The High Flyers Podcast with Vidit Agarwal

Eytan Lenko is CEO at Boundless, on a mission to make Australia a renewable energy superpower by 2030, backed by Atlassian Co-founder, Mike Cannon Brookes. He previously was a software engineer and co-founded 2 companies including Outware Mobile.In this episode #125 w Eytan Lenko, learn about:Think of this in two parts, with the first half being a deep dive into Eytan’s life influences and career decisions and the second half, a deep dive into his love affair with climate solutions and technology, how it started first at Beyond Zero Emissions and more recently as CEO at Boundless, the non for profit to make Australia a renewable energy superpower by 2030, backed by Atlassian Co-founder, Mike Cannon Brookes.Learn about Eytan’s sunrise in Melbourne, his jewish heritage and the influences of his father, a chemical engineer turned entrepreneur and mum, a nurse turned a cosmetics sales extraordinaire, and his 3 sisters.We cover his career track especially how he went from software engineer to CEO, and founding 2 companies along the way and influences living in Japan, Darwin and the UK.I loved every minute of this, Eytan is candid, passionate, introspective and really lives up to our ethos of open direct access, and it’s a masterclass in the climate solutions today, how Eytan and his team are using the epic way of working and creating 100,000 jobs in the space today.It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy! (Timestamps below)***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterContact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ***02:16  - Where were you born and live now?02:33 - What was your first job and now?03:45 - High Flyer in Eytan’s life04:42 - WW2 and holocaust survivors05:47 - 3 younger sisters06:21 - Chemical engineer, programming and nursing11:03 - kibbutz and Israel13:01 - Friday night dinners with family16:55 - Academic learning vs learning through doing22:09 - Learning people leadership alongside technical skills26:23 - Engineering to CEO28:07 - How to go into a new company environment and drive alignment31:00 - Founder transferable skills33:48 - Learnings from Japan, Darwin and UK37:33 - First date with climate41:47 - Working in “epics”47:44 - Electric Vehicles and Transportation49:50 - Solving with government54:38 - Cost of capital to unlock innovation57:58 - 100,000 new jobs01:01:40 - Rapid fire***

Featuring two of the co-founders, Jess Richmond & Lindsay Ellis, building from Tasmania for the world! Welcome to installment #23 of the Investment Memo series and episode #124 on the show. Submit this EOI for your company to be considered in future episodes of this special series!  This exciting startup Sumday, is empowering accountants to re-define how the world measures and reports on environmental impact.In this conversation with 2 of the  co-founders, Jess Richmond and Lindsay Ellis, based in Tasmania, Australia — learn about how their regional upbringing and global work experiences from Dubai to Norway influences their outlook on life today. This one’s candid, I asked them about how they first met which is quite the story, the magic moments that led to leaving their full time jobs and going all in on building Sumday, crucible moments including their first customer, their first product and engineer hires and transitioning from an accounting firm to a software platform.Be sure to have your notepad ready to understand what exactly is carbon accounting, what are scope 1,2 and 3 emissions. And in what can seem a crowded space, how have Sunday built their point of difference for investors, customers and employees to join them on this mission, as they bring the future today, building in Tasmania, Australia for the world.It’s time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy! (Timestamps below)***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterContact us via our website or email Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ***02:29 - Jess’s influences from Tasmania, Dubai, Melbourne03:55 - Linday’s influences from Perth, Norway, NZ05:04 - Most impactful career experiences to date10:37 - How Lindsay and Jess met13:35 - Playing in the arena to reduce emissions16:30 - Realising importance of analysis + storytelling17:37  - Decision to go all-in21:30 - Crucible moment this could be a large business24:00 - Funny stories of first senior hires 25:35 - Generating significant traction 28:30 - Transition from accounting firm to software platform31:33 - Defining carbon accounting and scope 1,2 and 335:59 - Sunday’s points of difference42:32 - Building from Tasmania for the world44:30 - Upcoming job openings and skill sets in team 

