The High Flyers Podcast with Vidit Agarwal

Welcome to this classic episode. Classics are our favourite episodes from the past 5 years, published every month or two. These are N of 1 conversations with N of 1 people. This is a replay of Episode 120, originally released in Feb 2023.
Vidit Agarwal speaks with Alex Badran (Co-Founder & CEO of Spriggy) and Tim Doyle (Co-Founder & CEO of Eucalyptus) in a new sparring-style format, where Alex and Tim actively challenge each other’s thinking.They debate how founders make decisions under uncertainty, why data should inform judgement—not replace it, and why speed compounds. They unpack founder paralysis at scale, why customers don’t care how big your company is, and why the "superhero" founder perception is incorrect. 
It’s time to explore your curiosity — please enjoy.
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To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts:
→ $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high
If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at [email protected] today!
Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.
________
Show notes and more episodes here
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! 
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 
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The High Flyers Podcast is described as a "meticulously researched biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies -- redefining the "high flyer". Launched in 2020, we have ranked in the global top ten podcasts for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. Excerpts of the podcast have been featured in Forbes, AFR, Daily Telegraph, and showcased at SXSW.
200+ guests have joined host, Vidit Agarwal on the show from 15+ countries. Prominent guests include Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Anil Sabharwal (VP, Product at Google), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Jean-Michel Lemieux (CTO, Shopify + Atlassian), Andy Penn (CEO, Telstra), Stevie Case (Chief Revenue Officer, Vanta), Sweta Mehra (EGM, NAB; ex CMO, ANZ), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Sam Sicilia (Chief Investment Officer, Hostplus), Craig Tiley (CEO, Tennis Australia), Niki Scevak (Co-Founder, Blackbird Ventures), Mike Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), Trent Cotchin (3x Premiership Winning Captain, Richmond FC), Jason Collins (Head of Australasia, BlackRock), Peter Varghese (Chief, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Matteo Franceschetti (CEO, Eight Sleep) and many more. 
Our parent company, Curiosity Centre is the intelligence platform for the ambitious, trusted by leading organisations across technology, finance, government and sport since 2020.

Welcome to this classic episode. Classics are our favorite episodes from the past 5 years, published every month or two. These are N of 1 conversations with N of 1 people. This is a replay of Episode 145, originally released in October 2023— one of our most loved classics.
Episode #238 features Beezer Clarkson, Partner at Sapphire Ventures — one of the most respected LPs in global venture capital.
In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Beezer shares her journey from growing up between the UK and the US to building a career across banking, consulting and venture, before helping shape Sapphire’s LP strategy.
She reflects on formative family influences, her relationship with money, and the mindset that’s guided her career.Beezer unpacks how Sapphire evaluates venture funds, what differentiates emerging managers who endure, and why discipline, clarity and long-term thinking matter, especially in tougher markets and lots more. 
It’s time to explore your curiosity — please enjoy.
________
To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts:
→ $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high
If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at [email protected] today!
Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.
________
Show notes here
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! 
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 
________
The High Flyers Podcast is described as a "meticulously researched biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies -- redefining the "high flyer". Launched in 2020, we have ranked in the global top ten podcasts for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. Excerpts of the podcast have been featured in Forbes, AFR, Daily Telegraph, and showcased at SXSW.
200+ guests have joined host, Vidit Agarwal on the show from 15+ countries. Prominent guests include Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Anil Sabharwal (VP, Product for Google Chrome, Photos and Drive), Andy Penn (CEO, Telstra), Stevie Case (Chief Revenue Officer, Vanta), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Jean-Michel Lemieux (CTO, Shopify + Atlassian), Jillian Broadbent (Board Member, Macquarie Capital), Sweta Mehra (EGM, NAB; ex CMO, ANZ), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Sam Sicilia (Chief Investment Officer, Hostplus), Craig Tiley (CEO, Tennis Australia), Niki Scevak (Co-Founder, Blackbird Ventures), Mike Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), Trent Cotchin (3x Premiership Winning Captain, Richmond FC), Jason Collins (Head of Australasia, BlackRock), Peter Varghese (Chief, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Matteo Franceschetti (CEO, Eight Sleep) and many more. 
Our parent company, Curiosity Centre is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Functional Leaders, CEOs and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best and be 1% better everyday at https://curiositycentre.com

