Épisodes

  • Ep220 – Adam Ewart (Co-founder & CEO – Send My Bag) on bootstrapping Send My Bag from a uni side project to global service

    Ep220 – Adam Ewart (Co-founder & CEO – Send My Bag) on bootstrapping Send My Bag from a uni side project to global service
    Sep 25 2025
    The Startup Playbook PodcastInsights and lessons from the world's best entrepreneurs and investors Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram Ep220 – Adam Ewart (Co-founder & CEO – Send My Bag) on bootstrapping Send My Bag from a uni side project to global service September 25, 2025 rohitbhargava Podcast My guest for Ep220 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Adam Ewart, the Co-founder & CEO of Send My Bag. Send My Bag is the international luggage shipping and relocation platform used by travellers and businesses around the world. Adam’s story is a fascinating one. From building a global company out of a small town in Northern Ireland, to turning PR into a powerful growth engine, to deliberately bootstrapping even when VCs came knocking, his journey is full of practical lessons and hard-earned insights. In this episode we dive into: How he turned PR into one of his biggest growth driversWhy he chose to bootstrap despite inbound investor interestThe challenges and opportunities of building a large global business out of Belfast Timestamps: 00:02:15 Adam’s early entrepreneurial roots and family business influences00:07:00 Why Adam never wanted a traditional job00:08:10 Using part-time wages and student loan to fund ventures00:10:45 First experiments: Middleman Mobiles and FillAJob.com00:13:30 The idea for Send My Bag00:18:20 First customers: student shipping during summer holidays00:27:00 From domestic student shipping to international expansion00:29:00 Spotting the airline baggage fee opportunity and PR growth00:34:00 Leveraging free publicity: Dragons’ Den appearance00:40:15 Expanding into the U.S. market and securing media coverage00:45:30 Building Send My Bag into a relocation and global logistics service00:52:00 Lessons learned on scaling, growth and resilience Our partners: A big shout out to our long-term partners for the show: Scendar Scendar is the OG startup accounting firm in Australia catering to all stages of your business’ life. If you’re busy running your startup, you don’t have time to do your own books and forecast. Instead, fully outsource your finance function, giving you time and resources back to focus on what you do best in growing your business. Find out more at Scendar.com Vanta Vanta helps businesses get — and stay — compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in-demand compliance frameworks. And with over 300 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on.Join over six thousand fast-growing companies that use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time.The Startup Playbook Podcast listeners get access to an exclusive offer of USD$1000 off their plans. Head over to vanta.com/podcast to get access to this exclusive discount. Links mentioned: The Komo Club: The world’s first human accelerator Adam’s links: Send My BagAdam on Twitter/X People mentioned: Grant Carmichael Companies mentioned: FillAJob.com (no longer active)Dragons’ Den (BBC)American Airlines Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Paycheck Other channels: Find all of the links for the podcast on Linktree here https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/startupplaybook/Ep220_-_Adam_Ewart.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed" onclick="javascript: this.select();" onfocus="javascript: this.select();" style="width: 70%;" readOnly>Subscribe: RSS adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Copyright © 2015 - Live Composer The post Ep220 – Adam Ewart (Co-founder & CEO – Send My Bag) on bootstrapping Send My Bag from a uni side project to global service appeared first on Startup Playbook.
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    1 h et 7 min
  • Ep219 – Stirling Mortlock (Co-founder – XV Capital) on the journey from Wallabies Captain to Sports-Tech Investor

