Business Is Boring

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 help other businesses do the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 working. Listen to hear how their company is helping combat the systemic underfunding of women’s health and technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 feature and the Do Beautiful Business idea. Today, he is co-CEO and founder at Upstock, a hospo wholesale ordering app building out another change to an industry. Philip shares the stories behind the work anyone that's used Xero knows, and his next mission at Upstock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 journey, investment resources, podcasts and education, to leading a conversation about financial literacy, independence and sovereignty, especially for Māori. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 aim to bring banking in New Zealand into the 21st century, and they chat with Simon about how they plan to do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 intense discussion of government policy to figuring out what the heck a skibidi toilet is, we celebrate the best and worst of what has been a rollercoaster year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 joins Simon Pound to chat the three-year journey of sleeping on couches and navigating regulation to help change the face of investing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, Unyoked’s journey so far and what’s next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 for Food and ranked as one of the 50 Most Impactful Entrepreneurs in the U.S. Justin speaks with Simon Pound as part of the Spark Lab Future State series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 overcoming everything the world can throw at them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 build a brand in a new category from a standing start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s fast, cost effective, engaging and being used by big and small brands all over the world. Stickybeak is creating a unique form of consumer testing that customers actually want to engage with. CEO Anna Henwood joins Simon Pound to chat about her path to leadership through Tourism NZ and Les Mills International and her plans for the future of the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marian Johnson has been a key part of Christchurch becoming one of the fastest growing ecosystems for start-up success. As the CEO of Ministry of Awesome, Marian works to increase start-up diversity in all senses, with partnerships and leading the Electrify Aotearoa women’s founders conference. Marian joins Simon Pound to chat what it takes, and the changes she wants to see in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been called the most ambitious startup in Aotearoa and a company that truly has the potential to change the world. OpenStar CEO and founder Dr Ratu Mataira shares his journey with Simon Pound, from starting his company, where he's at on his mission and what his vision could mean for the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Bolton started Squirrel Mortgages during the height of the 2008 global financial crisis with an aim to bring the process of buying your first home into the 21st century. Now, he's one of the largest operating mortgage brokers in the country and isn't slowing down anytime soon. He talks to Simon Pound about the state of New Zealand's big banks and why Squirrel is a smarter solution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As one of the leaders who grew Zuru to billions in trade, Anna Mowbray is one of the most successful entrepreneurs Aotearoa has produced. She led culture, systems and operations as the company grew across the world -and now is back with her new business, Zeil - an app to shake up recruitment, career building and the big incumbents. What does it take to build a great business, and how will Zeil be a bigger mountain for Anna? A great chat with a global leader on the pod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices