests have included former Prime Ministers, unicorn tech founders and the world’s top investors. Join us for these interviews and get a real behind the scenes look into 25 year old best friends building the company of their dreams.

In this episode, join Siobhan, an innovative leader in workforce intelligence, as she discusses the transformative power of AI, her entrepreneurial journey, and how she's balancing work and personal life. From starting a baking business at 13 to building a billion-dollar company, Siobhan shares her unique insights on building in the era of AI, the principles of enterprise sales, and her relentless drive to make an impact. Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sponsors Slice: https://www.slicegroup.co/ Zed Law: https://www.zed.law/ Timestamps 00:00 Trailer 00:32 Meeting Siobhan in New York 01:03 Siobhan's Personal Drive and Energy 02:39 Building a Big Company in New York 04:22 The Importance of Workforce Strategy 06:20 Challenges and Innovations in Workforce Management 07:17 The Role of AI in Workforce Transformation 16:30 Personal Reflections and Work-Life Balance 21:11 Day Theming and Time Blocking 22:04 Leveraging AI for Productivity 23:11 Mastering Enterprise Sales 25:53 Strategic Hiring and Workforce Optimization 28:07 Building a Community and Distribution Strategy 34:33 Balancing Parenthood and Entrepreneurship 38:04 Final Thoughts and Reflections About us We tell the raw stories of the world’s tech leaders, by asking the vulnerable questions that no one else does. Guests have included former Prime Ministers, unicorn tech founders and the world’s top investors. Join us for these interviews and get a real behind the scenes look into 25 year old best friends building the company of their dreams.

Jamie Beaton, the founder of Crimson Education, shares insights from building his billion-dollar college admissions counseling company while earning 10 degrees. He discusses the importance of risk mitigation for long-term success and how his upbringing shaped his entrepreneurial drive. Jamie emphasizes the need to challenge educational norms and master time management for intense academic pursuits. He also highlights the significance of elite universities in networking and shares inspiring student success stories that showcase the real-world impact of effective educational strategies.

Chris Hladczuk, a driven 26-year-old startup founder, dives into his rapid rise to leadership as a Chief Revenue Officer. He shares his controversial views on work-life balance and the sacrifices behind his success. Chris discusses the transformative shift from traditional SaaS to AI-powered services, emphasizing tactical sales strategies and the need for a cohesive team culture. Listeners gain insights into his new venture, the importance of adaptability, and how historical business strategies continue to shape modern entrepreneurship.