    Ep219 – Stirling Mortlock (Co-founder – XV Capital) on the journey from Wallabies Captain to Sports-Tech Investor
    Aug 28 2025
    The Startup Playbook PodcastInsights and lessons from the world's best entrepreneurs and investors Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram Ep219 – Stirling Mortlock (Co-founder – XV Capital) on the journey from Wallabies Captain to Sports-Tech Investor August 28, 2025 rohitbhargava Podcast My guest for Ep219 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Stirling Mortlock. Stirling is one of Australia’s greatest ever Rugby players. He’s a former Wallabies Captain, World Cup player, and one of the few players to score over 1,000 points in Super Rugby. But his story goes well beyond the field. After retiring, he’s built a career as a founder and investor. Today, he’s the Co-founder of XV Capital, where he’s backing the next generation of sports-tech and performance-led startups. In this episode we dive into: Lessons from professional rugby and how he’s applied them to his career post sportThe rhythms & role clarity behind high-performance teamsA resilience playbook: “feed the good wolf” through injuries & setbacksWhere sports-tech is headingAnd much more! I’m also excited to announce that Stirling will be joining The Komo Club as a speaker for Cohort 2. The program is the world’s first human accelerator, designed to help high performing founders and executives implement the right system and frameworks to help them succeed in business and all areas of their life. You can find out more at thekomoclub.com Timestamps: 00:02:15 Career arc: Brumbies mainstay, two World Cups, captaincy at Brumbies/Wallabies/Rebels, transition to life after rugby.00:07:08 Obsession with sport, MJ as childhood idol, and setting audacious goals back in Year 11.00:09:31 Overlooked early, late physical growth, and training like a pro at uni: why hard work fast-tracked selection.00:12:07 “Outliers” & relative age: flipping a potential disadvantage into a slingshot advantage.00:15:00 Seizing rep opportunities: NSW Country vs City, shadow call-up00:18:44 Keeping belief amid uncertainty: mentors and the power of goal-setting.00:27:26 Inside high-performance teams: weekly rhythm, role clarity, and leveraging strengths under pressure.00:30:24 Captaincy lessons: delegate to strengths and always do your job lead by example.00:32:28 Turning ADHD into a superpower; creating environments where people operate at their “optimal frequency.”00:48:37 Future of Sports-Tech00:59:38 15 operations & the “feed the good wolf” framework for setbacks; silver linings during rehab. Our partners: A big shout out to our long-term partners for the show: Scendar Scendar is the OG startup accounting firm in Australia catering to all stages of your business’ life. If you’re busy running your startup, you don’t have time to do your own books and forecast. Instead, fully outsource your finance function, giving you time and resources back to focus on what you do best in growing your business. Find out more at Scendar.com Vanta Vanta helps businesses get — and stay — compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in-demand compliance frameworks. And with over 300 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on.Join over six thousand fast-growing companies that use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time.The Startup Playbook Podcast listeners get access to an exclusive offer of USD$1000 off their plans. Head over to vanta.com/podcast to get access to this exclusive discount. Links mentioned: The Komo Club: The world’s first human accelerator Stirling’s links: Stirling on LinkedInXV Capital People mentioned: James GodfreyGordon OgilvyMark DavisPhil WaughJeremy MortlockChris MaloneAndrew WalkerTim HoranJason LittleGeorge GreganStephen LarkhamJoe RoffChuck CarterMel Brown Companies & Organisations mentioned: Prevent BiometricsACT Brumbies Melbourne RebelsWallabies (Rugby Australia)Gordon Rugby ClubRugby AustraliaAustralian Institute of Sport (AIS)British & Irish Lions Resources mentioned: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Paycheck Other channels: Find all of the links for the podcast on Linktree here https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/startupplaybook/Ep219_-_Stirling_Mortlock.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed" onclick="javascript: this.select();" onfocus="javascript: this.select();" style="width: 70%;" readOnly>Subscribe: RSS adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut ...
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    1 h et 7 min
  • Ep218 – Nipun Mehra (Co-founder & CEO – Ula) On Ula’s hypergrowth, Bezos backing & the hard call to shut down

    Ep218 – Nipun Mehra (Co-founder & CEO – Ula) On Ula’s hypergrowth, Bezos backing & the hard call to shut down
    Aug 7 2025
    The Startup Playbook PodcastInsights and lessons from the world's best entrepreneurs and investors Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram Ep218 – Nipun Mehra (Co-founder & CEO – Ula) On Ula’s hypergrowth, Bezos backing & the hard call to shut down August 7, 2025 rohitbhargava Podcast My guest for Ep218 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Nipun Mehra. Nipun has had an incredible track record in his career. At Amazon he launched their first ever real time inventory management system, was an early team member at Flipkart helping build and scale one of India’s most successful and iconic startups before joining Sequoia India as an investor. In 2020, he Co-founded Ula, a B2B e-commerce platform that set out to modernise retail supply chains for millions of small businesses starting in Indonesia. Ula quickly become one of South East Asia’s fastest growing startups. They went from $0 to $300M in revenue within 2 years. Ola also raised over $140M from leading investors including Sequoia, Lightspeed, Tencent and even raised capital from Jeff Bezos himself, his first investment into this part of the world. But in a candid and deeply honest conversation, Nipun shares – for the first time publicly – the full story of what happened behind the scenes from Ula when he decided to shut down the company and return the remaining capital to investors. From hypergrowth to hard calls, this episode dives into the reality of building a company at scale and the weight of leadership at challenging times. In this episode we cover: Nipun’s lessons from his time with Amazon, Flipkart and SequoiaThe hypergrowth journey behind UlaWhy he decided to shut down Ula and return the capital vs find another pathComing to terms with the ups and downs of the journey& much more I’m also excited to announce that Nipun will be joining The Komo Club as a speaker for Cohort 2. The program is the world’s first human accelerator, designed to help high performing founders and executives implement the right system and frameworks to help them succeed in business and all areas of their life. You can find out more at thekomoclub.com Timestamps: 00:03:08 Nipun’s background: Early entrepreneurial drive00:07:00 College startup attempts and discovering India’s nascent internet scene00:14:47 What Amazon & Flipkart taught him about audacious targets and culture00:20:38 How to set “aggressive but achievable” goals without crossing into folly00:29:23 Why Indonesia? The leap of faith that launched Ula in Southeast Asia00:38:37 Securing Jeff Bezos’ first SEA investment and the six-page memo that closed the deal00:41:31 Scaling to ~US $300 M GMV in two years during COVID00:43:20 The decision to shut down Ula and return the remaining capital to investors00:55:13 Lessons on investor alignment01:04:45 Nipun’s new venture, lessons from Ula he’s applying Our partners: Thank you to Karl Noronha, Ganesh Rengaswamy and Prithvi Rajaram for their help with research for this interview! A big shout out to our long-term partners for the show: Scendar Scendar is the OG startup accounting firm in Australia catering to all stages of your business’ life. If you’re busy running your startup, you don’t have time to do your own books and forecast. Instead, fully outsource your finance function, giving you time and resources back to focus on what you do best in growing your business. Find out more at Scendar.com Vanta Vanta helps businesses get — and stay — compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in-demand compliance frameworks. And with over 300 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on.Join over six thousand fast-growing companies that use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time.The Startup Playbook Podcast listeners get access to an exclusive offer of USD$1000 off their plans. Head over to vanta.com/podcast to get access to this exclusive discount. Links mentioned: The Komo Club: The world’s first human accelerator Nipun’s links: Nipun on LinkedIn People mentioned: Jeff BezosLarry PageMarissa MayerElon MuskKarl NoronhaGanesh RengaswamyPrithvi Rajaram Companies mentioned: UlaAmazonFlipkartPhonePeSequoia Capital India / Peak XV PartnersLightspeed Venture PartnersBoston Consulting GroupTiger GlobalTencentProsusBezos ExpeditionsUdaanShopeeMercado LibreCoupangGoogleMetaReliance JioReliance IndustriesGojekTokopediaPlaybook Ventures Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Paycheck Other channels: Find all of the links for the podcast on Linktree here https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/startupplaybook/Ep218_-_Nipun_Mehra.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed" onclick="javascript: this.select();" onfocus="javascript: this.select();" style="width: 70%;" readOnly>...
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    1 h et 8 min
  • Ep217 – Dr Steven Lu (Co-founder & CMO – Everlab) on building the future of preventative health

