Business Is Boring
Business Is Boring is a podcast that challenges the notion that business is dull. Host Simon Pound interviews a diverse range of guests, from accidental entrepreneurs to industry leaders, exploring their business journeys and what drove their success. The show is produced in partnership with Deel.
Episodes
How free meal planning is changing food research
What started as a way to escape meal planning admin has turned into a powerful tool shaping the future of food.
Appetise is a free, recipe-rich meal planning and smart shopping platform loved by tens of thousands across New Zealand and Australia. Co-founders Toby and Elise Hilliam transformed an admin-killer into a two-sided business: empowering home cooks and providing FMCG brands with authentic
The billion-dollar company that's just getting started
From starting Crimson Education as a teenager to leading a company operating at a $300 million revenue run rate, Jamie Beaton has been on an extraordinary journey. In this episode, Simon Pound talks with the Crimson founder about his path from acceptance into 25 of the world’s top universities to scaling a billion-dollar global education business. They cover the creation of Crimson Global Academy,
From Aotearoa to the world: how Wai Mānuka is going global
What started as a conversation between three friends in Whakatāne became a new category in drinks - a premium sparkling Mānuka honey beverage rooted in kaupapa Māori.
In this episode, Joseph Harawira shares the Wai Mānuka journey - from army discipline and sports high performance to launching at the America’s Cup and landing the brand in New York. We talk about staying true to cultural values, s
The AI tool that turns conversations into action
What if your meetings, interviews, or coaching sessions could turn themselves into structured insights, ready-to-go content, or instant action points? That’s what Contented AI - a Christchurch-based startup led by Lucy Pink and Hannah Hardy-Jones - is building.
In this episode, we talk about the journey from early idea to functioning product, bootstrapping vs raising, building with intention fro
Rowan Simpson on the right way to be wrong
Rowan Simpson has helped shape some of Aotearoa’s most iconic startups - from Trade Me and Xero to Vend and Timely - usually from behind the scenes. But with the release of his new book How to Be Wrong, he’s stepped into the spotlight to share some hard-earned lessons about success, leadership, and the quiet people who build great companies.
In this episode, we talk about what startup culture sti
How AF Drinks is leading their space in the US
AF Drinks is the fast-growing alcohol-free beverage brand from Aotearoa that is rapidly expanding into global marketplaces, landing on shelves across the US, and even teaming up with global celebrities like Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner.
Lisa King, founder of AF Drinks, joins the pod to discuss launching with purpose, building credibility in a new, huge market, and how the company is redefinin
How Polymath is reimagining maths class
What if maths class looked more like Roblox than a workbook? In this episode, Sophie Silver - co-founder and CEO of Polymath - joins us to talk about building a game-based learning platform that kids actually want to use. From her background in psychology and tutoring to launching through Startmate and now reaching students across the world, Sophie shares how Polymath is reimagining education thro
Ben Forman & Kat Lintott - From Wrestler to What’s Next
Kat Lintott and Ben Forman helped build Wrestler into one of Aotearoa’s most forward-thinking creative and production studios – fusing storytelling, technology and culture in work for brands like Allbirds, and pioneering bold new spaces like the Web3 project Soul Aether. After scaling the studio and building a vibrant creative community, they sold Wrestler to UFORodeo – a move that opened the door
How Pals became Pals
Pals is the pastel-coloured RTD that somehow made ready-to-drink drinks cool for the first time. But it wasn’t always assured to be a success, in fact, it started with a wine brand that was very hard to make a business from, a lot of learning, and a sense that there had to be a better way.
This week on Business is Boring, we sit down with Nick Marshall and Mat Croad, two of the co-founders of Pal
How timber innovation can protect old growth forests
When you think of premium feature timber for cladding, decking or façades, your mind likely goes to cedar - that rich, beautiful wood loved by architects and homeowners.
But there’s a cost. Cedar and other prized timbers are often harvested from ancient, irreplaceable forests. Logging them disrupts ecosystems, accelerates climate risk, and destroys biodiversity - all to meet demand for aestheti
The virtual CFOs with very real results
You’ve probably come across Oxygen Advisors if you’ve spent any time around Aotearoa’s startup scene. And if you haven’t, well - you’ve almost certainly heard of the companies they’ve helped grow. They’ve been behind the scenes with the likes of Tracksuit, Auror, Ideally and dozens more - helping them grow, operate best in class finance teams and raise capital - guiding them through the tough part
The compostable cling wrap winning big in the US
In a world drowning in plastic waste, Jon Reed of Compostic is pioneering a revolutionary approach to everyday kitchen products.