In this episode #123 w David Shein, learn about:David’s memories of growing up in South Africa during a divided time for the country, the influences of his father, a businessman and mother, a piano teacher — and his 2 older brothers.I asked Dave about his move to Australia in the 80’s or “gods country” as he calls it. You may be aware that he founded ComTech, Australia’s first unicorn but what you may not know is the story behind this, especially having a young family and being new in Australia.Dave was candid about his biggest regret, how’s he made career decisions, the meaning of success, how he’s managed to build a knack of understanding people quickly and maintaining high quality relationships with leaders in business, sport, politics and more.And I couldn’t release this episode without asking Dave some of the hard questions about his fund, OIF, best in class investor relationships, and his unfiltered advice to founders in this uncertain climate.It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!(Timestamps below)***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterContact us via our website or email Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ***02:15 - Secrets to looking young02:52 -  Where were you born and live now?03:18 - What was your first job and now?05:00 - High Flyer in David’s life07:25 - Growing up in South Africa during a divided country11:52 - Chartered Accounting family13:05 - 3 brothers15:42 - Moving to Australia in 198119:34 - Founding ComTech with a young family22:01 - Sitting on a gold mine25:00 - Financial success27:22 - Career decision making hierarchy34:55 - VC as a career path today38:00 - Judging people in 5 minutes41:00 - Cultivating high quality relationships44:37 - OIF and US connection48:26 - Best in class investor relationships52:02 - Hall of fame54:10 - Advice to founders in today’s market57:40 - Balance between growth and profitability01:00:22 - Success, respect, reputation01:02:28 - Rapid fire

In this episode #122 w Sheel Mohnot, learn about:02:15  - Where were you born and live now?02:30 - What was your first job and now?03:20  - High Flyer in Sheel’s life04:12 - Indian family influences05:19 - High school impressions06:09 - Connecting with Indian / American identity06:51 - Grandfather’s inspiration07:44 - Multi dimensional career interests09:00 - A year living in India on a $1 a day10:18 - Internalising personal values and happiness11:10 - Most painful learning12:26 - Meeting his wife thanks to a dating show12:48 - Taco Bell metaverse wedding13:44 - Hanging out with AirBnB’s Brian Cheesky16:18 - Business opportunity in podcasts17:13 - Finance, Consulting, Healthcare18:02 - Mental models for learning18:57 - Crowdfunding as part of a VC round19:50 - State of FinTech today21:07 - Founding team vs product at seed stage21:50 - Transition from angel investor to running a fund22:45 - Questions to ask in first meeting with founder23:51 - Downside of saying no to founders24:42 - Hallmarks of a great enduring Venture firm26:44 - Managing both sides: the LP’s and Founders28:44 - 5 best hall of fame investors29:54 - Best underrated investors30:35 - most unexpected successful founders31:35 - Unpacking Flexport’s business model33:09 - Indian CEO’s34:58 - Building rapport cross cultures37:20 - FinTech in Africa38:01 - Opportunity in Australia39:12 - 3 tips to become a VC today40:12 - Progression within a VC41:51 - Traits of a great investment memo42:50 - Areas founders should be more aware of44:39 - Growth vs burn rates45:15 - Final sprintIt’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterContact us via our website or email Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 

Global tech investor Squarepeg announces investment in Chronicle. Hear from James Tynan and Mayuresh Patole! In this special episode #121, learn about:▪️ 02:09 - James’ memories of first meeting with Mayuresh @ Chronicle▪️04:04 - Mayuresh’ memories of early interactions with Squarepeg ▪️06:15 - Where was Mayuresh born and lives now?▪️07:20 - Most profound experience in childhood▪️10:38 - Ultra HD vision only at age 12▪️13:07 - Parents influences and high performance▪️16:00 - Living up to family expectations▪️17:56 - The global significance of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)▪️20:13 - 800 students from a million applicants + CEO alumni▪️21:40 - First spark of interest in the world of design ▪️24:22 - Helping 300 startup founders with “how to make kickass presentations▪️27:35 - The rare package of design and analytical thinking ▪️32:22 - It’s too easy right now to make bad presentations▪️33:52 - Constraint and power together in presentations ▪️35:58 - How Chronicle is using constraint for a great storytelling experience▪️38:48 - Enabling users to design with blocks, not templates▪️45:42 - Visual metaphor designed for the overhead projector▪️49:02 - The new storytelling world using Chronicle▪️50:48 - Use cases of generative AI in presentations▪️54:20 - Final sprint rapid fire It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterContact us via our website or email Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 

Founders of healthcare tech startup, Eucalyptus, and Pocket Money App, Spriggy, discuss career choices, balancing data and judgment, scaling businesses, innovative marketing strategies, and specialists vs generalists dynamics in startups.

