DevReady Podcast

DevReady Podcast E40 - Preventing Worksite Accidents with Machine Learning with Nathan Kirchner

On this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony talk to Nathan Kirchner, founder and CTO of Presien, an AI company providing solutions for heavy machines.
Nathan describes the process of working with heavy machinery and seeing otherwise preventable accidents. After spending some time designing his ideas, he presented the solution to VCs who saw its value. Nathan’s vision allows for engineers to build artificial intelligence platforms that give heavy machinery a sense of situational awareness. This awareness can help reduce accidents by sensing blind spots and workers in the way of heavy equipment. Nathan’s company Presien currently develops this platform.
In the episode, Nathan also explains how his concept came to life, how he built his dream team, and how he applied certain takeaways from his time in Silicon Valley. Nathan’s favorite catchphrase he picked up from Silicon Valley: “There are a thousand engineers who are 100% right, but unfortunately, there are 7 billion other people who don’t care.”
Topics Covered:
● Situational awareness in machines.
● Preventing machine-related accidents.
● The hardware and software used in machine situational awareness.
● Founding a tech business without a tech background.
● Picking up the resilience of Silicon Valley.
● You need to get your organization to see the value of your idea.
● Lessons learned in Silicon Valley.
● Structuring your business in the beginning.
● VCs want you to be coachable.
● Develop an MVP with real value and the rest is momentum.
● Talk to customers like they’re real people.
● You can improve the product by learning about the customer.
● Solve a problem, don’t build a product.
Key Quotes:
❏ “It’s all about the machine-person interaction.” (2:40)
❏ “Some 65% of those accidents are related to working with machines.” (4:35)
❏ “If I provide the information, I’ve already got the best control of the machine.” (7:49)
❏ “In the consumer space...you expect it to work, and you don’t care how it does it.” (12:20)
❏ “They have a fear that they [the company] will take it or ignore it.” (17:50)
❏ “It’s better to have a small slice of the pie than no pie at all.” (18:45)
❏ “You’re there to build efficiency, not create a product.” (21:10)
❏ “We had a product, we had traction, and we had some ability to generate revenue out of it.” (24:15)
❏ “If you can demonstrate that you’ve solved a real need, that’s enough to buy you the time for the rest of the things to happen.” (26:40)
❏ “Don’t try so hard...and listen!” (34:40)
Contact Nathan:
● LinkedIn
● www.presien.com

DevReady Podcast E39 - Contracting & Startups with Rafael Kaluri

On this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony talk to Rafael Kaluri, founder of NextContract, a digital platform that connects businesses to their next technology contractors. Raf has had a variety of roles in tech contracting in different industries, from business analyst to product development and helping to institute organizational change. Tech contractors are often hired to know, understand, and find problems that you can actually solve.
The positives in contracting include exposure and being able to connect with a multitude of stakeholders across an organization or an industry. There is a network-building benefit to contracting. And the networks grow deeper with more work. Be in the know, stay motivated, and look and create for more opportunities.
The mission of NextContract is to ensure that contractors are employed and are able to go between contracts with minimal downtime.
The three tips from Raf:
1. If you have an idea, validate it.
2. Understand the partners you’re going to select to work with.
3. You are an investor building in your platform, so you need to understand how you’re going to get it to market.
Topics Covered:
● Tech contractors.
● Culture and accepting organizational change.
● The benefits of networking.
● Rewards and challenges of contracting.
● You need to have unparalleled growth on your profitability.
● The importance of branding for your own success.
● You might move between organizations fairly quickly as a contractor.
● Spending time with users and a high degree of planning.
● Brainstorming!
● Struggles in determining the cost of your product.
● Preparing to engage with potential clients and organizations.
● Designing based on use cases.
● Project managing in the software space.
Key Quotes:
❏ “When we try to challenge what has been socially accepted, it doesn’t sit well with those that have been in the business for a long time.” (5:45)
❏ “Being small is an opportunity when you’re innovating.” (8:35)
❏ “You’re delivering an outcome and you’re selling yourself on the next outcome.” (15:00)
❏ “You are your own brand, and you need to build that with intention and purpose.” (15:45)
❏ “It is, predominantly, being in the know and keeping those doors open.” (19:30)
❏ “You’re not applying for a job; you’re applying for an opportunity to deliver an outcome.” (25:10)
❏ “The saying goes something like: we spend three years in planning and one year in building.” (30:10)
❏ “You might get one shot to showcase your platform to the users.” (32:45)
❏ “People are generally open and honest [when critiquing design].” (45:00)
❏ “You already know the solution if there is a problem.” (46:20)
❏ “It’s not just the idea, it’s how you’re going to monetize it.” (56:00)
Contact Rafael:
● LinkedIn
● https://www.nextcontract.com.au
● Email Raf at: raf.kaluri@gmail.com

