Launch Codes

Evan Wong is the co-founder of Checkbox.ai, a no-code solution that digitises complex regulations into automated cloud software. Through its no-code platform, Checkbox's AI technology allows legal, human resources, and risk and compliance teams to better focus on higher value and strategic work. It's used by the likes of Allianz, PwC, Air NZ, Telstra as well as government agencies in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and US. Prior to founding Checkbox, Evan started Hero Education, a tutoring business that has mentored 1000+ high school students. This was all done during his time studying a Bachelor of Commerce/Law at UNSW. Timestamps:[1:13] How Evan defines success and his vision for Checkbox[3:00] Evan's personal mission in leading and inspiring others [4:00 ] Evan's journey building Hero Education [ 7:27] The first two years of building Checkbox and Hero Education during uni [10:48] Comparing Evan's corporate stint with his entrepreneurial pursuits[11:55] De-risking entrepreneurship before going all-in to building Checkbox[14:21] The early days of building Checkbox[ 17:55] Choosing to build legacy technology & improve the enterprise software space [19:30] Raising $6.3 pre-series A: Tidal Ventures and Sequoia India's Surge [21:55] Go-to-market strategy: Enterprise top-down sales and product-led growth  [25:18] No-code revolution and the enterprise software space[27:10] Evan's vision for Checkbox [28:38] How to identify a compatible co-founder[33:20] Being a hyper-generalist and validating the problem [40:22] Wizard-of- Oz effect: Sales process in the B2B space [44:56] Navigating the dark days as a founder[48:10] Hiring and building great teams [50:48 ] Culture at Checkbox [56:43] Success and Failures at Checkbox[1:01:11] Evan's favourite Australian Startup Success Story [1:02:53] Books, podcasts and resources that have shaped the way Evan thinks[1:04:00] What's next for Evan? References TEDx talk: How to Fail at Life Successfully Hero Education The Hard Thing about Hard Things 

Dan Brockwell is the Co-founder & Chief Meme Officer of Earlywork, the home for 4000+ young people in Australia & New Zealand creating the careers of tomorrow in tech, startups & social impact. Dan launched Earlyhome earlier this year and shares early-career roles, career resources & industry analysis weekly at earlywork.substack.com.As a Computer Science/Marketing graduate from UNSW, Dan is a hyper-generalist with experience across product, operations, project management, sales, marketing, consulting and design in both startups and leading tech companies like Atlassian, Amazon, Uber, Deloitte Digital & IBM. Hear Dan's formative experiences at university, his journey creating community-powered career development with Earlywork and his vision for the community.Timestamps:[0:45]- How the name Earlywork originated[2:00]- Dan's favourite newsletter[2:50]- Dan's formative experiences at university [4:40]- Exploring corporate vs startup career paths[6:50]- How Dan's experience leading BusinessOne cultivated his founder and community-building skills[9:20]- The impact of participating in ASES Stanford[12:25]- How going on exchange changed Dan's definition of success [14:18]- Campus culture in Australia vs USA[19:40]- The problem Earlywork is solving [21:40]- Communal mindset with community-powered job search and career development [24:07]- The future of Earlywork: doubling down on sub-communities [25:54]- The vision for Earlyhome in Wollongong [27:50]- Co-founder dynamics with Jono and Marina [31:22]- Discerning signal vs. noise as a community-based business [33:08]- Process of raising a pre-seed round [35:09]- Future of work trends Dan is observing with careers [38:25]- What other problems would Dan be solving [39:38]- Books and podcasts that have shaped Dan[41:15]- Advice Dan would give to his younger self- a fresh grad and aspiring founder[44:16]- Adages Dan lives by: ‘create more, consume less'ReferencesDaniel Brockwell.com Lenny's NewsletterASES StanfordThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman1984 by George Orwell

