Startup Theatre Podcast

John Mitchell didn’t start in tech. He started with a sewing machine in his parents’ basement.
In this episode of Startup Theatre, the Arlo founder shares the full journey from bootstrapped beginnings in Wellington to building a global SaaS platform operating in 70 countries and processing over half a billion dollars in training transactions each year.
John talks openly about:
• Raising his first $1M and then closing just one deal in three months• Hiring mistakes that nearly stalled growth• How Arlo survived when COVID shut down face-to-face training overnight• Why “being found” beat outbound sales• Building a team strong enough to step out of the CEO seat• What AI and vibe coding mean for the next generation of founders
This is a practical, honest conversation about scaling SaaS from New Zealand to the world, navigating pressure after funding, and knowing when to evolve as a founder.
If you're building, raising, pivoting, or questioning your next move, this episode is for you.

Alexander Fala is the kind of leader who has seen the best and worst of startup life up close, and learned how to keep moving anyway.
In this episode of Startup Theatre, Troy Hammond sits down with Alex, former Vend CEO, Rhodes Scholar, ex McKinsey, and a trusted coach to CEOs across Aotearoa. They unpack what happens when the stakes get real: a capital raise nearly collapsing, lawsuits landing mid deal, revenue shocks that threaten liquidation, and the loneliness that comes with being the person ultimately accountable.
Alex shares hard-earned lessons on board dynamics, making the “right decision not the easy one”, building talent density, sharpening strategy after product-market fit, and why writing is still one of the most underrated leadership tools. They also talk about purpose, identity, and how we tell a better story about tech so more Māori and Pacific talent can see themselves in it.
If you’re building, scaling, raising, or simply trying to lead with clarity under pressure, this one’s for you.

Before the 100th episode of Startup Theatre with Rod Drury, we brought the community together in Queenstown for a live fireside series with founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem builders from across New Zealand.
In front of a live audience, we explored what really happens behind the scenes of building companies – from validating an idea and surviving early mistakes, to scaling teams, raising capital, hiring well, and knowing when to step aside as a founder.
You’ll hear from founders at different stages, SaaS and non-SaaS alike, alongside the people who quietly support the ecosystem every day – investors, advisors, operators, and community leaders.
This episode captures the honesty, humour, and reality of startup life, complete with live reactions, tough lessons, and practical insights for anyone building, backing, or thinking about starting a company.
Moderated by our own Adrienne Muir & Troy Hammond
Fireside chat panel (Founders):
Rob Stirling – Scannable

Melissa Jenner – ACTVO

Heidi Farren – Tourism Innovation Group (TIG)

Stuart McLean – EverCommerce

Ecosystem supporters panel:
Peter Fullerton-Smith – Mountain Club

Alison Meredith – Startup Queenstown Lakes

Anand Reddy – PwC New Zealand

Kimberley Gilmour – Sprinklr NZ

Proudly supported by PwC, long-standing champions of New Zealand’s tech and startup ecosystem.
Want a free discovery session with PwC?
Head to 👉🏻 https://www.pwc.co.nz/services/private-business/startup-theatre.html
Special thanks to our supporter sponsor in Startup Queenstown Lakes⁠

A New Zealand insuretech startup thought they’d cracked the US market, until a Fortune 500 incumbent sued them “out of the blue”.
In this episode of Startup Theatre, Serge Van Damme speaks with former Montoux co-CEOs Shelley Cox and Klaas Stijnen about what it’s like to be hit with major IP allegations in the US, how quickly litigation can choke a startup’s ability to sell or raise, and why their realistic options became: fight, sell, or liquidate.
They share the moment they discovered the filing, the impact on customers and staff, the decision to appoint a liquidator in New Zealand, and what’s happening now in the High Court, including the dispute over whether the liquidator can sell assets while proceedings continue.
You’ll also hear practical lessons for founders going into litigious markets: understanding incumbent behaviour, thinking about legal risk as a board-level issue, and why insurance and jurisdiction matter more than most startups assume.
You will hear:
The moment Shelley found out through an email offering representation, nearly marked it as spam, then googled and saw “FIS versus Montoux” had been filed
Why a US lawsuit is an incredibly effective way to stifle a startup, regardless of motivation, because defence costs and commercial impact hit at the same time
What Montoux actually built for life insurers, why actuarial models matter, and what it felt like when they believed they had “cracked it” with major customer momentum
The three brutal options they had: fight, sell, or liquidate, and why “fight” became financially non-viable fast
How staff reacted to being implicitly accused of wrongdoing, and what it is like to have no playbook for something this serious
What liquidation actually means, what a liquidator is required to do, and why the timeline moved so quickly
The NZ High Court injunction hearing over whether the liquidator can sell assets while the case continues, and why it felt so cold and detached from the humans behind the business
Hard lessons for founders entering litigious markets: treating legal risk as a board-level topic, reviewing insurance properly, and researching an incumbent’s litigation posture before you enter their space
Startups in the Spotlight: three Kiwi insuretechs going global, PolicyCheck, Simfuni, and Javln.
Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Vanta. If you are starting or scaling your security programme, Vanta automates compliance for ISO 27001, SOC 2, and more.
Get USD $1,000 off at: ⁠vanta.com/startuptheater⁠
This episode discusses allegations and an ongoing legal dispute. We’re sharing the guest’s perspective and our commentary. Any claims mentioned are allegations only, not findings of fact. Nothing in this episode is legal advice, and we’ll avoid speculating on matters before the courts.

In our 100th episode of Startup Theatre, we went live in Queenstown for a milestone fireside chat with Rod Drury, founder of Xero.
Rod unpacks the behind-the-scenes reality of building a global SaaS company from Wellington: why they IPO’d early, what raising capital actually takes, and how to build teams that can scale without losing pace.
We also get into founder PR, working on the business vs in it, what “A-players” really are, and why culture (and proximity) still matters.

Then Rod goes beyond Xero and talks about New Zealand’s next chapter: digital identity, open banking, “sovereign” infrastructure, and the practical risks of global platforms extracting value from tourism and payments. If you care about startups, high performance, or the future of NZ tech, this one is essential listening.
Topics include:
Early-stage IPOs, capital strategy, and “raise when you don’t need it”

Building founder-led urgency and accelerating decision-making

Hiring A-players and the real cost of compromise

Founder comms, media strategy, and long-term relationship building

NZ innovation: digital identity, tourism platforms, and procurement

AI’s impact on jobs and the “no new hires” mindset

Startup Theatre is produced by Empire Films, and this episode was proudly supported by PwC.