DevReady Podcast E38 - Using Navy Principles in a Startup with Kurt Alexander

On this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony talk to Kurt Alexander, founder of Quick Safety, a company dedicated to making electrical regulatory compliance easy.
Born and raised in Wyoming, Kurt describes a childhood that fostered his analytical nature. A Navy veteran, he worked on nuclear submarines while he was in the service. Working in sonar, he learned a lot about electrical engineering before launching careers in consulting, furniture, retail, and eventually the tech space.
Over the course of the episode, Kurt tells the story of Quick Safety and how it has revolutionized the electrical industry in Australia. Beyond just explaining the mechanics and the need for Quick Safety’s digital electrical tests, Kurt offers advice to startups on how to stay focused, why you have to hunt for opportunity, and why you need to empower your business first.
A main takeaway is that you need to know your customers. They have to understand the value of your product. Quick Safety is an electrical regulation compliance company that streamlines the testing process so electricians can determine the safety of systems more quickly, efficiently, and reliably. This all helps the homeowner and asset owner to avoid potentially life-threatening electrical situations.
Topics Covered:
● Kurt’s time in the military during the Cold War.
● The issues that the electrical industry faces.
● The 8 tests that electrical regulators have to conduct on new dwellings.
● You have to actually seek out opportunity; it doesn’t just come to you.
● Founders have an opportunity to connect and make things happen online.
● The difference between incubators and accelerators.
● Quick Safety validates the test information.
● Quick Safety’s tech makes electrical tests easier and protects electricians and homeowners.
● You have to attribute the cost of your product back to the asset.
● People get a little too focused and fixed on the product.
● Data dumping to get the support of tech companies.
● Ensuring all your processes are correct to drive revenue and empower your business.
● People are happy to share, but you can lead the conversation, too.
● The effectiveness of “small teams” and load sharing.
Key Quotes:
❏ “89 days was the longest that we stayed submerged.” (6:32)
❏ “I made the mistake of spending too much time in the business instead of on the business.” (15:00)
❏ “My time on the forklift gave me a chance to think—what do I really want to do?” (19:01)
❏ “The retail industry is more consumer-focused.” (24:15)
❏ “You have to put yourself out there and you have to network.” (36:10)
❏ “Most of the electricians prior to Quick Safety were doing all the math in their heads.” (46:50)
❏ “The real target customer is the asset owner.” (51:05)
❏ “If you’re going to be pushing your product, you have to make it as easy as possible for a customer to come on and off of that system.” (56:25)
❏ “Your vision and product should be developing all the time.” (1:00:10)
❏ “You only have to develop the nucleus of your company once.” (1:10:31)
❏ “You want to get from conception to revenue as quick as you can.” (1:11:05)
❏ “The real drivers in the team are those that will take responsibility.” (1:21:45)
Social Media Clips:
1. Kurt’s career experience leading up to Quick Safety. (14:00 - 16:00)
2. What the state electrical regulators actually do. (27:20 - 28:51)
3. Incubators and accelerators. (38:40 - 40:31)
4. Founders and their relationships with tech companies. (1:03:50 - 1:06:45)
Contact Kurt:
● Find Kurt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtalexander/?originalSubdomain=au
● www.quicksafety.com.au

DevReady Podcast E37 - Growing Your Business with CX with Brendan Tremble

On this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony talk to Brendan Tremble, founder and director of CX consulting at FT Executive. Brendan explains the concept of CX and how it relates to growing your business and customer base. Brendan also shares some of the things startups should expect when structuring their culture, processes, and products around the values that are informed by best customer experience. Brendan leads one of the top consulting firms in Australia.
Topics Covered:
● CX (Customer Experience) Consulting.
● Working with startups.
● The core competencies of customer experience.
● Culture as a driver of customer satisfaction.
● How do you measure customer focus?
● Avoiding transactional relationships in your customer base.
● Attracting and keeping customers with CX-based values.
● Understanding the different life cycles of the customer.
● Collecting data to improve customer processes.
● You need to know WHO your customer is.
Key Quotes:
❏ “Customer needs change every day.” (3:25)
❏ “You need your team around you to be about it.” (6:45)
❏ “It’s a lot cheaper to keep a customer than to go out and get a new one.” (12:00)
❏ “You need to actually have customer-centric values.” (14:45)
❏ “Product development people understand the life cycle of the product.” (20:55)
❏ “It’s not just collecting metrics — it’s how you’re using them.” (22:30)
❏ “Process improvement people make the best CX people.” (25:05)
❏ “Customer experience is really process improvement for customers.” (32:40)
❏ “Trying to do everything doesn’t really serve anyone.” (39:10)
❏ “You have to know which questions to ask.” (43:58)
Contact Brendan:
Check out Brendan’s company: www.ftexecutive.com.au
Find Brendan on LinkedIn.
The Books Brendan Mentions:
● Design Thinking
● Sprint by Jake Knapp
● Outside In by Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine
● Chief Customer Officer 2.0 by Jeanne Bliss

