AI is changing how startups are built.

In this episode of Startup Theatre, Troy Hammond sits down with Toby Cox, founder of Geodde and former Partner & CTO of Paloma (Dovetail), to talk about why he walked away from leading large engineering teams to build an AI startup completely solo.

After years scaling companies and managing teams of more than 100 engineers, Toby is now running an experiment: building a company with almost no team and using AI agents to do much of the work.

We discuss:

• Why experienced CTOs are leaving leadership roles to build with AI
• How AI coding agents are replacing the work of junior engineers
• Whether “solo unicorn” companies are now possible
• How startups can influence what ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini say about their business
• Why venture capital may not be required to start a company anymore

Toby also shares the thinking behind Geodde, a platform helping companies monitor and shape how their brand appears inside AI tools.

If you're a founder, builder, investor, or curious about where startups are heading next, this conversation explores how AI may reshape how companies are built.

Startup Theatre explores the real stories behind startups, founders, and the evolving tech ecosystem.

John Mitchell didn’t start in tech. He started with a sewing machine in his parents’ basement.

In this episode of Startup Theatre, the Arlo founder shares the full journey from bootstrapped beginnings in Wellington to building a global SaaS platform operating in 70 countries and processing over half a billion dollars in training transactions each year.

John talks openly about:

• Raising his first $1M and then closing just one deal in three months• Hiring mistakes that nearly stalled growth• How Arlo survived when COVID shut down face-to-face training overnight• Why “being found” beat outbound sales• Building a team strong enough to step out of the CEO seat• What AI and vibe coding mean for the next generation of founders

This is a practical, honest conversation about scaling SaaS from New Zealand to the world, navigating pressure after funding, and knowing when to evolve as a founder.

If you're building, raising, pivoting, or questioning your next move, this episode is for you.

Alexander Fala is the kind of leader who has seen the best and worst of startup life up close, and learned how to keep moving anyway.

In this episode of Startup Theatre, Troy Hammond sits down with Alex, former Vend CEO, Rhodes Scholar, ex McKinsey, and a trusted coach to CEOs across Aotearoa. They unpack what happens when the stakes get real: a capital raise nearly collapsing, lawsuits landing mid deal, revenue shocks that threaten liquidation, and the loneliness that comes with being the person ultimately accountable.

Alex shares hard-earned lessons on board dynamics, making the “right decision not the easy one”, building talent density, sharpening strategy after product-market fit, and why writing is still one of the most underrated leadership tools. They also talk about purpose, identity, and how we tell a better story about tech so more Māori and Pacific talent can see themselves in it.

If you’re building, scaling, raising, or simply trying to lead with clarity under pressure, this one’s for you.