TechMates

She beat TikTok to #1 on the App Store with a $0 marketing budget—now this solo founder is using a consumer app as a "Trojan horse" to disrupt a multi-billion dollar legacy industry.🎧 Listen On:
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gQnb_WbB
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4is21QI
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/42KZ2x1Steph went from pressing API buttons at 15 to building Bonnet, which hit #1 on the App Store and gained 30,000 users in seven days with zero marketing budget. When government data pricing increased 3000% in three months, she discovered something remarkable in the user data: businesses were hijacking her consumer app to manage entire fleets. What started as a parts catalog idea became New Zealand's fastest-growing vehicle compliance platform, with 60,000 vehicles and expansion into Australia.
This conversation reveals how childhood poverty drove entrepreneurial hunger, why nearly 50% of New Zealand cars drive illegally, and how making "billion-dollar decisions" means choosing international expansion over local optimization. Steph shares her contrarian take on technical co-founders, why AI is her secret weapon against legacy fleet software, and how she's building toward a global platform in 22 countries.
🔥 Poverty to Platform — How boning chickens at 8 and breeding pigeons built the work ethic behind a million-dollar business
🚗 Hidden Market Failure — Why half of New Zealand cars drive with expired warrants and how broken government systems create opportunity
📱 Accidental Viral Growth — From 700 downloads to 30,000 users in 7 days through one organic news story
💸 3000% Government Price Shock — When data costs jumped from 2 cents to 48 cents per query overnight
🏢 Consumer-to-B2B Pivot — How 100+ fleets demanding desktop features revealed the real business model
🤖 AI Competitive Moat — Deploying automation faster than 20-year-old legacy companies run by "big corporates, white old men"
Guest links:
Steph Kennard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephkennard/
Bonnet: https://bonnet.co.nz
NZVC links:Website: https://www.nzvc.co.nz
Mark Pavlyukovskyy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlyukovskyy/
Hendrik Remigereau: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-remigereau-09a03067/
Chapters:
00:00 From Poverty to Platform
05:00 Uncle Dave's Automotive Empire
12:00 Corporate Learning at Fiat Chrysler
19:01 Viral Growth and App Store Success
25:00 Government Data Price Shock
30:48 B2B Pivot Discovery
35:00 Fleet Management Goldmine
41:26 AI Strategy Against Legacy Software
45:00 Global Expansion Vision
54:07 Billion Dollar Decision Framework
57:56 Co-Founder Advice and Rapid Fire
👍 Hit the Like button if you've ever turned personal frustration into a business opportunity, 💬 Comment with your favorite takeaway, 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes
#TechMates #NZVC #StephKennard #Bonnet #VentureCapital #NewZealandTech #FleetManagement #VehicleCompliance #StartupPivot #B2BPivot #ProductMarketFit #AIStrategy #GlobalExpansion #Entrepreneurship #StartupStory #TechPodcast #VCPodcast #SaaS #Automotive

Why is teaching a robot to fold your laundry actually harder than building an autonomous surgical robot or a self-driving car?
In this episode of TechMates, we cut through the sci-fi hype of humanoid robots and dive into the gritty, high-stakes reality of deep tech. We sit down with three visionary founders—David Inggs, Nick Damiano, and Harrison Crowe-Maxwell—who are deploying autonomous systems into some of the most constrained and critical environments on Earth (and inside the human body).
This conversation flips the script on everything you thought you knew about AI and robotics. David Inggs breaks down why general-purpose humanoids are still "0.1% of a human" and why specialized machines will dominate the home and military. Nick Damiano reveals the contrarian insight that drove his startup: operating on human anatomy is actually an easier autonomy problem than navigating self-driving cars through city traffic. Finally, we go underground to tackle the global water crisis, exploring how fleets of autonomous robots are being engineered to live inside high-pressure pipes, recharge themselves using water flow, and save the 30% of the world's drinking water that is currently lost to leaks. If you want to know what the next decade of physical AI actually looks like, hit play.
🤖 Hype vs. Reality: Why current humanoid robots are nowhere near ready to cook your dinner or fold your laundry.
🏥 Autonomous Surgery: Why the operating room is a safer, more predictable environment for AI than a public highway.
💧 The Global Water Crisis: How underground robot fleets are being built to prevent cities from hitting "Day Zero."
🔋 The Battery Problem: Why biological farm dogs and diesel engines still heavily outperform robotic dogs in the field.
🛠️ Disrupting Monopolies: How startups are targeting the $200B medical robotics industry by adding cognitive AI assistance.
Connect with the Guests:
David Inggs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidinggs/
Nick Damiano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickdamiano/
Harrison Crowe-Maxwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrison-crowe-maxwell/
Connect with NZVC & Hosts:
🔗 Learn more about NZVC:
Website: https://www.nzvc.co.nz
Mark Pavlyukovskyy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlyukovskyy/
Hendrik Remigereau - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-remigereau-09a03067/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: The Reality of Robots in the Real World
01:09 Why Folding Laundry is the Ultimate Robotics Challenge
02:49 Factory Floors vs. Living Rooms: The Need for Constrained Spaces
04:48 Will You Have a Humanoid Robot or 10 Specialized Ones?
07:12 The Truth About Military Robots and Battery Limitations
08:37 Andromeda: Bringing Autonomous Robots into the Operating Room
09:01 Why Autonomous Surgery is Easier than Self-Driving Cars
11:06 Beyond DaVinci: Adding "Cognitive Assist" to Surgery
14:52 Saving Cities from Running Out of Water with Autonomous Subs
15:50 The Hidden Crisis: Why We Lose 30% of Global Drinking Water
18:01 The 3 Engineering Challenges of Building High-Pressure Pipe Robots
If you enjoyed this deep dive into the hard tech shaping our physical world, please hit the Like button, Comment below on which autonomous robot you think will hit the mainstream first, and Subscribe for more high-impact conversations with world-class founders!
#startups, #robotics, #NewZealand, #deeptech, #artificialintelligence, #surgery, #healthtech, #humanoids, #automation, #watercrisis, #infrastructure, #venturecapital, #techpodcast, #TechMates, #NZVC, #founders, #machinelearning, #hardware, #innovation, #futuretech