DevReady Podcast E36 - Making Crowdfunding Work for Your Business with Matt Vitale

Summary:
Our guest on this episode of the DevReady podcast is Matt Vitale, Co-founder of Birchal equity crowdfunding. Matt and the other co-founders combined their knowledge from their different industries to create Birchal with the goal of making the site mainly focused on the companies and facilitating a seamless process for the transaction from beginning to end.
Birchal was an integral part of the lifting of the Australian government’s restrictions on equity crowdfunding several years ago, and they continue to impact related legislation as the company and the industry continue to grow in popularity and scope. The Birchal team has a very specific process for reviewing companies who are interested in posting campaigns on the site which includes both objective and subjective filters to ensure that the idea is viable before it is presented to potential investors. Through the expression of interest process, companies are able to gauge interest and receive pledges before ultimately launching their campaigns.
Birchal is Australia’s leading crowdfunding platform, accounting for more than half of the monies invested through crowdfunding last year. For more information about hosting a campaign on Birchal or if you have further questions for Matt, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Topics Covered:
● How Birchal was formed
● Equity crowdfunding
● How government regulation has impacted and continues to impact the industry
● The process that companies go through in order to post campaigns on Birchal
● Which businesses should pursue crowdfunding
● Getting feedback from interested investors
● Guiding companies to appropriate valuations
● Crowdfunding as a vehicle for fundraising
● Which campaigns are successful during COVID
● How to handle investors who are ready to cash out their investments
● The healthy tension between the company and their investors
Key Quotes
❏ “It took about 5 years for the government to realize it wanted to do this and then pass the legislation to do it.” (2:55)
❏ “Looking back, it was a very effective execution of building technology for what is often a fairly complicated process.” (4:39)
❏ “It’s all about finding the relevant audience for each company and treating each campaign as a discrete project.” (9:47)
❏ “It’s all about momentum.” (15:16)
❏ “When we started the platform, we decided to quite deliberately describe the businesses that we want to work with as those that have a strong consumer proposition.” (18:58)
❏ “It’s about finding an audience that will derive benefit from your success.” (20:58)
❏ “Things are worth what people are willing to pay for them.” (22:38)
❏ “You want to give them enough information so they’re interested in you and then have this opportunity for engagement.” (26:29)
❏ “Every campaign that we host has at least a handful of investors that are investing over $10,000.” (31:27)
❏ “Crowdfunding is still open for business.” (37:24)
❏ “The trouble that we have is with the law.” (44:54)
Contact Matt:
https://www.birchal.com/
matt@birchal.com

DevReady Podcast E35 - Understanding the Market for Your Startup Idea with Ahron Young