Through sheer determination and innovative thinking, Jon transformed a personal frustration with single-use plastics into a thriving business that now sits on the shelves of major US retailers like Whole Foods and Target. His home compostable cling film and kitchen bags
Changing the face of investment
Finance, investment and better money habits have traditionally been areas mainly staffed by, led by and advocated by men. Boring men.
Two friends, Sophie Hallwright and Victoria Harris, saw a need for interesting and relevant information, advice and community for women. They launched The Curve, a platform boasting an internationally popular podcast, investing club, courses and community. The Cur
Why great operators can make for great venture capitalists
Venture capital is one of the most prominent types of capital out there. But it isn’t necessarily a great fit for every business.
We’re joined by Barnaby Marshall, partner and investor at Icehouse Ventures, to talk VC, when it is good, when it is not helpful, and also to chat about his path into the space. Barnaby has invested in and supported great companies like Dawn Aerospace, Basis Tracksuit
How Keep the Change changes lives
Being good with money is not easy. The whole credit, consumer, and hedonistic world are built to try to get people to spend too much on things they don’t need, for short term gain. The actual tips for how to be better with money are quite simple. Spend less than you earn, save a good percentage even when you don’t earn a lot, stay away from expensive debt, invest in upskilling and invest for the l
Doing better at business by doing better
In theory every business has the potential to bake doing good into how it makes money. But very few do.
Brianne West has shown with first Ethique, and now Incrediballs, that with intentional action you can make a brand, business, product and movement for change, where everything you sell means you create a net positive for the world. Brianne joins us to share how she does this, and how the oppor
Why people leaders make great CEOs
People leaders are often the quietly most vital parts of a business.
Great people leaders are like a cross between HR and an executional chief operating officer - someone who takes the business strategy and breaks it down into what everyone needs to do, and then helps every manager in a business stay accountable. There are no great companies without great people policy and execution, and people l
How to build a community of 10,000 marketers
Building community can be one of the most important parts of building a brand and business.
When people talk about businesses and customers, we are really talking about a community of people. What does it take to become a valuable and useful member of a community, rather than just a business selling into a community? What are the benefits? And how do you set out to give enough value that people w
Creating an Extraordinary new category
On this season of Business is Boring we’re talking to leaders who are great examples of the best of business - and today we are looking at the opportunities and challenges of creating your own category. Creating a category allows you to be the leader and get away from the competition.
But it is one of the hardest things to do - as you need to create awareness, trust, new habits and understanding
A banking challenger emerges
This season on Business is Boring we’re talking to people who are examples of better ways to do business. This week we meet Jovan Pavlicevic, co-founder of SquareOne, a financial empowerment and spending card for kids, and now, Emerge, the challenger for small business banking.
In many ways Emerge is the classic disruptor, coming in and taking share from the big bank incumbents by being faster, n
From Aotea to the world: Tama Toki on energy, connection, and purpose
Growing up in a self-sufficient community on Aotea Great Barrier Island, Tama Toki owes much of his problem-solving nous and deep connection to the whenua to his unique upbringing. As the founder of Aotea (a skincare line rooted in rongoā Māori knowledge) and Aotea Energy (a company focused on renewable micro-grid solutions), Tama’s work blends innovation with purpose.
In this final episode of Bus
Creating Humanistic AI
AI is becoming an integral part of daily life, and chances are you’ve already used the work of today’s guest. Tom Gruber is the co-founder and creator of Siri, the intelligent assistant that revolutionised how we interact with technology with Apple. But Tom’s contributions to AI extend far beyond voice commands—he’s a pioneer of “Humanistic AI”, a design philsophy that champions the idea that arti
Building smarter cities and ethical AI with Dr. Ayesha Khanna
AI, smart cities, and the future of urban living aren’t just buzzwords—they’re reshaping our world. Few are driving this transformation more than Dr. Ayesha Khanna, co-founder and CEO of Addo, an AI advisory firm dedicated to harnessing technology for the greater good. A futurist, thought leader in AI ethics, and passionate advocate for diversity in tech, Dr. Khanna’s impact spans continents, from
How to get the best of AI today
AI can be a superpower, but like all tools, if you know what you’re doing you’re going to get a better result. In a nutshell: the better the inputs, the better the outputs.