Caleb Maru is the Head of Programs at EntryLevel- an edtech startup up-skilling students and young professionals through cohort-based courses. Caleb also invests in early-stage startups as the General Partner at Proximity Ventures. Caleb studied a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws at the University of Adelaide.  During his time at university, Caleb co-founded a social enterprise Humanitee that works with marginalised communities to co-design T-shirts. Hear Caleb's experience building EntryLevel, funding startups through Proximity Ventures and how you can expand your surface area of luck.Timestamps: [1:01]- Who Caleb wanted to be when he grew up [1:48]- Founding a social enterprise in university   [5:50]- Caleb's career journey [7:39]- How Caleb builds programs at EntryLevel[10:45]- The importance of cohort-based learning [12:35]- Having skin in the game as an investor  [14:30]- Barriers to entry to raising capital as a fund vs. startup[16:50]- Industries Caleb is interested in investing in[19:13]- How investing in Africa motivated Caleb to create impact at scale [25:07]- Investing in teams vs. Investing in products[26:10]- Diversity & Inclusion in startups [28:27]- The benefits of taking the leap by joining or building a startup[30:18]- Caleb's experience working as both an operator and investor [32:37]- How Caleb manages his time and prioritises deep work [34:45]- Books and podcasts that have shaped Caleb's thought process[37:35]- Caleb's experiences with failure and the power of saying 'no'[38:55]- Expanding your surface area of luck by understanding systems and questioning conventional wisdom References  EntryLevelHumaniteeAll-In PodcastMy First Million Podcast Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the MarketsThe Black Swan: The Impact Of The Highly Improbable 

James Alexander is the co-founder and Partner at  Galileo Ventures– an Aussie VC firm backing emerging founders looking to change the world.James studied Computer Science at Usyd, before starting the Incubate Startup Program in 2012, where he helped over 100 startups launch and grow. In 2020, he closed a $10 million tranche of Galileo's first fund with co-founder Hugh. I chatted with James about starting Incubate, why and how he's backing emerging founders at Galileo and why Australia can become a global leader in technology.  Timestamps:[1:08]- Who James wanted to be when he grew up[2:41]- How James learned about business through his dad[4:19]- James' career journey[8:50]- Working at Atlassian in the early days[12:30]- The process of starting Incubate[16:26]- Do founders have common backgrounds?[18:39]-Why the name Galileo?[21:19]- The Galileo model[24:05]- How do you develop the conviction to invest in early-stage startups?[26:32]- Why do traditional VCs overlook emerging founders?[27:48]- What does the accelerator look like?[29:20]- What support do coaches provide?[31:42]- Galileo's unique investment process[33:23]- What's the long term vision for Galileo?[34:35]- Can Australia become a global tech powerhouse?[36:51]- Government regulation that is holding Australia back[38:15]- Is technology a bipartisan issue overseas?[39:36]- Exciting tech trends[41:35]- Discussing Galileo's portfolio [44:04]- James' perspective on failure[47:06]- Advice for students looking to start a companyReferences:Galileo VenturesRelevance AIHuey the BookbotSpace ServicesAlly AssistIncubate

This is a special episode of Launch Codes from one of Textbook Ventures' events earlier this year. In this episode, Max Marchione interviews Kylie Frazer from Flying Fox Ventures, Rayn Ong from Ong Heng Investments and Marvin Liao from GAMEGROOVE capital on their experiences as angel investors.

Deepesh Banerji is Senior Vice President of Technology at Deputy – a workforce management software for shift-based businesses. Deepesh has worked across many firms and industries, starting as a product manager at Everyday Health Group in New York and rising to VP Product as the business scaled from startup to IPO. He also worked in senior product roles at ViacomCBS and Beem It before joining Deputy in 2019. I chatted with Deepesh about launching Beem It, dealing with the pandemic at Deputy and what skills you need to work in product management.  Enjoy!Timestamps:[1:06]- Who Deepesh wanted to be when he grew up[1:36]- Deepesh's founder journey in college[2:48]-Deepesh's career journey[5:22]- Was it a challenge jumping between industries?[7:28]- What skills are needed in any industry you are in?[9:26]- Deepesh's experience launching Beem It [13:20]- Was there ever a conflict between the banks behind Beem It?[14:02]-Handling the pandemic at Deputy[17:10]- What does product at a startup involve?[21:01]-Traits that good junior PMs display[22:45]- How to learn these traits [24:24]-How to align people to a unified mission in a large company[27:10]- Is it more difficult to talk to your customers in a larger company?[30:40]- What's the best investment Deepesh has made in his personal life?[32:15]- Deepesh's perspective on failure[33:45]- Advice for studentsReferences:Deepesh's LinkedIn and TwitterDeputyEveryday Health Group Beem ItThe Hard Thing About Hard ThingsWorking BackwardsInspired: How to Build Tech Products Customers Love 