On this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony speak with Ahron Young, the founder and CEO of Ticker TV, a Melbourne-based news streaming service.
Just out of high school, Ahron got a job at a local newspaper. There he got his toes wet in journalism. This continued with a job at a local TV station, and the Russian news service, RT then Sky News.
Ahron chose the name Ticker because it scrolls at the bottom of the screen, but it’s also our heart. He describes his time building Ticker as an alternative to morning cable news, targeted directly at millennials. Ahron gives advice for breaking into the field, building value and discovering the market for your idea. He runs a successful TV service with just over 30 people on his team. He intends to grow Ticker into a global company.
He also advises us to look out for our mental health, especially in the tech world. “Don’t expect yourself to be a winner,” he says, “but it’s just as important to learn to forget as it is to learn.”
Topics Covered:
● Ahron’s background in commercial TV.
● The importance of marketing.
● Working at RT and how it was the best and the worst experience.
● Be wary of who you bring in for equity because it’s difficult to get rid of people.
● We really don’t have long attention spans anymore — too many are fighting for it.
● Where Ahron got the idea for Ticker TV.
● Ticker TV is a news service that looks to answer “what do people want from the news?”
● Working in a corporate environment, and how it hurts your individuality.
● As long as you deliver what people want, the rest doesn’t matter.
● You need to understand who you are, and establish your identity.
● The average age of a startup founder in Australia is 54.
● What you forget is just as important as what you learn.
● Structuring the business in its early stages.
● Working in a culture where people take ownership of their work.
● Get bigger, and faster, and better — or someone else will.
● COVID has been difficult, but Ticker’s business has not struggled.
● Identify your brand and really pump it out.
Key Quotes:
❏ “Journalism is a lifestyle choice, and it basically owns you.” (03:30)
❏ “The floor manager at RT pulled out a gun.” (07:55)
❏ “We are members of the business communities to which we are a part of.” (10:05)
❏ “It’s never been an open opportunity: it’s always been something you’ve had to fight for and strive for.” (12:25)
❏ “You can’t fight a fleeing customer base in court.” (16:50)
❏ “It’s all about looking for gaps in the marketplace.” (21:30)
❏ “Every time talent meets the corporate world, something gives: and it’s usually the talent.” (25:35)
❏ “When you love what you do, it’s hard to realize when you need to ask for help.” (28:45)
❏ “In the end, TV is your graphics package, your audio, your presenters, and your studios: nothing else matters.” (37:55)
❏ “It’s up to you to know the time to forget and the time to remember.” (47:10)
❏ “It doesn’t matter how you structure it, you’re not starting a business on your own. You need a team around you. (54:30)
❏ “Don’t ever create a barrier to entry for yourself.” (1:02:05)
❏ “We want to start Ticker in 10 other countries.” (1:14:00)

DevReady Podcast E34 - Writing with Your Audience and Your Purpose in Mind with Adam Turner

On this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony speak with Adam Turner, freelance technology journalist who writes for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Starting out working for The Age, he developed a passion for tech and decided to go freelance – writing consumer tech for magazines like PC Authority and MacWorld, along with biztech for publications like the AFR and CRN. He also has his own tech news podcast called Vertical Hold.
Adam dives deep into the world of freelance writing and explains some of the nuances in building credibility. He spends a bulk of the episode breaking down helpful tips as well as scathingly criticizing the cumbersome tech writing of today. His main points here are that writing needs to be concise and engaging. There are tricks, but ultimately it’s a skill.
Topics Covered:
● How to start selling your name and your business in press releases.
● The importance of the brief on a press release.
● Understanding what you want for the outcome.
● It’s all about the hook, for journalism and everything else.
● General advice for making your writing better.
● Why reading a lot makes you a better, more engaging writer.
● You need to understand the style you want to capture.
● It’s all about writing concisely and engagingly.
● The move now is away from academic language to tight, engaging writing.
● You must have something to say — it’s the most important thing.
Key Quotes:
❏ “If you’re writing a thought leadership post, you’re helping them know stuff.” - (12:20)
❏ “If they see your press release and it reads like an ad: swipe.” - (14:10)
❏ “It’s not easy to write about yourself and not about yourself at the same time.” - (15:46)
❏ “When you’re talking to a journalist, you’re talking to them in 5 second increments, if you’re lucky.” (18:20)
❏ “Sometimes you have to throw out the line you worked really hard for.” (21:16)
❏ “Don’t get too bogged down in it.” (24:10)
❏ “Have a look at what your competitors are doing as well.” (28:25)
❏ “Every word and every paragraph needs to be doing a job -- if it’s not, get rid of it.” (34:10)
❏ “I always find more mistakes on a printed page than I do on a screen.” (39:00)
❏ “If I get stuck, I go back to the beginning.” (40:25)

DevReady Podcast E33 - Knowing the Product, the Problem, and the Portability with Mark Milanese