What do you do when you're so frustrated with your legacy bank that you can't take it anymore? You hire a "Chief Imaginer" and build a financial app designed to rival Instagram and TikTok.
In this episode of TechMates, we dive deep into the revolution ripping power away from massive banking monopolies and handing it back to consumers. We sit down with three heavyweights of the Australia/New Zealand fintech scene: Dom Pym (Up), Dermot Butterfield (Wych), and Leighton Roberts (Sharesies).
This conversation peels back the curtain on how modern financial giants are built from the ground up. Dom Pym reveals the absurd reality of trying to start a bank (you need $100 million in reserve just to get the license) and why Up decided to benchmark its user engagement against social media titans instead of other banks. Dermot Butterfield breaks down the "Open Banking" revolution, explaining how Wych is building the invisible digital pipes that finally give you ownership of your own financial data. Finally, Leighton Roberts addresses the inevitable comparisons between Sharesies and Robinhood, explaining how their platform is moving beyond simple stock trading to use AI to scale personalized financial advice for their 800,000+ users. If you want to know where the future of your money is heading, this is a must-listen.
🏦 The Legacy Bank Trap: Why traditional, vault-mentality banks are fundamentally incapable of moving fast and innovating.
📱 Social Media Banking: How Up designed its interface to mimic the daily engagement of apps like Uber and TikTok.
🔓 The Open Banking Revolution: Dermot explains the death of sketchy "screen scraping" and how EU regulations birthed a secure data-sharing economy.
💸 Democratizing Wealth: Leighton's mission to give a user with $5 the exact same investment opportunities as a user with $5 million.
⚖️ The Robinhood Comparison: Why Sharesies embraces total consumer choice while heavily investing in financial education and AI-driven advice.
🏗️ Building Fintech Infrastructure: A look at the hidden B2B services (like registry businesses and secure data pipes) that power the apps you use every day.
Connect with the Guests:
Dom Pym (Up): https://www.linkedin.com/in/dompym/
Dermot Butterfield (Wych): https://www.linkedin.com/in/dermotbutterfield/
Leighton Roberts (Sharesies): https://www.linkedin.com/in/leightonroberts/
🔗 Learn more about NZVC:
Website: https://www.nzvc.co.nz
Mark Pavlyukovskyy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlyukovskyy/
Hendrik Remigereau - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-remigereau-09a03067/
00:00 Intro: The AU/NZ Fintech Advantage
01:13 The Origin of Up: Built out of pure frustration
02:30 Why legacy banking software is broken
04:45 Hiring a "Chief Imaginer" to build the future
06:15 Banking vs. TikTok: The battle for engagement
06:53 What is Open Banking? (Explained for beginners)
08:20 The "Login with Google" moment for your bank account
11:27 How financial "pipes" and infrastructure work12:42 Why traditional banks have a "Vault Mentality"
13:50 Sharesies: Investing is no longer just for the rich
15:31 Beyond stocks: KiwiSaver and insurance
17:43 Education vs. Gambling: The Sharesies philosophy
18:39 Comparing the AU/NZ model to Robinhood
If you enjoyed this inside look at the future of finance, hit the Like button, drop a Comment letting us know which fintech app you can't live without, and Subscribe to TechMates for more masterclasses with world-class founders!
#fintech, #startups, #banking, #OpenBanking, #investing, #NewZealand, #Australia, #entrepreneurship, #UpBank, #Sharesies, #Wych, #wealth, #finance, #appdesign, #innovation, #SaaS, #venturecapital, #techpodcast, #TechMates, #NZVC