That’s what Edmundo Ortega is here to help with. He’s an AI educator at Section - the business education and up-skilling platform - who was here in New Zealand to teach a course on AI prompting, and to present at the Spark Acce
Live from Spark Accelerate: Balancing innovation and efficiency for organisational success
How can organisations proactively disrupt themselves to stay ahead in rapidly changing markets while optimising costs? Nadine Higgins hosts a panel of international business and technology leaders for an engaging discussion on creating a culture of innovation that encourages risk-taking and experimentation, balanced with smart resource allocation and efficiency improvements.
Expect transformative
How Karma Drinks earns its name in Sierra Leone
Karma Drinks and All Good Organics are among the best examples of businesses putting purpose and social impact at the heart of what they do. While providing great products, they also provide fairer wages to the growers and entrepreneurs involved in the production of goods, and part of all proceeds go to the Karma Foundation, which works to provide opportunities to people in Sierra Leone. The chair
NZ tech’s favourite recruiter
Recruitment can be a great business if you do it well. You get roughly 15% of the salary of the people you place as a success fee, and if you have a good relationships with companies and talent you can repeat the process over and over. But it’s not a simple gig! Great recruiters need to understand the people and the businesses they work with - and every job you place directly affects your reputati
25 years of Nature Baby
Nature Baby is the organic baby wear company creating natural, long-lasting and well-made clothing, with a retail model that’s big on community. Co-founders Jacob and Georgia Faull have built to four stores, 55 staff and stockists around the world, and have ridden many waves of business, fashion and commerce to get there. To talk the journey, what’s next and their new circularity initiative Worn A
The old idea that could be the future for trades payments
When a client didn’t pay Max Semmons-Russell’s plumbing business for a completed $30k job it nearly knocked his company over. When it happened again he decided there had to be a better way. Asking around he saw the problem was huge, and there might be a solution that had fallen out of use. Escrow is a concept where people put a payment with a trusted third party until the product or service has be
The biggest opportunity for startups? People!
Although the biggest spending line for most startups is people, most startups don’t get serious about people until they get pretty big. Doing so earlier might just be the biggest lever startups can pull to increase their chances of making it in the long run, and making the journey along the way as smooth as possible.
Kimberley Gilmour is one of New Zealand’s most experienced people leaders, having
The Kiwi company making concrete change
Concrete is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, with around 8% of global carbon emissions linked to its manufacture and use - but it wasn’t always like this. Local sustainable startup Neocrete has taken inspiration from 2000-year-old Roman methods to make concrete with half the carbon emissions today and a path to being entirely carbon neutral in a few years.
This world leading inno
A new agency for a new world
Daylight is an advertising and communications agency that was born out of The Spinoff newsroom, from the amazing work Toby Morris and Siouxsie Wiles did with Covid explainer gifs which grabbed the eye of the World Health Organisation. Daylight CEO Lee Lowndes has built the agency to add web and digital capability, leading to local and international growth in the hardest of markets.
Learn more abou
Innovating for the underserved accessibility market
In 2012 Mike Brown was hit by a car and became paralysed from the waist down. The transition to using a wheelchair and navigating a world not built for accessibility meant Mike saw a lot of things that could be improved to help improve access, enjoyment and opportunity.
