In this episode of Open the Pod Bay Doors, Ian Gardiner sits down with Ella Greer, AI Customer Engineer at Google Cloud, for a deep dive into how AI is actually being built, deployed, and scaled inside real businesses today.

Ella works hands-on with some of Australia’s leading companies — from startups to enterprise — helping them design and implement AI roadmaps. This conversation cuts through the hype and focuses on what’s really happening on the ground: from early experimentation to production-scale AI systems.

They cover:

• The shift from AI experimentation to real-world deployment and scale
• What an “AI Customer Engineer” actually does inside Google
• Why startups are still the most exciting (and fastest-moving) AI adopters
• What “agents” and “agentic systems” really mean — explained simply
• How companies are moving from proof-of-concept to real business outcomes
• Why the SaaS model is under pressure — and what replaces it
• Where the new “moats” are in an AI-first world (data, verticalisation, expertise)
• The rise of usage-based pricing and token-driven business models
• How AI is reshaping product development, engineering, and startup costs
• Why great engineers still matter — and what skills actually endure
• How founders should think about AI today (and why it’s no longer optional)

They also explore:

• The future of AI pricing — why intelligence gets cheaper, but better models cost more
• Whether AGI is close (and why definitions matter)
• The role of DeepMind as Google’s research engine
• Why AI adoption is still uneven — and why most people aren’t using it deeply (yet)
• How founders and investors should evaluate AI companies in a noisy market

Ella brings a practical, engineering-first perspective with clear takeaways for founders, operators, and investors navigating the AI shift.

Quick Fire Round
📚 Book recommendation – Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
🎧 Podcast recommendation – Latent Space (AI engineering deep dives)
🗞️ News source – Alpha Signal (AI research + repo summaries)
👩‍💼 Favourite leader – Lila Ibrahim (COO, DeepMind / Chief AI Readiness Officer)
🛠️ Productivity tool – Gemini CLI (with strong context engineering)
📺 TV / entertainment – Married at First Sight (pure brain-off viewing)

A sharp, grounded conversation on where AI is actually delivering value — and what to do about it.

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In this episode of Open the Pod Bay Doors, Ian Gardiner sits down with long-time friend and tech leader Matt Loop, now Head of Asia Pacific at Rippling.

Matt has been at the heart of SaaS for two decades. From opening Salesforce’s first Australian office out of his Bondi apartment, to helping LinkedIn scale across Asia and the US, guiding Slack through the chaos of COVID, and now leading Rippling’s rapid expansion across APAC — Matt has lived through (and helped build) some of the most iconic software companies of our time.

They cover:

• Opening Salesforce AU with nothing but a laptop and a dream

• Lessons from LinkedIn’s hypergrowth and $26B acquisition by Microsoft

• Scaling Slack globally during the pandemic and its $27B acquisition by Salesforce

• Building Rippling’s Australian business from scratch to 100+ people in two years

• The hard realities of scaling from 10 → 100 people (and why it’s “really bloody hard”)

• How to hire and evaluate top sales talent (including Matt’s playbook)

• Product-led growth vs sales-led growth, and why the best companies do all three (PLG, SLG, and community-led)

• How Rippling is using AI today — and where it’s headed

• Scaling culture across regions and why “toxic hires” can kill momentum

• Liquidity, secondaries, and the trade-offs of staying private at $16B+ valuation

Matt is a natural storyteller with practical lessons for founders, operators, and investors — and plenty of laughs along the way.

Quick Fire Round
📚 Book recommendation – Going Infinite by Michael Lewis (Sam Bankman-Fried story)
🎧 Podcast recommendation – SmartLess (Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes)
🗞️ News source – AFR, LinkedIn Newsfeed, and a mix of global outlets
👨‍💼 Favourite CEO – Satya Nadella (plus reflections on Benioff, Jeff Weiner, Stewart Butterfield, and Parker Conrad)
🛠️ Productivity tool – Slack (still his #1)
📱 Favourite app – Slack (for staying connected to work + investor/advisory communities)
📺 TV / movie recommendation – Mob Land (Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Tom Hardy), plus Yellowstone and the Taylor Sheridan spin-offs
🎤 TED Talk topic – The evolution of US sports: from blue-collar pastime to corporate billion-dollar industry

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In this episode, Ian sits down with Evan Walden, CEO of Getro—a startup rethinking how VCs support their portfolio companies through meaningful connections and talent networks. From his early days at General Assembly to leading a platform used by top-tier VC firms, Evan shares candid insights on leadership, founder relationships, startup career pathways, and why authentic networking matters more than ever.

Whether you're a founder, investor, or ecosystem builder, this conversation is packed with practical ideas and fresh perspectives on value creation in venture capital.

🔑 Key Conversation Highlights:

• From Philosophy to Tech:
  Evan’s unconventional path from studying philosophy to building tech platforms that empower communities and ecosystems.

• Lessons from General Assembly:
  The founding journey, scaling a mission-driven business, and how career outcomes, not just education, shaped their growth.

• The Power of “Network-Driven Outcomes”:
  Why intros and warm connections still drive results, and how Getro helps VCs operationalise this at scale.