In a world where software features can be "vibe coded" by AI in 30 minutes, brand expert Simon Pound explains why community and customer obsession are the only moats left for startups.In this episode of TechMates Podcast, we sit down with Simon Pound, a true cornerstone of the New Zealand innovation ecosystem and the master brand architect behind massive successes like Vend, Ideally, and Appetise. Transitioning from a fast-paced career in traditional media and advertising, Simon brought Madison Avenue brand principles to the tech startup world. Through the brand and venture studio Previously Unavailable, he's led a unique "sweat equity for branding" model, proving that world-class design and customer-centricity can drastically accelerate a startup's valuation and growth.🎨 Brand vs. Advertising: The fundamental difference between enduring customer connection and short-term conversion marketing.
🛍️ The Vend Story: How to make a "boring" point-of-sale software brand deeply emotional and customer-centric.
📈 The Appetise Masterclass: How a strategic brand pivot from "admin" to "appetizing" helped grow customer numbers 20% overnight.
Connect with Simon Pound:
Previously Unavailable: https://previously.coNew and Improved: https://newandimproved.ventures/
Simon’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonpound
Connect with NZVC & Hosts:
🔗 Learn more about NZVC: Website: https://www.nzvc.co.nz
Mark Pavlyukovskyy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlyukovskyy/
Hendrik Remigereau - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-remigereau-09a03067/
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to Simon Pound
02:02 - From 24-hour news to advertising and startups
04:08 - Advertising vs. Branding: The fundamental differences
05:50 - Making B2B software sexy: The Vend retail playbook
15:07 - Why brand is the final moat in the AI software era
19:05 - The rise of Tracksuit and proving the ROI of brand building
21:49 - Previously Unavailable: Trading world-class branding for sweat equity
26:15 - Case Study: Rebranding MenuAid to Appetise (and 4x'ing revenue)
41:11 - Launching "New and Improved": A MarTech venture studio
43:36 - How AI will kill "butter passing" marketing agency jobs
53:05 - Redefining the "New Zealand" brand beyond Hobbits and sheep
56:02 - The golden age of AI productivity and the future of knowledge work
If you want to learn how to build a startup brand that AI can't replace, hit the Like button, drop a Comment with your favorite brand right now, and Subscribe for more high-impact insights from world-class founders and operators!
#startups, #branding, #marketing, #artificialintelligence, #NewZealand, #SimonPound, #Tracksuit, #Vend, #SaaS, #venturecapital, #entrepreneurship, #techpodcast, #TechMates, #NZVC, #founderjourney, #marketingstrategy, #AI, #businessgrowth, #martech, #futureofwork

From hypersonics and space-based hyperspectral imaging to "Starlink for energy" - three deep tech founders are defying the laws of physics to build the future.
In this episode of TechMates, we dive into the deep end of hard tech with three visionaries who are redefining the boundaries of aerospace, satellite imaging, and global energy distribution. We hear from Stefan Powell of Dawn Aerospace, who explains why building an "aircraft with the performance of a rocket" is the key to unlocking the multi-billion dollar hypersonics and orbital launch markets (without the liability of dropping rocket debris on Philadelphia).
We also hear from Shoaib Iqbal of Esper Satellites, who breaks down the "DIY" origins of their space-based hyperspectral cameras—starting with eBay parts and astrophotography sensors to see chemical compositions from orbit. Finally, Billy J of Aquila shares a radical, contrarian vision for the future of power: an "internet of energy." He challenges the current trend of localized microgrids, proposing a zero-cost-per-kilometer, speed-of-light energy transmission network that operates just like Starlink. If you want to know what the next 50 years of human infrastructure looks like, this conversation is for you.
🚀 Orbital Launch vs. Hypersonics: Why Dawn Aerospace is building reusable rocket-powered aircraft to tap into the $7B hypersonics defense market.
📸 Hyperspectral Imaging from Space: How Esper Satellites hacked together their first sensors to see beyond the visual spectrum and classify materials from orbit.
⚡ The "Internet of Energy": Aquila's contrarian thesis on why energy transmission must shift from physical cables and localized grids to speed-of-light optical networks.
🛠️ DIY Deep Tech: The scrappy, off-the-shelf engineering tactics used to build the first iterations of game-changing orbital hardware.
💸 The Cost of Infrastructure: Comparing the $1M/km cost of high-voltage DC power lines to the zero-cost transmission of directed energy.
Connect with the Guests:
Dawn Aerospace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spowell111/
Esper Satellites: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoaib-esper/
Aquila: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-jeremijenko-a31399183/Connect with NZVC & Hosts:
🔗 Learn more about NZVC: Website: https://www.nzvc.co.nz
Mark Pavlyukovskyy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlyukovskyy/
Hendrik Remigereau - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-remigereau-09a03067/Timestamps:
If you enjoyed this deep dive into the hard tech shaping our future, please hit the Like button, Comment below on which technology you think will change the world fastest, and Subscribe for more conversations with visionary founders!
#startups, #deeptech, #aerospace, #NewZealand, #hypersonics, #satellites, #energy, #innovation, #space, #technology, #DawnAerospace, #EsperSatellites, #Aquila, #venturecapital, #founderstories, #futuretech, #NZVC, #TechMates, #engineering, #hardtech