He started Adaptdefy, where their first hero product, the LapStacker, helps wheelchair users more easily secure items in their la
How Re-Leased powers 350,000 tenancies around the world
When Tom Wallace went to work at his family property business after university while working on start-up ideas he was amazed to find how poor the software was for property management. This led him to begin a company that helps property management companies run better businesses. Fast-forward 12 years and his company Re-Leased is a global leader, with offices around the world, 1,400 customers, 350,
Grinding away: how Megan Wyper went from employee to co-owner
Megan Wyper started her career working with New Zealand coffee pioneers Millers coffee, before getting experience overseas in every element of the coffee business. On her return to New Zealand she joined Acme cups, a company you might not have heard of, but whose cups you’ve definitely drunk out of. They make the tulip cups you’ve seen in a variety of colours at specialist coffee stores (or bought
How Anihana made it in America
In a few short years, Anihana have gone from a small New Zealand brand to being on the shelves of 6000+ stores in America. Their shower steamers, shampoo bars, bath bombs and friendly fun sustainable packaging have helped them grow so fast they’re currently doing a capital raise through Snowball Effect to service demand and growth.
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Making period products more available through Ads on Pads
Roughly half of all people experience periods, so why aren’t period products more accessible? In Aotearoa today, if you are dealing with period-related issues and happen to be in a public place - a mall, cinema, office workplace or university, for example - it’s likely that you won’t have access to any free products that might help.
Ads on Pads is here to change this. Founder Aditi Gorasia’s goal
How bugs can save the world
Jessie Stanley first came on the pod to chat founding and growing I Love Pies, the startup she led through to a successful exit. From there she has helped spearhead a project to stop sand being mined in Pākiri, been a food expert for Snackmasters, and is now back with a new startup to help solve food waste and create sustainable protein with one big solution, using a very small method: bugs! Good
The first approach to fitness training designed for women and the menstrual cycle
Femmi is a coaching and fitness app challenging the outdated idea that periods limit performance. Their run training programmes and run club communities are designed to help solve the problem that sport training - like so many things - has been designed and built with the physiology of men in mind.
Femmi helps users train in a way that is mindful of the menstrual cycle; a pioneering approach curre
How Hnry helped Australasia never think about tax again
Hnry is now New Zealand’s largest accountant, helping to manage, file and contribute nearly 1% of New Zealand’s entire tax revenue - and is getting huge in Australia too. It’s done that rare thing: change people’s habits, getting them to have their wages paid to a different account so Hnry could deduct tax as they go. Co-founder and CEO James Fuller joins us to chat the journey he and his wife/co-
Has your workplace thought about menopause?
Menopause happens to roughly half of everyone, yet until very recently it’s largely been absent from culture and work - and when it has popped up, it’s often been in ways that are stereotyped or misinformed. Niki Bezzant is one of the people leading a new conversation, helping more people understand, plan for and talk about menopause. Through speaking events, running workshops, and writing books T
What happened with Ārepa
Ārepa has had a roller coaster year. The functional drinks company are on a mission to make brains work better, through their science and research-backed products. Last year, however, they went through a well-publicised process with the Ministry for Primary Industries about health claims on their labels, resulting in a media fire storm. How did that all come about? How did they move past it? And i
A billion is just the beginning
Kernel recently surpassed $1B in funds under management - a massive achievement for the investment and finance platform. They started with a range of index funds and this milestone is just the beginning of how they aim to help with wealth management. What does it take to get started in fintech? How do you grow to a billion under management? What comes next? To chat all this Dean Anderson, founder
Changing boating for the better
Vessev make hydrofoilng boats, marrying America’s cup foiling and boatbuilding prowess with software excellence to make smooth, sustainable travel possible. CEO Eric Laakmann is one for the water. He came to NZ as part of a sailing adventure that took him from his American home (where he’d worked at Apple as an instrumental part of the Apple Watch project) to NZ, where he decided to get involved w
Creating more Māori entrepreneurship pathways
Access to opportunity is not equal. A new report looking into pathways for Māori in entrepreneurship and capital has identified many barriers and opportunities. The Te Ara Takatū report is from the Tapuwae Roa trust, and their chief executive /Kaihautū, Te Pūoho Kātene joined us to chat his career journey (including study at Stanford University, serving his iwi Ngāti Toa and his time as an Obama F
What we can learn from Silicon Valley VC
Rob Coneybeer co-founded Shasta Ventures in Silicon Valley in 2004. They invested in companies like Nest and Dollar Shave Club, have over $1B of funds under management and, unusually for US VC, have a deep and active interest in Aotearoa. We cover his journey into venture capital, how he got connected to NZ, how he’s creating more links between NZ and the US and what it takes to spot the next big
How Taxi is getting the NZ economy moving
Taxi is a new venture helping Kiwi businesses turn their provisional tax payments into a new source of business funding, at about half the price of a typical big bank overdraft. It’s from the founders of Tax Traders, who manage the better part of three billion dollars of tax pooling here. To talk building better businesses, giving the economy a rev up and making Aotearoa more productive, co-founde
Listen Now: episode one of Juggernaut – I Love You, Mr Lange
We thought you might like a wee taster of our brand new #1 series, Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government, hosted by Toby Manhire. Click here to follow Juggernaut so you get every episode as soon as it's released!