In this episode #119 w Wyatt Roy, learn about:Sunrise in regional Queensland and working on the family strawberry farmInfluence of high school teacher to enter politics at age 20specifics of how he become a member of parliamentSimilarities between politicians and startup founders (yep stick with us and hear the answer)Overcoming age bias, and why it exists not just in politics but in areas like Military, Sport etcGenesis for the National Innovation and Science AgendaTransitioning the Australian economy towards innovation and entrepreneurshipCreating the first renewable billionaire, from renewables and sustainability, rather than miningWhy can “innovation” be a divisive word in government“Don’t worry, a bigger idiot than you has gone before you and done it”It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterContact us via our website or email Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 

In this epsiode #118 w Anil Sabharwal learn about:Sunrise in Canada with Indian rootsReflections on his early influences and leaving home at age 17Highlights / Learnings from 10-15 year career prior to joining GoogleMoving to Australia in 2006Achieving momentum in early days at GoogleUnlocking skills working across new markets, segments and industries in building billion user products and becoming globally recognised product leaderBuilding Google Photos into a billion user productLeadership responsibility across product, design and engineeringPromotion to managing Google Chrome, ChromeOS and CommunicationsProduct DNA differences between Photos and ChromeTransition from Chrome to a blank canvas and prioritising valuesWhy is the product function king (or queen) at Google? Key metrics to monitor in your product function Make a few people very happy vs a lot of people semi happy Success at 50 It’s now time to explore your curiosity. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterContact us via our website or email Vidit directly at vidit@curiositycenter.xyz to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on iTunes and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 

We're joined by Ben Simai, the program led for Startmate’s first believers and Jess Walker, the program lead for Airtree’s explorers in their first joint appearance for this episode #117 and installment #22 of the special Curiosity series. Explore your curiosity about:Quick intro on Ben and Jess and how they made they way into startups and investingWhat is an Angel Investor?Surprises about the entry points of angel investors? Helping new angels overcome imposter syndrome? What differentiates Explorers vs first believers program? Pros and Cons of new vs experienced angels Syndicates for non sophisticated investors Why does startmate charge and Airtree is a free program? Secret to earning trust with founders Current economic climatePlease enjoy! ***Find out more about Curiosity Center, including events, angel investment and 110+ podcast episodes at www.curiositycenter.xyz Find out more about Startmate's first believers program at https://www.startmate.com/first-believersFind out more about Airtree's Explorers program at https://www.airtree.vc/explorer-programShare your feedback and discuss sponsorship opportunities with us by directly emailing vidit@curiositycenter.xyz or at https://www.curiositycenter.xyz/contact-usFollow the show on Linkedin / Instagram / Twitter

We're joined by Co-Founders and Co-Ceo’s of Different, Mina Radhakrishnan and Ruwin Perera in their first joint appearance on a podcast for this episode #116 and installment #21 of the special Curiosity series. Explore your curiosity about:Mina and Ruwin growing up 200km's away from each other in Zambia without knowing itHow they met in San Fransisco many years laterLearnings from Uber, Google, Softbank, MBA and moreHow Mina & Ruwin settled on different as their startup idea when they were travelling in 2016“Property Management as a service for real estate agencies” - what was the problem different could solve in 2017? When did they know that Different could be a big businessBusiness model working with property agenciesBiggest misconception about DifferentHaving a team across Sri Lanka and Australia Managing disagreements as founders (and life partners)Please enjoy! ***Find out more about Curiosity Center, including events, angel investment and 110+ podcast episodes at www.curiositycenter.xyz Find out more about Different at https://different.com.au/Share your feedback and discuss sponsorship opportunities with us by directly emailing vidit@curiositycenter.xyzFollow the show on Linkedin / Instagram / Twitter