Episode #237 features a rare public interview with Brendan Dowling, Deputy Secretary for Critical Infrastructure and Protective Security at Australia’s Department of Home Affairs — one of the government’s most senior national security roles. Brendan was previously Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs.
In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Brendan shares his journey from growing up in Melbourne with Indian and Irish heritage to operating at the heart of Australia’s national security system. He reflects on the influence of a mother who migrated from Chennai, a scientist father, and a deep sense of service shaped by family, education and community.Brendan unpacks his real career story — working across refugee camps in the Middle East, representing Australia in Washington during President Trump’s first term, negotiating complex international agreements with the United States, and navigating the frontlines of cyber and critical infrastructure security.
It’s time to explore your curiosity — please enjoy!
Note: this episode was recorded on the 14th November, 2025. 
________
To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts:
→ $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high
If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at [email protected] today!
Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.
________
CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation. Please enjoy!
________
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! 
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 
________
This is the sixth episode in this special series with the Australian Government and their Centre for Australia–India Relations, highlighting the deepening ties between Australia and India across technology, business, media, culture and sport. With nearly one million people of Indian heritage now calling Australia home—the country’s fastest-growing large diaspora—this series brings to light the untold stories of change makers shaping the future of both nations.
Other guests in this series include Peter Varghese, Sweta Mehra, Bharat Sundaresan, Lisa Stahlalekar and Sanjeev Gandhi, reflecting the breadth of Indian-Australian impact at the most senior levels across government, education, sport, business and culture.
________
The High Flyers Podcast is described as a "meticulously researched biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies -- redefining the "high flyer". Launched in 2020, we have ranked in the global top ten podcasts for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. Excerpts of the podcast have been featured in Forbes, AFR, Daily Telegraph, and showcased at SXSW.
200+ guests have joined host, Vidit Agarwal on the show from 15+ countries. Prominent guests include Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Anil Sabharwal (VP, Product for Google Chrome, Photos and Drive), Andy Penn (CEO, Telstra), Stevie Case (Chief Revenue Officer, Vanta), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Jillian Broadbent (Board Member, Macquarie Capital), Sweta Mehra (EGM, NAB; ex CMO, ANZ), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Sam Sicilia (Chief Investment Officer, Hostplus), Niki Scevak (Co-Founder, Blackbird Ventures), Mike Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), Trent Cotchin (3x Premiership Winning Captain, Richmond Football Club), Jason Collins (Head of Australasia, BlackRock) and many more. 
Our parent company, Curiosity Centre is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Functional Leaders, CEOs and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best and be 1% better everyday at https://curiositycentre.com

