Advertise on podcast: Square Peg Founder Stories

Across the globe, unemployment is currently one of the worlds big issues. Statistically speaking, it's at the same level as it was back in WWII. No one understands this more than Isabelle Bichler-Eliasaf who founded Retrain.ai - technology that uses data to help organisations find the best talent and prepare their employees for the jobs of the future, today. We spoke to Isabelle about closing the skills gap, and humanity's fear that robots could take over the world.

We are searching for a new Head of Talent here at Square Peg! The exceptional candidate will build the talent practice, and be instrumental in ensuring that the founders we invest in have the best talent, advice and support at their disposal. To celebrate this new role, we bring you this special episode where we talk to experts and entrepreneurs about the most consistent and critical challenge that founders face: how to build a successful talent engine. For more information on how to apply for the role, visit our website at https://www.squarepegcap.com/ OR To apply for the role, please send CV and a brief cover letter to [email protected] and we'll be in touch.

Rob Philpot was a builder and Leigh Jasper an engineer when they founded Aconex back in the early 2000s. The business was an ASX listed public company that revolutionised the way the construction industry collaborated through technology, long before SaaS was a big deal. In this episode, we talk to these two Aussie larrikins about the time they almost went bust, the overlooked importance of naivety, and how being frugal can make you a millionaire.

This episode coincides with the announcement that Square Peg is proud to be funding Zeller again in 2021. Zeller is an innovative payment terminal now taking on the Big Four Banks. We talk to founder Ben Pfisterer about his family ties to finance, what it was like working with Jack Dorsey and the team at Square Payments, and the night that a few beers turned into $80million.

Using maggot robots to tackle the worlds big issues sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it's a reality for Goterra founder Olympia Yarger. We talk to Olympia about how Goterra works, the struggles of being an unconventional entrepreneur, and how loss can be a primary motivator to take transformative action in combating the most substantial crisis of our time.

In this episode we talk to Vaughan Fergusson about the importance of culture, timing and breaking down ego to help build a successful venture. His company Vend is a breakthrough POS system which was sold for $350 million in March this year. We also talk to Ana Wight, newly appointed CEO about her background and how to not only run a business in a pandemic, but how to thrive.

In this episode we talk to Alice Williams, the founder of Ovira, the TED device used to conquer the symptoms of period pain that has changed the lives of thousands of women worldwide. Listen in to hear about how she overcame her own personal struggles with physical pain and self doubt to come out the other side victorious with one of the most innovative products in this field of medicine. Learn more at https://ovira.com/

On today's episode, we hear from Daniel Danilatos, Karamvir Singh, and Jack Curtis, the founders of Square Peg's newest portfolio company, Neara. Neara is being utilised by major infrastructure companies around the world to help manage utilities like power lines and phone towers - systems that you might not notice in your every day life, but would have catastrophic consequences if they failed. Listen in to hear how these three met, what experiences prepared them to run Neara, and what shared passions drive them as founders. Learn more about Neara at https://neara.com/

On today's episode, we hear from Natali Tshuva, the Co-Founder and CEO at Sternum. With billions of IoT devices active today and the industry only looking to expand, one of the biggest concerns is how to keep these smart devices secure. Especially when it comes to devices used in hospitals and infrastructure that people's lives depend on. Listen in to hear how Natali started her undergraduate degree at age 14, worked in a highly specialised army unit, and learned to think like a hacker, all leading to her building Sternum - a groundbreaking IoT security system. Learn more about Sternum at https://www.sternumiot.com/

On today's episode, we hear from Ruslan Kogan, the founder of Kogan.com. While we hear a lot of founders talk about their inspirations in starting their companies, not many stories draw that inspiration from mini fridges, McDonalds, and rap music, to name a few - but Ruslan's does. Listen in to hear how these inspirations came about, how Ruslan picked a public media fight with one of Australia's biggest retailers in a real life David and Goliath situation, and Ruslan's thoughts on where e-commerce is headed in the future. Learn more about Kogan at https://www.kogan.com/

On today's episode, we hear from Elad Gil, the co-founder of Mixer Labs and Color Genomics, investor and advisor to a multitude of companies, and author of "High Growth Handbook". Listen in to learn about Elad's biggest takeaways from working at Google and Twitter, and his answers to some of the tougher questions around founding and investing, like what do you do when an employee isn't scaling with a company? Or how do you diligence a company in a market so forward thinking it doesn't exist yet? Find out more about Elad's book here: https://growth.eladgil.com/

On today's episode, we hear from George Peppou and Tim Noakesmith, the co-founders, and CEO & CCO at Vow. In 2019 Vow became the world's first company to make a food product from the cells of an undomesticated animal, in the form of a Kangaroo Dumpling. Yes just the cells, meaning no animals were harmed to create that new form of sustainable food - cultured meat. Listen in to hear George and Tim share their views on food, how they met, the journey they took to start Vow, and the exciting future their company promises. Learn more about Vow at https://www.vowfood.com/