Business Is Boring

The Spinoff has just launched a brand new series called Behind the Story, where site editor editor Madeleine Chapman sits down with a staff writer or contributor to gain more insight about a big story on The Spinoff from the week. We thought you might like to check out the first episode, and if you enjoy it please follow it wherever you get your podcasts! On Friday, Bulletin editor Anna Rawhiti-Connell sent her final newsletter, and took the opportunity to share what she’s learned about the news over two years of curating it for thousands of New Zealanders. Earlier in the week, she’d seen reports of Auckland dog owners discarding their pets’ turds on the ground after Auckland Council removed bins across the city. And so, the column “If you love a dog, you must also love disposing of its shit” was born. Anna joins Madeleine Chapman to talk about the power journalists have when framing a story and how to find the middle ground between boring and sensational. For The Spinoff editor’s thoughts on the week that was, as well as a handpicked collection of the week’s best reads, subscribe to The Weekend with Madeleine Chapman newsletter at thespinoff.co.nz/newsletters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blackbird VC recently netted $800m from a sale of a portion of their holding in Canva. They are, by some distance, the largest and one of the most successful VC firms in Australasia. In Aotearoa they have backed Tracksuit, Veve, Partly and Halter and their work to lift up the venture ecosystem includes Sunrise, Startmate and the Giants programme. Phoebe Harrop is the new local lead, with a background in consulting at Bain, working for Al Gore’s investment firm Generation and a few years growing the business in NZ. She joins Simon Pound to dig into what makes a good VC investment, what makes a great founder and how does NZ stack up against Australia? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Manins is a Kiwi pioneer in the Augmented and Virtual Reality space. Her studio, Beyond, makes games, experiences and virtual worlds for immersive entertainment and storytelling. They are one of the first developers to be releasing a game for the new Apple Vision Pro, and they have been leaders in shared, positive experiences in the space for years. After the pandemic stopped their business in its tracks, Jessica has totally rebuilt and (at the time of recording) has just arrived back from SXSW and GDC with the latest on where virtual worlds are now, and where they are going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Yu’s company VeVe has sold more than 10 million digital collectables licensed from some of the world’s leading IP owners like Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, Lamborghini, and James Bond. As leaders in this fast growing space they have grown so fast they won the 2023 Deloitte Fast 50, and David won EY Entrepreneur of the Year. But what is a digital collectible? How did VeVe partner with the world’s most protective brand owners? And how have they grown so fast and done so well? Get the download from one of the best to do it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Albert Cho burst onto Aotearoa’s food scene in 2017 with Eat Lit Food, an Instagram account that dishes out forthright (and often profane) food reviews to an ever-expanding audience. What started as an attempt to redefine a problematic relationship with food quickly grew into a fully fledged career as an influencer, critic and writer. Last year, with the help of David Lee’s Namu Group, he opened Tobi on Ponsonby Road to rave reviews. Albert joins us for a candid chat about the origins of Eat Lit Food, and the journey to opening his first restaurant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first seeds for Wonky Box were planted when Angus Simms and Katie Jackson were fruit picking and saw how much wasted produce was caused by an unseasonal hail storm. The fruit was perfectly edible but aesthetically imperfect, so it was all left on the trees. This shock led to a now national food box service delivering wonky (but great) produce to people, and has so far saved more than 2 million kilograms of food going to waste. Co-founder Angus Simms joined us to chat the journey, improving the food system, and what’s next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI is the biggest topic in business, but where do you even begin? Mark Laurence, founder of Ten Past Tomorrow, is a local expert helping businesses get at the front of the AI curve. He joins Simon Pound to chat the tools every business needs, the rewards and risks of AI and just how close we are to an AI-driven world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Run is a local design and creativity business led with a te aō Māori and treaty partnership view. Their approach to inclusion is changing up how the industry looks at diversity at both a local and international level, making waves recently with their beautiful Manaakitanga D&AD Pencil project. Raymond Otene McKay and Laura Cibilich, co-founders of Run (CCO and CEO respectively) join Simon to chat their mahi, their kaupapa and their ambitions for the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Robertson has had a huge career in finance. In New York, for Goldman Sachs, he led up international and pan-Asian equities, before coming back to New Zealand to lead a large project for Rank Group, the private company of Graeme Hart, aka NZ's most successful businessperson. Simon is now a columnist for BusinessDesk, sharing his views on how New Zealand can grow its wealth and what is on the horizon for the world of business with the changes coming in from AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like so much of women’s health, natural and normal issues around periods are chronically underfunded, under-discussed and under-addressed. One local brand is working to change this. Endosoothe offers products, support and awareness building to empower and educate people who have periods. Founder Monique Lau joins us to talk her own health story, the origins of the business, and what the future holds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Aotearoa only 10% of corporate CEOs and 29% of board members are women. Powrsuit co-founders Kristen Lunman and Natalie Ferguson believe this represents the largest potential to improve NZ business. Powrsuit is a self-described "leadership playbook", offering courses, podcasts and resources and a network of other leaders. This is the second time on the podcast for these two, who launched and scaled the hugely popular share platform Hatch, before completing a successful exit last year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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