• Rebuilding the VC Tech Stack:
  What most venture firms get wrong about talent support—and why the future of VC is about network intelligence.

• Getro’s Origin Story:
  From internal project to standalone company, and what it’s like spinning out of a fund like OnDeck.

• Tactical Advice for VCs:
  How to actually help founders. Hint: it’s not just capital. Evan shares real strategies around intros, hiring, and network mapping.

Quick Fire Round:

📚 Book recommendation – The Great CEO Within - There's a PDF that's available for free, but to me this is like the Bible for any startup founder and I would just recommend anyone starting a company go get it like right now.
🎧 Podcast recommendation – This Jungian Life - not business related but a funny poscast to listen to
🗞️ News source – I've actually been using X a lot more recently. I realised once I curated who I follow it became the best place to learn about the nuances of what's getting built in AI and tech, stuff that never makes it into the news cycle.
👨‍💼 Favourite CEO – Collison brothers (Founders of Stripe) for their ability to build a massive company while maintaining their value system and Brian Chesky (Founder of Airbnb).
🛠️ Productivity tool – Superhuman and chatGPT
📱 Favourite app – Whisper Flow - a speech to text app that's 99% accurate
📺 TV or movie recommendation – I'm half way through The Last of Us
🎤 TED Talk topic – Networking doesn't have to suck: building authentic relationships in a world of fakeness.

The Innovation Bay job board is powered by Getro. Looking for your dream role? We have you covered with over 450 open roles across almost 5000 companies: https://jobs.innovationbay.com/jobs

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In this episode of Open The Pod Bay Doors, Host Ian Gardiner is joined by Chris Morgan, Co-CEO of Oxygen Advisors, a fast-growing outsourced CFO service supporting early-stage tech startups across Australasia. Chris shares the story of how Oxygen grew from a one-man band in New Zealand to a 45-person team, helping more than 100 startups scale and raise capital.

He dives into the challenges and opportunities of expanding into Australia, the evolving needs of startups, and how Oxygen is staying ahead by introducing new services like fractional revenue operations (RevOps) and exploring AI tools to drive efficiency — all while maintaining a strong, relationship-first approach.

Episode Highlights:

• How Oxygen Advisors scaled from New Zealand to Australia.

• Key differences between the New Zealand and Australian startup ecosystems.

• The critical role of building trust and relationships in early-stage support.

• Trends in fractional services, including CFO and RevOps support.

• How AI is shaping the future of outsourced finance and operations.

• Chris’s personal career journey and lessons learned from growing a high-performing services business.

Quick Fire Round:

📚 Book recommendation – Personally I like to read as a form of escapism from the heavy pressures of the world. So I really just read fiction. The one book that stays with me is slaughter house fire by Kurt Vonnegut. It's a classic, anti war sort of sci fi combo. It's weird. It's wonderful.
🎧 Podcast recommendation – I don't listen to a lot of podcasts but my go to would be Desert Island Disc
👨‍💼 Favourite CEO – From an international perspective Jason Lemkin from echosign, but then from a personal front I'd say James Sampson from file invite and Lincoln wantson from BraveGen
🗞️ News source – I can't help but check the New Zealand Herald. BBC for international news, but if I ever want to learn something or go deep on something, my go to is, Johnny Harris? He's a YouTube independent journalist.
🛠️ Productivity tool – I wouldn't be able to do my job without Slack. Both for managing external clients and internal
📱 Favourite app – Seesaw to stay up to date with what my oldest son, Teddy, is learning in his first weeks at school
📺 TV or movie recommendation – I'm partial to any British comedy but I think the top for me would be Gavin and Stacy
🎤 TED Talk topic – The art of fractional working - not fractional services but how to work in a fractional environment.

Tune in for a masterclass on scaling services for startups and the power of adapting to new markets.

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In this special live edition of Open The Pod Bay Doors, Ian sits down with independent MP Allegra Spender in front of a live audience at Jelix Ventures. With a federal election in Australia just weeks away, Allegra offers candid insights into her journey as a parliamentarian, Australia’s economic crossroads, and the critical reforms needed to ensure a thriving, future-facing nation.

The conversation explores Australia’s global trade vulnerabilities, the urgent need to diversify partnerships, and the growing capital challenges faced by the startup sector. Allegra shares her perspective on climate policy, the energy transition, and why Australia is uniquely positioned to lead in solar innovation. The discussion also delves into geopolitical dynamics, immigration, education, and the pressing need for smarter regulation and stronger support for innovation.

Throughout the episode, Allegra outlines clear action items—from improving access to innovation funding to bringing startup voices into Parliament—while encouraging Australians to stay politically engaged. This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about Australia’s economic future, climate leadership, and the role of independent voices in shaping smarter policy.

We hope you enjoy this insightful and special live recording of Open The Pod Bay Doors.

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For this episode of Open the Pod Bay Doors host, Ian Gardiner, is joined by Rob Sibo, Head of AI/ML Customer Engineering ANZ, Google.

Ian and Rob sat down in late 2024 to discuss all things AI. From demo's to production: Scaling AI in 2025. Rob’s focus for the coming year is clear: move beyond quick wins and proofs of concept to real production use cases. He anticipates a leap in conversational and multimodal AI agents—ones that can autonomously act on your behalf via voice, text, or other inputs.

In this incredibly insightful session you can expect:
🧠 Insights on AI Adoption
📊 Advice for Startups & Builders
🧭 On Ethics, Responsibility & The Agent Era
🌐 How to Get Involved with Google Cloud

“In 2025, the conversation won’t be about what’s possible, it’ll be about what agentic experience do we want to create.”

Quick Fire Round:

📚 Book recommendation – I'm a sucker for dune by Frank Herbert. I've read them all twice
🎧 Podcast recommendation – The Well, Babbage, and AI daily brief
👨‍💼 Favourite CEO – Sundar Pichai, Google and Sam Altman, OpenAI
🗞️ News source – Google news
🛠️ Productivity tool – OmniFocus
📱 Favourite app – The Gemini App and Apple Music
📺 TV or movie recommendation – Historical dramas, whether they're accurate or not. Medicis and the Ancient Apocalypse.
🎤 TED Talk topic – ethical and responsible AI

Google Cloud program mentioned:
The Google for Startups Cloud Program helps pre-seed to Series A startups thrive by giving them access to the technology, community, and resources they need to start and scale their business.

Check out the additional benefits for AI and Web3 startups.

Eligible AI startups can get up to US$350k in Google Cloud credits, dedicated technical supports, hands-on AI training, exclusive access to events, webinars, and more. Apply today.

Web3 startups can get up to US$200k in free credits, invite-only access to gated Discord channel, foundations grants, VIP event access and more. Apply today.

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Open the Pod Bay Doors is back for 2025!

To kick off the year, host Ian Gardiner sits down with Stuart Dullard, Partner at Ashurst, for a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities facing founders in today’s venture landscape.

Ashurst is a global corporate law firm with over 30 offices worldwide. Stuart leads the High Growth and Venture Capital team in Australia and is the global co-head of the Tech M&A practice. Described by Ian as one of Australia’s most experienced startup lawyers, Stuart has built a career helping early-stage, high-growth tech companies navigate complex legal and funding challenges.

This episode is a must-listen for founders looking to effectively manage their funding journey and achieve sustainable growth.

Key takeaways:

🚀 Ashurst’s strategy for building long-term advisory relationships with high-growth startups
💰 Challenges and strategies for securing funding
🗺️ Navigating venture capital and private equity landscapes
💡 Understanding legal frameworks, investor relationships, and the funding process
📑 Structuring deals, negotiating terms, and setting up for successful fundraising rounds

Quick Fire Round:

📚 Book recommendation – Fiction: The Goldfinch (“Read the book, don’t watch the movie!”) | Non-fiction: Time to Breathe by Bill Mitchell
🎧 Podcast recommendation – The Teacher’s Pet (The Australian), The Sure Thing (AFR), Liar Liar (The Age)
👨‍💼 Favourite CEO – The founders of Canva for their business success and people-first approach
🗞️ News source – Radio National every morning
🛠️ Productivity tool – Time to Breathe + morning exercise
📱 Favourite app – The New York Times Games App
📺 TV or movie recommendation – The West Wing
🎤 TED Talk topic – The highs and lows of the founder journey

🎙️ Tune in now for an insightful conversation on funding, legal strategy, and the startup journey!

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After a brief hiatus, Open the Pid Bay Door is back with an exciting new episode! Host Ian Gardiner sits down with Bryan Williams, Founder of Hockey Stick Advisory, to dive into the world of strategic partnerships and growth acceleration.

Hockey Stick Advisory provides market leading strategic partnerships advisory, operational and executional guidance with accountability for growth alongside prioritised partners. We empower ambitious companies to accelerate top line growth, whilst protecting scarce bottom line resources.

Highlights from their conversation include:

• 📊 Understanding Partnerships
• 🚀 The importance of Partnerships for Startups
• 🔍 Identifying Potential Partners
• 📈 Measuring Partnership Success
• 💡 Common Pitfalls in Partnerships
• 🌐 Building a Partnership Ecosystem
• 🛠️ Best Practices for Partnerships
• 📅 Community and Networking

Quick Fire Round:

• Book recommendation - "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. He's a former Navy seal, hardcore guy, but I think it's similar to the lines of Kim Scott's book Radical Candor.
• Podcast recommendation - "Rich Roll - when it's relevant and something I like, Stephen Bartlett's Diary of a CEO and there's a bunch of really good partnership ones in the US where I can sort of follow along and absorb best practices.
• Favourite CEO - Yamini Rangan, CEO, Hubspot
• News source - Capital Brief
• Productivity tool - "I'm a big believer in power naps!"
• Favourite app - Strava
• TV show or movie recommendation "Well, the new Gladiator is coming out this weekend, so looking forward to that one"
• If you were asked to do a TED talk, what topic would you speak about? Going viral and what not to do

Don’t miss this insightful conversation packed with actionable advice for growth-focused businesses!

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