Abhi Maran is an Investment Analyst at Folklore- an Aussie venture capital fund focused on investments in the seed stage. Abhi studied applied finance at Macquarie University. After uni, he worked at Cambridge Associates, working with foundations and endowments to build their investment portfolios. He then jumped into startup land in an ops role at share rewards company Upstreet, before recently starting his role as a VC. I chatted with Abhi about what separates good companies from great companies, why he's excited about the metaverse and why you shouldn't get caught up in comparing yourself to others. Enjoy!Timestamps:[1:08]- Who Abhi wanted to be when he grew up[2:33]- Abhi's career journey[7:12]- What was Abhi's mindset moving into the startup world?[8:23]- Operating experience at Upstreet[9:53]- Abhi's role at Folklore [10:34]- Future career goals[11:26]- What makes Folklore unique?[12:57]-Team dynamic at Folklore[14:04]- Trends in tech that Abhi is interested in[16:05]- What is the metaverse?[18:30]- Motivations in starting a Substack[20:44]- What separates good companies from great companies?[23:19]- What Abhi is currently reading[23:58]- Abhi's food waste habit[24:38]-  Most impactful purchase under $100[25:10]- Abhi's billboard that millions of people would see[26:28]- Abhi's perspective on failure[29:42]- Advice for studentsReferences:Superfluid SubstackFolkloreCambridge AssociatesUpstreetSynthesisNot Boring SubstackThe Generalist SubstackStratecheryThe Contrarian

Jenny Chu is Head of Product at Eucalytpus. Eucalyptus is a healthcare tech company and one of Australia's hottest startups. They have four brands: pilot for men's telehealth, kin for women's fertility, software for skincare and normal for sexual wellness  Jenny studied a Bachelor of Information Systems at UNSW and was also a previous GM at Textbook Ventures. After uni she started as a product manager grad at Atlassian where she worked for over 2 years before joining Eucalyptus. I chatted with Jenny about leading product at Eucalyptus, the challenges of scaling rapidly and the differences between a startup and a large corporate. Enjoy!Timestamps:[1:08]- Who Jenny wanted to be when she grew up[2:04]- What Jenny studied at uni[4:01]- Jenny's career journey[8:27]- Jenny's time at Atlassian[9:53]-Her motivation in moving to Eucalyptus [11:54]- What does Eucalyptus do?[13:00]- Was the house of brands always the goal?[14:07]-Is there a lot of regulation in the healthcare space?[15:50]- More on Eucalyptus' Series B raising[18:49]- Challenges in reaching healthcare professionals[20:00]- Challenges of scaling rapidly[22:10]- What does Jenny's role as Head of Product involve?[23:36]- Advice for people looking for roles in product management[24:53]- The highlight of Jenny's role[26:30]-  Jenny's tips for students tossing up between startups and larger companies[28:35]- Long term goals for Eucalyptus[30:04]- The best investment Jenny has made in her personal life[32:00]- Jenny's perspective on failure[37:10]- Advice for studentsReferences:EucalyptusAtlassianEucalyptus Series B

Nick Couvret is an investment associate at Equitise. Equitise is an equity crowdfunding platform that allows Aussies to invest in exciting early-stage companies. Nick is also the co-founder of Lazy Wombat- a sand-free towel company.Nick studied commerce at the University of Sydney and landed an internship at Equitise through the Industry Placement Program.  I chatted with Nick about how crowdfunding works and what makes it different from other early-stage capital, how he vets businesses for the platform and his tips for starting and growing a side hustle. Enjoy!Timestamps:[1:08]- Who Nick wanted to be when he grew up[2:10]- Nick's career journey[4:38]- What does Equitise do?[7:08]- Regulation on crowdfunding[8:58]- How does crowdfunding differ from other early-stage capital [12:50]- The marketing benefits of crowdfunding[13:28]- Examples of companies on the platform[16:18]- Nick's role at Equitise[18:08]- How to vet businesses for the platform[21:50]-Risk that is acceptable versus risk that is unacceptable?[24:12]- The best part of Nick's role[25:30]-The journey starting Lazy Wombat[28:46]- Handling manufacturing and distribution[29:40]- Strategies to grow the brand[33:00]- Advice for starting a side hustle[35:28]- The best investment Nick has made in his personal life[37:30]- Nick's perspective on failure[39:15]- Advice for students References:EquitiseRhinohidetbh Skincare XinjaSOFI Spritz Batch Brewing Co.Spinifex Brewing Co.Your Food CollectiveLazy Wombat