On this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony speak with Mark Milanese, founder at OneLenz, a tech platform that connects startups to VCs and investors.
Over the course of the episode, the guys speak with Mark about how companies should approach investors, what things young startups should consider, and how to avoid common pitfalls when seeking funding.
The main takeaways here are that it’s very hard to build a successful product on a weak platform. Spend the time (and money) hammering out all the details first and you’ll be much more likely to find success when it comes time to seek investment rounds.
If you know the value that your product brings to the market and to your customers, it’ll be much easier to grow. Learn the tech, know the problem that your product solves for your base, and figure out how to fail. Investors will be impressed with your tenacity.
Topics Covered:
Startups need to chase clients, not funding.
Where to start if a founder comes to OneLenz for investment.
People need guidance in getting the requirements right.
Your first version doesn’t need to be perfect, but it needs to be good enough to get feedback on.
Founders should definitely bring in a tech consultor to save money in the long run.
Global founders are ambitious and relentless.
You need to know what your value is to your customer.
The best thing to do is to fail fast.
Don’t try to be everything to everyone.
If someone hands you a big check, they’re going to run right through you.
Building a product is a full-time job.
People are understanding the value of meeting digitally through Zoom now.
Key Quotes:
“Where you start depends on your tech.” (10:50)
“You need to know how to link what you want to what you can deliver.” (13:30)
“What’s your business, what’s your business model…how big do you want to go?” (18:40)
“You’re still on the phone 24/7.” (20:15)
“You gotta learn how to fail fast…and move on.” (23:20)
“You’ll want to be on the VC’s radar at least six months out.” (27:15)
“I’d rather chase sales than chase investor’s money.” (31:00)
“Keep your job as long as you can.” (44:00)
“It’s all about the kind of business you want.” (48:00)

DevReady Podcast E32 - Transforming Business for the Future with Saleem Qureshi

On this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony speak with Saleem Qureshi, investor and CEO of Assessment Fund, based in London. They talk about the need for digital transformation in the wake of COVID, the very apparent digital divide, and the tools (and rationale) for successful digital transformation.
COVID has pushed virtually all companies to consider a work-from-home model, and this is necessarily changing the way we do business. Saleem suggests that companies that want to survive need to lean into those changes and really understand how they can transform digitally. Ultimately, the companies that fail to do this will be left behind.
Saleem also talks about how education is tied intimately to the problems businesses are facing in digital transformation, but there may be tools around the corner. The world is digitizing — and that doesn’t just mean going online — and it’s up to the young companies to have the hard conversations they need to transform.
A new economy is being created, even though we don’t know what it will look like. To best prepare and future-proof ourselves, businesses need to have conversations about who they are, and who they will be going forward. The digital divide will eventually shrink, but only when companies successfully transform into the digital age.
Topics Covered:
● The problems in trying to digitize the world.
● Bringing education up to digital speed.
● The importance of digital transformation in staying alive.
● Focus on the value you deliver to your customers.
● Preparing pre-IPO companies prepare for their IPOs.
● Educating the boardroom on the financial impact of tech.
● Work-from-home models changing the world.
● Unemployment in the future.
● The new economy that is being created.
● Problems in the developing world.
● Some of the issues that work-from-home is bringing to the table.
● Demand to move to the bigger cities.
● The main concerns for digital transformation.
● Volkswagen is transforming itself into a software company.
● Digital transformation is transforming the business model.
Key Quotes:
❏ “We wanted to understand ‘what is intelligence?’” (01:35)
❏ “The people are still analog.” (2:40)
❏ “Turn your data into dollars.” (10:00)
❏ “Digital transformation actually increases your value.” (12:25)
❏ “The boardroom is not tech savvy.” (15:20)
❏ “It’s the vendor’s responsibility to sell the board on the tech.” (18:00)
❏ “We need to talk to people in the same language that they use.” (21:00)
❏ “The stock prices of companies are going up.” (25:25)
❏ “Work-from-home is going to test people’s ability to upskill themselves.” (26:30)
❏ “You can either stay relevant or you can not be counted.” (28:08)
❏ “You don’t really need a four-year degree anymore because the education sector is so far behind.” (28:50)
❏ “It’s easy for small companies to transform; it’s difficult for large companies to transform.” (39:45)
❏ “The real value is in giving the customer the life they want, and the car is just a tool to get there.” (41:10)
❏ “Everybody must be transforming the way they do business.” (44:00)

DevReady Podcast E31 - Product Design, From Prototype to Profit with Hamed Ghajarnia

On this episode of DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony speak with Hamed Ghajarnia, Managing Director and polymer engineer at DreamLaunch, a company that helps people bring hardware visions to life.
During the conversation, Hamed speaks to the processes surrounding idea generation and execution for hardware needs. He also breaks down what it’s like for a new company to wrestle with their software and hardware development needs. They discuss the value of investing in research early on in the design process, and the difficulty in trying to bring a new idea to market rather than capitalizing on the existing competition. Hamed also breaks down the nature of prototypes and how businesses can best use them to develop great products.
The key takeaway from their conversation with Hamed is that, like many others they’ve had on the show, listening to the customer is paramount. There is no skill more valuable than being able to hear what a customer’s needs are and allowing that information to inform your processes at every step. That’s how you can guarantee success.