Episode Summary

Carbon credits are meant to help the world fight climate change, but the reality is messy: project developers are still managing everything in spreadsheets, emails, and PDFs, making credits slow, opaque, and hard to trust.

In this episode of Pick My Brain, Alan Jones sits down with Allen Fan, co-founder of CarbonHQ, a B2B SaaS startup building the operating system for carbon project developers. Together they unpack how CarbonHQ is cutting issuance time from months to weeks, why credibility and transparency matter as much as climate impact, and what it really takes to sell software in a market still run on paper.

Allen also shares how he met his co-founder through a layoff talent directory, why sales never came naturally to him, and how repeated “reps” are helping him get better. Alan Jones dives in with advice on pricing strategy, investor communications, and building trust through authentic storytelling, the real ingredients behind startup growth.

Whether you’re tackling climate tech, B2B SaaS, or just wrestling with sales as a founder, this episode is packed with practical takeaways.

Time Stamps

01:15 – What CarbonHQ really does (and why it’s not carbon accounting)

03:40 – The pitch: fixing carbon credit issuance with software

06:15 – Co-founder story: meeting through a layoff talent directory

08:20 – Breaking down CarbonHQ’s 3-year journey and first $100K ARR

09:40 – Learning sales as a founder who isn’t “a salesperson”

12:10 – Why trust is the foundation of every sale

14:20 – Early-stage websites, product storytelling, and pricing psychology

19:55 – How to think about pricing when you don’t know your market yet

20:30 – Raising capital vs. focusing on revenue growth

23:40 – Why regular investor updates and pitching on stage build credibility

Resources Mentioned

🎙 Ask Alan a Question - https://www.speakpipe.com/PickMyBrain

👨‍💻 Allen Fan – https://www.linkedin.com/in/allen-fan-618b9864/

🌏 CarbonHQ – http://carbonhq.earth/

Mentioned in this episode:

Vanta PMB May 2025_01

Standard Ledger

For most founders, cybersecurity feels like something to worry about “later.” But what if ignoring it now could kill your business before it even gets off the ground?

In this episode of Pick My Brain, Cole Cornford, founder of Galah Cyber, joins Alan Jones to unpack the real security risks early-stage startups face, and why they’re not always the ones you expect. Forget hoodie-wearing hackers: the bigger risks might be your Instagram account, your payments funnel, or the invoices sitting in your inbox.

Alan and Cole explore how to think about attack surfaces without jargon, when frameworks like ISO and SOC 2 actually matter, and why introducing just the right amount of friction can save you from catastrophic mistakes. They also talk branding, talent, and how Galah’s bright pink approachability helps win the right kind of customers.

If you’re building a B2B SaaS startup or scaling towards enterprise clients, this episode will help you avoid costly security missteps and focus on the protections that really matter.

01:40 – Cole’s childhood dream: video games, Team Fortress, and eSports sponsorship

05:22 – Why Galah Cyber’s mascot is a pink galah (and not a scary hawk or snake)

07:36 – The three buyer journeys in cybersecurity: proactive, reactive, and compliance-driven

09:29 – What “attack surface” actually means, minus the jargon

10:08 – Who counts as a “threat actor”? From clumsy insiders to international hackers

12:07 – The overlooked risks: protecting marketing funnels and payment channels

14:20 – Why adding friction to payments can stop scams

16:09 – The opportunity cost of over-investing in security too early

17:28 – What ISO and SOC 2 certifications mean (and when founders should care)

19:25 – When enterprise customers will demand compliance

19:42 – Where founders should go for security advice that actually makes sense

21:08 – MFA (multi-factor authentication): better than nothing, even if it’s just SMS

21:25 – Why approachable branding makes Galah stand out in a serious industry

🙋🏻‍♂️ Cole Cornford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colecornford/

🛡️ Galah Cyber: https://www.galahcyber.com.au/

🔒 Secured Podcast: https://www.galahcyber.com.au/podcasts/

🦙 Vanta automates up to 90% compliance, getting you audit-ready quickly and saving you up to 85% of associated costs. Join 10,000 global companies like Cipherstash, Handle and Indebted that use Vanta to build trust and prove security in real-time.

Get 10% off - http://dayone.fm/vanta/brain

💰 Standard Ledger is your all-in-one finance team for startups. From bookkeeping and payroll to R&D claims and fractional CFO support, they help founders stay on top of their numbers and make smarter decisions. Ready to scale?

Book your free chat at https://dayone.fm/standard

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.

Mentioned in this episode:

Vanta PMB May 2025_01

Standard Ledger

Tap, beep, done. Australia’s payment experience is one of the world’s most convenient, but also one of the most expensive. Small businesses lose thousands a month in card and scheme fees, while everyday Australians pay hundreds each year just to access their own money.

In this episode of Pick My Brain, Gaurav Rana, co-founder of GANI Pay, joins Alan Jones to pitch his mobile-first payment platform designed to bypass the legacy card system entirely. GANI Pay uses NPP, PayID, and PayTo to enable instant, secure QR payments, with flat monthly fees for merchants and cash-back rewards for consumers.

Alan and Gaurav dig into the economics of “tap and go,” how to convince both merchants and customers to switch, and why regulatory trust is just as important as slick tech in fintech. They also explore GANI Pay’s go-to-market focus on high-volume, low-ticket retailers, and what it takes to turn a payment product into a movement.

If you’re building in fintech, payments, or tackling an entrenched incumbent, this is a masterclass in pitching, positioning, and finding your wedge.

01:40 – What is GaniPay? Mobile-first QR payments without the card fees

03:00 – Gaurav’s early ambitions: from science to entrepreneurship

04:15 – The problem: why tap payments quietly cost Australians billions

06:10 – How GaniPay works: bypassing Visa/Mastercard with NPP & PayTo

08:20 – Merchants’ biggest question: will customers adopt it?

09:50 – Building trust: compliance, security, and banking partnerships

12:15 – Go-to-market: targeting high-volume, sub-$100 transactions

14:30 – Competing with Afterpay & co: different problem, different value

15:55 – Alan on finding the most promising merchant verticals

17:40 – Fundraising plans: seeking $600k to scale tech & marketing

18:35 – How to become an “investable” fintech in 60 days

20:45 – Movement vs product: can GaniPay spark a payments revolution?

🙋🏻‍♂️ Gaurav Rana – https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauravrana841/

💰 GaniPay – https://ganipay.com.au/

🦙 Vanta automates up to 90% compliance, getting you audit-ready quickly and saving you up to 85% of associated costs. Join 10,000 global companies like Cipherstash, Handle and Indebted that use Vanta to build trust and prove security in real-time.

Get 10% off - http://dayone.fm/vanta/brain

💰 Standard Ledger is your all-in-one finance team for startups. From bookkeeping and payroll to R&D claims and fractional CFO support, they help founders stay on top of their numbers and make smarter decisions. Ready to scale?

Book your free chat at https://dayone.fm/standard

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.

Mentioned in this episode:

Standard Ledger

Vanta PMB May 2025_01