Vicky Lee is the Growth Manager at women's health brand Ovira. Their flagship product is the Noha- a device that uses electrical nerve stimulation to provide period pain relief.At the same time, Vicky is completing an Economics degree at Usyd. And before joining Ovira she worked at live music ticketing startup GiggedIn. I chatted with Vicky about what's involved in her growth role, how recruiting works at a startup and the importance of seeing the tangible impact of her work on the women who use Ovira.Timestamps:[1:13]- Who Vicky wanted to be when she grew up[2:12]- Motivations for studying Economics and Law at uni[3:22]- Taking a break from uni and working at GiggedIn[5:30]- What is Ovira and Vicky's role there?[7:56]- How Vicky landed her role[9:40]- The Noha device and how it works[11:30]- Balancing full-time work and study[15:05]- What does a day in the life as a growth manager look like?[17:34]- How recruiting works at Ovira[21:21]- Strategies used in growth to scale the business[24:10]- Seeing the impact that Ovira is having on its customers[25:50]- What advice does Vicky have for people looking to get into growth?[27:50]- What's the long term vision for Ovira?[29:15]- How to build an effective community[32:44]- Working at a startup over a corporate[36:17]- Vicky's perspective on failure[37:57]- What advice Vicky would give her younger selfReferences:OviraGiggedIn 

Hannah Parton-Cyr is a venture analyst at Black Sheep Capital. Black Sheep is a leading early-stage VC in Australia, with a portfolio including Airtasker, sendle, go1 and amber.Hannah studied chemical engineering at the University of Southern California, before making the jump to Australia and working at rail company Aurizon. After completing a masters in international economics and finance at UQ, she joined Black Sheep in August 2020. I chatted with Hannah about how she thinks about risk, the gender gap in VC funding and how a background in science helps her as an investor. Timestamps:[1:08]- Who Hannah wanted to be when she grew up[1:57]- Hannah's college and career journey[4:40]- Comparing the corporate environment of Aurizon to startups[7:37]- Hannah's experience at Black Sheep so far[9:42]- How Hannah's background in chemical engineering helps her as an investor [11:15]- What metrics do you look at in early-stage investing?[13:40]- Companies in the Black Sheep portfolio[14:32]- What's surprised Hannah about the role?[16:28]- The collegiate nature of Aussie VC[17:41]- How does Hannah think about risk?[20:45]- How Black Sheep works through different opinions on a company[22:20]- What keeps Hannah up at night?[23:36]- Favourite books[25:00]- Black Sheep's investment in Milestone Pay[27:40]- Tackling the gender gap in venture funding[33:03]- The best investment Hannah has made in her personal life[35:20]- How a failure to get into consulting opened up other doors for Hannah[38:58]- Hannah's advice for studentsReferences:Black Sheep CapitalMilestonePayA Promised Land by Barack ObamaBecoming by Michelle ObamaThe real reason female entrepreneurs get less funding- Dana Kanze

Pasha Ryan is the co-founder and CTO of Forage. Forage is a digital platform offering free virtual work experience programs from top companies like Citibank, BCG and General Electric.  Pasha studied commerce, philosophy, and computer science at UNSW. After uni, he worked as a management consultant at KPMG as well as a product manager at Freelancer.com before starting Forage in April 2017. I chatted with Pasha about the process of starting Forage, his experience in YCombinator and what the role of a CTO involves. Enjoy!Timestamps:[1:08]- Who Pasha wanted to be when he grew up[3:44]- Pasha's career journey[4:58]- Studying a combination of commerce, philosophy and computer science[5:53]- Where the idea for Forage came from?[11:09]- When did Pasha realise that the virtual work experience model was the right one? [14:03]- Going through Y Combinator[17:42]- Was there competition with the other companies in the accelerator?[19:33]- What are the strategies Forage has used to scale?[21:07]- Has it been hard to find the right talent?[22:34]- What does the role of a CTO involve?[24:28]- The impact of COVID[29:00]- What was the Series A fundraising process like?[31:30]- Rebranding from InsideSherpa to Forage[35:12]- The long term vision for Forage[37:58]- Pasha's tips for those looking to starting their own business[39:12]- The best investment Pasha has made in his personal life[41:04]- Advice for studentsReferences:Forage Y CombinatorMy Life & Work- Henry Ford