Welcome to this classic episode. Classics are my favorite episodes from the past 5 years, published every month or two. These are N of 1 conversations with N of 1 people. This is a replay of Episode 159, originally released in March 2024 — one of our most loved classics.
Episode #236 features Matteo Franceschetti, Co-Founder & CEO of Eight Sleep — the category-defining sleep fitness company trusted by Elon Musk, Lewis Hamilton, NFL quarterbacks and Olympic champions, and backed by Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund and Y Combinator.
In conversation with Vidit Agarwal, Matteo shares his journey from a small town near Venice to building a global category-defining sleep company. He reflects on learning English in his mid-20s, starting his career as a lawyer, losing his father early, and walking away from a “safe” path to bet on entrepreneurship.
Matteo unpacks Eight Sleep’s real origin story — early prototypes, repeated YC rejections, the insight that temperature control beat sleep tracking, and the hard realities of building a durable hardware business. He also shares his philosophy on performance, health, leadership and why success comes down to one idea: chop wood, carry water.‍
It’s time to explore your curiosity — please enjoy.
________
To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts:
→ $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high
If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at [email protected] today!
Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.
________
CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation. Please enjoy!
________
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! 
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 
________
The High Flyers Podcast is described as a "meticulously researched biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies -- redefining the "high flyer". Launched in 2020, we have ranked in the global top ten podcasts for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. Excerpts of the podcast have been featured in Forbes, AFR, Daily Telegraph, and showcased at SXSW.
200+ guests have joined host, Vidit Agarwal on the show from 15+ countries. Prominent guests include Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Anil Sabharwal (VP, Product for Google Chrome, Photos and Drive), Andy Penn (CEO, Telstra), Stevie Case (Chief Revenue Officer, Vanta), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Jean-Michel Lemieux (CTO, Shopify + Atlassian), Jillian Broadbent (Board Member, Macquarie Capital), Sweta Mehra (EGM, NAB; ex CMO, ANZ), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Sam Sicilia (Chief Investment Officer, Hostplus), Craig Tiley (CEO, Tennis Australia), Niki Scevak (Co-Founder, Blackbird Ventures), Mike Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), Trent Cotchin (3x Premiership Winning Captain, Richmond FC), Jason Collins (Head of Australasia, BlackRock), Peter Varghese (Chief, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Matteo Franceschetti (CEO, Eight Sleep) and many more. 
Our parent company, Curiosity Centre is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Functional Leaders, CEOs and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best and be 1% better everyday at https://curiositycentre.com

Episode #235 features Steve Hind — Co-Founder & CEO of Lorikeet, one of the fastest-growing AI companies backed by QED Investors, Square Peg, Blackbird and the founders of Canva.
In this conversation, Steve traces his journey from growing up in regional Queensland to competitive debating, and then an unconventional path across BCG, Bridgewater, BuzzFeed, Stripe, Watershed and a Harvard MBA.Steve shares the lessons that shaped him: the discipline and thick skin he built through debating; the customer-first mindset he learned at Stripe and why he left; the performance culture and feedback systems he absorbed at Bridgewater; and the downsides of having strong opinions in environments that demand alignment.
He also breaks down Lorikeet’s early pivot, how the team found real product–market fit after painful false starts, and the company’s rapid rise to US$75M+ raised in under 12 months.
He explains why Lorikeet backs high-accuracy AI agents over copilots, how he thinks about safety and evaluation, and what he’s learned about building product, culture, ambition and customer trust while scaling globally.
It’s time to explore your curiosity — please enjoy.
________
To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts:
→ $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high
→ Find out more about the Law Firm Allens and how they can help your company today at www.allens.com.au
If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at [email protected] today!
Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.
________
CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation. Please enjoy!
________
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter
Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here
Contact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! 
Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! 
________
The High Flyers Podcast is described as a "meticulously researched biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies -- redefining the "high flyer". Launched in 2020, we have ranked in the global top ten podcasts for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. Excerpts of the podcast have been featured in Forbes, AFR, Daily Telegraph, and showcased at SXSW.
200+ guests have joined host, Vidit Agarwal on the show from 15+ countries. Prominent guests include Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Anil Sabharwal (VP, Product for Google Chrome, Photos and Drive), Andy Penn (CEO, Telstra), Stevie Case (Chief Revenue Officer, Vanta), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Jean-Michel Lemieux (CTO, Shopify + Atlassian), Jillian Broadbent (Board Member, Macquarie Capital), Sweta Mehra (EGM, NAB; ex CMO, ANZ), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Sam Sicilia (Chief Investment Officer, Hostplus), Craig Tiley (CEO, Tennis Australia), Niki Scevak (Co-Founder, Blackbird Ventures), Mike Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), Trent Cotchin (3x Premiership Winning Captain, Richmond FC), Jason Collins (Head of Australasia, BlackRock), Peter Varghese (Chief, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Matteo Franceschetti (CEO, Eight Sleep) and many more. 
Our parent company, Curiosity Centre is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Functional Leaders, CEOs and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best and be 1% better everyday at https://curiositycentre.com