1. I love you, Mr Lange
Fuelled by brandy and fury, Sir Rob Muldoon calls a snap election, sparking a 1984 campaign of contrasts – the menacing, protectionist National PM
The AI opportunity for Aotearoa
Greg Shove is CEO at Section, the next generation education online company founded by Professor Scott Galloway. He is in NZ with Spark for Business, launching a special Mini MBA to equip business leaders for the AI age. We talk to learn what business owners would be doing now, where the world of AI is at, and what you can do to take advantage of the biggest change to business since the cloud.
Lear
How the design lead of Slack is building the future of work
Ethan Eismann has been a design leader at Adobe, Google, AirBNB, Uber and Slack - some of the most influential companies of our age. As part of the Spark Business Lab Future State festival he spoke to us and shared his approach to design, building great design cultures, and how he has grown and supported growth in his career. World-class advice from a world leader.
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Future State: The maker of ‘That Sugar Film’ on the power of ideas to fight climate change
Damon Gameau was one of the most successful actors in Australia when he made ‘That Sugar Film’, a documentary which unpacked the dangerous volume of sugar in our food system. He next turned to climate change with 2040, and joins Duncan Greive on Business is Boring to explain how to get people to pay attention to topics which require our attention, even when the topic is one we’d rather ignore.
Lea
Future State: Lessons on the power of AI, from someone who helped build it
Noelle Russell has had roles at - or contact with - most of the biggest names in artificial intelligence. She answered the bell when Jeff Bezos emailed to find a team to work on the first generation of Alexa, took a role at Microsoft as it became a powerhouse there, and latterly helped set up Accenture's AI consulting business. She joins guest host Duncan Greive on Business is Boring to talk throu
Future State: What does sustainability look like at IKEA scale?
Håkan Nordkvist was, until recently, head of sustainability innovation for IKEA, one of the world's largest retailers. In New Zealand for Spark Business Lab's Future State, he joins guest host Duncan Greive on Business is Boring to talk about why the role of really big business in sustainability is underrated, how you protect innovation within large organisations and breaks down which of their ini
Future State: Idea to Impact – understanding circular business
Bernard Hickey steps in to host a special live panel featuring three leaders in circular business, bio-materials and turning trash into treasure share their experiences in building better systems for business. Hear from Jayden Klinac of Anew, who replaces plastic with bio-materials; Sara Smeath from CiRCLR, turning waste from businesses into a resource for others, and Rachel Brown at the SBN who h
Introducing Behind the Story: If you love a dog, you must also love disposing of its sh*t
The Spinoff has just launched a brand new series called Behind the Story, where site editor editor Madeleine Chapman sits down with a staff writer or contributor to gain more insight about a big story on The Spinoff from the week. We thought you might like to check out the first episode, and if you enjoy it please follow it wherever you get your podcasts!
On Friday, Bulletin editor Anna Rawhiti-C
The new Aotearoa lead of Australasia’s biggest VC firm
Blackbird VC recently netted $800m from a sale of a portion of their holding in Canva. They are, by some distance, the largest and one of the most successful VC firms in Australasia. In Aotearoa they have backed Tracksuit, Veve, Partly and Halter and their work to lift up the venture ecosystem includes Sunrise, Startmate and the Giants programme. Phoebe Harrop is the new local lead, with a backgro
Has the AR/VR moment arrived?