Max Kausman is an investor at Tidal Ventures- an Australian venture capital firm that focuses on investments in the seed phase. Max studied commerce and law at Monash University, and also worked at corporate advisory firm Vesparum Capital during his studies. He then jumped into the world of consulting at Bain and Company before joining Tidal in November 2020. I chatted with Max about how venture capital works, trends in the Australian startup ecosystem and the importance of building strong relationships during your career. Enjoy!Timestamps:[1:05]- Who Max wanted to be when he grew up[1:55]- Max's career journey[5:10]- How Max's interest in investing started[7:14]- Highlights of working at Bain and Company[9:12]- Is consulting a good training ground for those interested in startups and tech?[11:48]- Tidal Ventures Explainer[14:53]- What are the different stages of VC funding?[17:09]- What metrics do you look at the seed phase?[20:10]- What are the mechanics of a VC fund?[24:08]- Hurdle rates at a seed-stage fund[25:31]- Surprises of working at Tidal.[27:27]- What makes a great founder?[31:52]- Trends in the startup and VC industry[34:20]- Are there any sectors that Max is interested in?[36:32]- Carted explainer[41:20]- The best investment Max has made in his personal life[44:42]- Advice for studentsReferences:Tidal VenturesVesparum CapitalThe Seed Stage- Georgie Turner- Principal at Tidal VenturesTheLoopsPredictHQCarted

Anna Podolsky is the cofounder and CEO of Lyka Pet Food. Lyka, named after Anna's border collie, is a dog food subscription company that delivers fresh, healthy meals for your pup to your door.Anna studied finance and maths at UQ before starting her career as a management consultant at Bain and Company. Here, she had the opportunity to work across Australia, the US and Chile. I chatted with Anna about how she started Lyka while still at Bain, the fundraising process for a startup and why you shouldn't only focus on getting brand names on your resume.Timestamps:[1:06]- Who Anna wanted to be when she grew up[2:25]- Anna's career journey[3:20]- Highlights of working at Bain[4:50]- Where the idea for Lyka Pet Food came from[9:30]- Balancing working full-time with starting a company[11:08]- What did the first iteration of Lyka look like?[11:57]- Customer stories from Lyka[13:45]- How Anna thinks about recruitment and talent acquisition[15:45]- Crafting the Lyka brand[16:45]- The long-term vision for Lyka[18:10]- Challenges around maintaining manufacturing in-house[19:40]- What does the fundraising process for a startup look like?[22:02]-How did Anna learn how to pitch her company?[23:03]- The best investment Anna has made in her personal life[26:55]- How Anna thinks about failure[28:55]- Advice for uni studentsReferences:Lyka Pet Food

Today's guest is Nandini Meka, Head of Operations at Simply Wall Street, which is an online platform that empowers investors to make great decisions, with analysis on over 100 thousand stocks.Nandini studied Finance and Economics at UTS before starting her career in corporate development roles at News Corp and Aristocrat. She then jumped into the world of startups, heading up biz ops at AbhiBus in India for four years before moving back to Australia and joining Simply Wall Street. I chatted with Nandini about what's involved in an operations role at a startup, what to look for when investing in companies and the importance of taking risks in your career. Timestamps:[1:10]-  Organising for her mother to meet the Dalai Lama[3:13]- How roles in finance/corporate development prepared Nandini for the world of startups[7:30]- Moving to India to work for AbhiBus[12:05]- Was there ever a sense of fear moving to a new job in India?[14:14]- Moving back to Australia and joining Simply Wall Street[16:50] - What does Simply Wall Street do?[20:32]- What does an operations function at a startup involve?[23:10]- What skillset does a good ops person need?[25:36]- Has the role gotten easier over time?[26:30]- Challenges in scaling rapidly [29:18]- Nandini's motivations for exploring angel investing/VC[31:02]- What makes a great founder?[32:47]- How to assess companies that are tackling a brand new space[34:28]- How immigrating and travelling has helped Nandini when analysing businesses[35:32] - Nandini's perspective in failure[37:30]- Nandini's advice for uni studentsReferences:AbhiBusSimply Wall StreetMichael Batko- Luck as a SystemSequoia Investment Memo for YouTube

Jessy Wu is an Investment Manager and Head of Community at AfterWork Ventures. Afterwork is a community-powered VC, supported by a group of seasoned operators that help source startups and support portfolio companies.Jessy studied Philosophy and English literature at ANU before joining Strategy& as a management consultant. She then jumped into the world of corporate VC at NAB Ventures before joining Afterwork full time in May 2021. I chatted with Jessy about how studying the humanities prepared her well for venture capital, how community is becoming a defensible business model and the importance of leaning into your strengths.Timestamps:[1:07]- Who Jessy wanted to be when she grew up[3:02]- How studying the humanities prepared Jessy for the world of VC[7:00]- Jessy's role at AfterWork VC[10:40]- Was Jessy ever scared about taking a leap and joining AfterWork?[13:10]- Was there ever a specific point where Jessy made the decision to join AfterWork?[17:10]- What makes AfterWork's community-powered model special?[18:45]- Is community a defensible business model for businesses outside of VC?[20:21]- Is there a secret sauce for building an effective community?[22:24]- Community as value creation rather than value capture[22:53]- Why is community becoming so popular at this particular moment in time?[24:49]- What kind of companies is Jessy excited to invest in at AfterWork?[27:38]- An eye-opening experience relating to direct-to-consumer marketing[30:37]- The importance of having agency in your career[34:39]- How to think about failure[37:20]- The importance of leaning into your strengthsLinks to things we mentioned:AfterWork websiteLyka Pet Food: Investment NotesOnDeck Community BuildersOutlaw SoapsThe 20 Minute VC- Harry Stebbings