Jessica Manins is a Kiwi pioneer in the Augmented and Virtual Reality space. Her studio, Beyond, makes games, experiences and virtual worlds for immersive entertainment and storytelling. They are one of the first developers to be releasing a game for the new Apple Vision Pro, and they have been leaders in shared, positive experiences in the space for years. After the pandemic stopped their busines
David Yu: 2023 EY entrepreneur of the year with Aotearoa’s fastest growing company
David Yu’s company VeVe has sold more than 10 million digital collectables licensed from some of the world’s leading IP owners like Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, Lamborghini, and James Bond. As leaders in this fast growing space they have grown so fast they won the 2023 Deloitte Fast 50, and David won EY Entrepreneur of the Year. But what is a digital collectible? How did VeVe partner with the world’
How Albert Cho went from IG influencer to Ponsonby restaurateur
Albert Cho burst onto Aotearoa’s food scene in 2017 with Eat Lit Food, an Instagram account that dishes out forthright (and often profane) food reviews to an ever-expanding audience. What started as an attempt to redefine a problematic relationship with food quickly grew into a fully fledged career as an influencer, critic and writer. Last year, with the help of David Lee’s Namu Group, he opened T
Improving the food system, one wonky box at a time
The first seeds for Wonky Box were planted when Angus Simms and Katie Jackson were fruit picking and saw how much wasted produce was caused by an unseasonal hail storm. The fruit was perfectly edible but aesthetically imperfect, so it was all left on the trees. This shock led to a now national food box service delivering wonky (but great) produce to people, and has so far saved more than 2 million
The AI tools every business should already be using
AI is the biggest topic in business, but where do you even begin? Mark Laurence, founder of Ten Past Tomorrow, is a local expert helping businesses get at the front of the AI curve. He joins Simon Pound to chat the tools every business needs, the rewards and risks of AI and just how close we are to an AI-driven world.
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Designing a te ao Māori agency
Run is a local design and creativity business led with a te aō Māori and treaty partnership view. Their approach to inclusion is changing up how the industry looks at diversity at both a local and international level, making waves recently with their beautiful Manaakitanga D&AD Pencil project. Raymond Otene McKay and Laura Cibilich, co-founders of Run (CCO and CEO respectively) join Simon to chat
How to grow NZ Inc
Simon Robertson has had a huge career in finance. In New York, for Goldman Sachs, he led up international and pan-Asian equities, before coming back to New Zealand to lead a large project for Rank Group, the private company of Graeme Hart, aka NZ's most successful businessperson. Simon is now a columnist for BusinessDesk, sharing his views on how New Zealand can grow its wealth and what is on the
Redefining the menstrual experience with Endosoothe
Like so much of women’s health, natural and normal issues around periods are chronically underfunded, under-discussed and under-addressed. One local brand is working to change this. Endosoothe offers products, support and awareness building to empower and educate people who have periods. Founder Monique Lau joins us to talk her own health story, the origins of the business, and what the future hol
How Powrsuit is changing the face of leadership
In Aotearoa only 10% of corporate CEOs and 29% of board members are women. Powrsuit co-founders Kristen Lunman and Natalie Ferguson believe this represents the largest potential to improve NZ business. Powrsuit is a self-described "leadership playbook", offering courses, podcasts and resources and a network of other leaders. This is the second time on the podcast for these two, who launched and sc
The company making sustainable practice fashionable
Pangaia sell clothes in order to keep improving the methods of retail and production. Eva Kruse, Chief Global Engagement Officer at Pangaia, talked to us as part of Spark’s Future State series. Eva is a pioneer in sustainable fashion, spearheading the Copenhagen Fashion Summit and Global Fashion Agenda. Hear from a global leader on the future, challenges and hopes around better fashion practice.
L
Setting the right sustainability strategy for your business
Recorded live at the Spark Innovation Studio in Auckland's CBD, Leela Gantman (Corporate Relations and Sustainability Director at Spark NZ) and Rachel Brown (CEO at the Sustainability Business Network) join us to discuss how companies of all sizes can bake better sustainable practices into their business. Listen in to hear how they approach strategy, drive action, and create practical toolkits to
The VC firm that raised like a founder
Icehouse Ventures invests in and supports more companies than any other in Aotearoa, so naturally CEO Robbie Paul gets a good view of what makes a great company, founder and ecosystem. He joins us to talk about the state of VC today, Icehouse's recent raise of $10m and whether a lack of money is holding great companies back (spoiler: it isn’t).
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The solvable problem affecting up to one in three women
Don’t underestimate the power of the pelvic floor. That’s the advice of Dr Jenny Kruger when it comes to combatting urinary incontinence, an issue affecting up to one in three women that is common but not normal. The correct exercises can - in about 80% of cases - help stop leakage, and her company Junofem has created the revolutionary Femfit in order to help users ensure their exercises are worki
The legend behind Aotearoa's favourite brands
Nicola O’Rourke led Lewis Road Creamery into America and is now helping companies like Pals, Compostic, Comvita, Cleanery and Grater Goods as they take on the world. She discusses all aspects of her career and gives vital advice for anyone building their brand, products or businesses.
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Summer reissue: Meet the brain behind Xero and Upstock
Business is Boring is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2023: Xero has defined the SaaS ecosystem here. Although an accounting company, it stood out as a delightful experience and brand, and much of that spirit is thanks to Philip Fierlinger, co-founder and design leader for Xero. He's behind the reconciliation featu
Summer reissue: Fixing your finances with the Māori Millionaire
Business is Boring is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2023: Te Kahukura Boynton is on a mission to give more Māori financial independence. Through her Māori Millionaire media and financial literacy platform she has empowered thousands of rangatahi to take control of their finances. Hear how she shares her wealth jo
Summer reissue: The app making it easier to share your Dosh
Business is Boring is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2023: Shane Marsh and James McEniery discovered New Zealand is well behind the rest of the world when it comes to transferring money between banks when they were living in Singapore. They decided to create Aotearoa’s first real time payment mobile wallet. They a
The Spinoff presents SUPERPOD 2023
SUPERPOD is back! Hosted by Gone By Lunchtime's Toby Manhire and featuring Jane Yee and Alex Casey from The Real Pod, Duncan Greive from The Fold, Gone By Lunchtime's Annabelle Lee-Mather, Simon Pound from Business Is Boring, Bernard Hickey from When The Facts Change and The Spinoff Podcast Network's Te Aihe Butler and Samuel Robinson, SUPERPOD 2023 is the crossover to end all crossovers. From int
Goldie wants to help you own your own slice of luxury
New investment platform Goldie is allowing people to own fractionalised slices of real assets like gold and, into the future, art and collectables. They buy gold bars, and then issue shares in them at the global spot price, which you can then choose to sell or hold. It’s a new idea, trekking a similar track to what Sharesies was able to achieve for international shares. Co-founder Cam Maclachlan j
Why Unyoked thinks we should disconnect
Unyoked provide busy city people access to just-secluded-enough getaways, where the carefully art-directed cabins let people disconnect from modern life and connect to nature. Having already established itself in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, Unyoked has raised around $30m to expand into Europe. Co-founder Chris Grant joins Simon Pound to discuss what it takes to make an ideal retreat, Unyoke
How can you change the world at scale?
Justin Kamine’s family business is a significant infrastructure player in the States, and they have used their scale to change up a number of huge industries - from carbon reduced chicken farming at Do Good Foods, to bioplastics made from seaweed, to clean energy and the future of natural health. Do Good Foods was ranked by Fast Company amongst the Top 50 Most Innovative in the World; he was also
Meet one of the Champions of the Earth
International circularity and sustainability expert Dr. Leyla Acaroglu believes that we can change the world with our actions if we care enough to do so. She joins Simon Pound in connection to the Spark Lab Future State series to discuss founding her creative agency Disrupt Design and the award-winning experimental knowledge lab The UnSchool of Disruptive Design.
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Critical's solution to plastic-packed landfills
We send around 330,000 tonnes of used plastics to landfill every year. Critical are out to change this. They make table and bench tops, partitions and other feature materials for building from plastic waste. Upcycling rubbish into beautiful, low carbon and endlessly recyclable materials. Co-founder and CEO Rui Peng joins Simon Pound to talk the company's journey, making treasure from trash, and ov
The zero-alcohol beer hero
State of Play is a 100% non-alcoholic brewery - part of a growing movement looking at how we drink, and providing options for healthier relationship with booze. Founder Grant Caunter spent 25 years building beer brands and growing the craft movement, before quitting drinking, losing 45kg and getting a new take on life. He talks to Simon Pound about what it takes to make a great "zero", and how you