David Lu is the co-founder of Textboook Ventures. He studied a Bachelor of Commerce and Laws at UNSW and has since gone on to work in venture capital and start his own cryptocurrency hedge fund 256 Capital. We had a wide-ranging with David, covering his experience starting Textbook Ventures, the exciting new cryptocurrency startup he's founded as well as the challenges dealing with imposter syndrome. Timestamps:[1:10] David's introduction and professional background [2:21] How his interest in VC space started [5:56] Challenges he faced building the first student VC fund in Australia[8:03] Events leading to co-founding Textbook Ventures [15:16] How co-founding Textbook Ventures helped David's career trajectory [17:48] What sparked his interest in cryptocurrency [20:28] The basics of cryptocurrency [24:03] His perspective on mainstream media around cryptocurrency and blockchain buzz[26:00] A sneak peek into David' funding on an exciting project! [33:02] His challenges with facing imposter syndrome [35:00] His experience being on the Australian Fencing team [38:00] His past failure setting him up for success as a co-founder[43:05] ‘What advice would you give to a smart, driven university student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?' 

Brent Liang is the co-founder and executive producer of The Quest Podcast, together with Justin Kan, co-founder of Twitch. He has also founded 3 startups and been a recording artist as well. We chatted  to him about his journey founding no-code startups, working on his mental health as a teenager and his view on setting big and ambitious goals. In this episode, we cover:[1:20] How would Brent describe his current profession[1:55] Brent's cultural upbringing and background story growing up[4:05] What led him to the startup world and founding no code startups[6:30] How his law degree influenced him in his startup career[8:00] On his journey with mental health as a teenager[13:36] On his experience developing empathy as a founder[18:20] The importance of building communication skills for young people[25:00] His story of becoming co-founder and producer of The Quest podcast[29:50] Mindset behind setting big goals and setting to accomplish them[37:23] What advice would you give to a smart, driven university student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?'ReferencesBrave Podcast, Jeremy Au 2021, Brent Liang on Co-Founding with Justin Kan, Weekly Moonshots, and Vulnerability in LeadershipBrent Liang 2019, 9 Places, 9 Learnings, 365 Days, Brent Liang 2021, At last a life: surviving anxiety Twitter, Brent Liang 2020, Bucket list before 30 

Ed Barker is a senior associate at Square Peg Capital. Square Peg is Australia's largest VC fund, with over $1.4b of funds under management.  We chatted with Ed about his investment process, the industries that excite him the most and his advice for students at the start of their career.Timestamps:·         1:04: Who Ed wanted to be when he grew up·         2:05: What Ed studied at university·         3:45: Landing a role at Square Peg Capital·         5:40: The importance of reaching out to people and having conversations·         6:00: The role of a VC investor·         7:50: How the investment process works: team, thematic and timing·         9:10: The impact of COVID-19·         10:30: Moving to Singapore·         12:40: The rise of Grab in South East Asia·         13:15: How a background in consulting helped ·         14:00: The industries that Ed is excited about·         15:50: The rise of social commerce·         18:10: Surprising things about VC·         19:35: Qualities that make a great founder·         21:35: Books, podcasts and articles that informed Ed's thought process·         24:45: How has failure set Ed up for success in the future?·         28:10: Ed's advice for uni students

Sam Koslowski is co-founder of The Daily Aus- a social-first news platform, offering up bite-sized news on Instagram as well as a daily newsletter and podcast. We chatted to Sam about his journey leaving a corporate law job to go full-time at The Daily Aus.

Alister is the founder and managing partner of early-stage VC firm Folklore Ventures (formerly Tempus Partners). We chatted to him about his childhood heros, experience founding and running his own startup ShippingEasy and advice he has for young people entering the "real world".