    Ep217 – Dr Steven Lu (Co-founder & CMO – Everlab) on building the future of preventative health
    Jul 24 2025
    The Startup Playbook PodcastInsights and lessons from the world's best entrepreneurs and investors Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram Ep217 – Dr Steven Lu (Co-founder & CMO – Everlab) on building the future of preventative health July 24, 2025 rohitbhargava Podcast My guest for Ep217 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Dr. Steven Lu. Dr. Steven Lu is the Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Everlab, Australia’s leading preventative health and longevity startups. With over 15 years of clinical experience, Steven specialised in the prevention and management of complex medical conditions including heart attacks and strokes. After years of treating late-stage illness, he shifted focus to building a proactive model of healthcare, one that empowers people to catch risks early and take control of their long-term health. That idea became Everlab. Since launching, Everlab has scaled rapidly across Australia, combining full-body diagnostics, personalised blood testing, and AI-driven insights to make preventative healthcare more accessible and actionable. The company recently closed a $15M AUD Seed round led by New York based Left Lane Capital. I was proud to continue backing Steven and the Everlab team through Playbook Ventures in this latest round. In addition to our investment, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Steven through The Komo Club, where he’s a featured speaker in both Cohort 1 and 2. The Komo Club has also partnered with Everlab who support our members directly with DEXA scans, blood testing, and 1:1 medical consultations as part of their cohort experience. In this episode, we discuss: Steven’s transition from private practice to founding EverlabThe shortcomings of traditional healthcare and Everlab’s approach to solving themThe key health pillars every founder should build into their routineHow Steven manages his own health and family life while scaling a startupLessons from building a high-performance team in a highly regulated industry& much more Timestamps: 00:02:13 Steven explains his transition from ICU and private practice to preventative medicine00:04:31 Migrant childhood between China and Australia builds empathy and listening skills00:14:00 Night‑shift epiphany in ICU: “we could save more lives by intervening earlier”00:29:45 Meeting Sam Kothari and transitioning from a boutique practice into a scalable startup 00:51:22 The three pillars: nutrition, movement, rest. Which is the highest‑ROI starting point00:58:54 Chronic sleep debt in startup life, how to measure sleep quality with objective, subjective and behavioural data01:09:48 Dangers of visceral fat and how to reduce it01:30:00 Seed round validation: 40,000+ biomarker data points show significant member gains01:34:25 Balancing a high‑growth mission with fatherhood: savoring scarce moments with kids  Our partners: Thank you to Sam Kothari, Chai Ng and Kelly Huang for their help with research for this interview! A big shout out to our long-term partners for the show: Scendar Scendar is the OG startup accounting firm in Australia catering to all stages of your business’ life. If you’re busy running your startup, you don’t have time to do your own books and forecast. Instead, fully outsource your finance function, giving you time and resources back to focus on what you do best in growing your business. Find out more at Scendar.com Vanta Vanta helps businesses get — and stay — compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in-demand compliance frameworks. And with over 300 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on.Join over six thousand fast-growing companies that use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time.The Startup Playbook Podcast listeners get access to an exclusive offer of USD$1000 off their plans. Head over to vanta.com/podcast to get access to this exclusive discount. Links mentioned: The Komo Club: The world’s first human accelerator Steven’s links: Steven on LinkedInEverlab People mentioned: Sam KothariChai NgBryan JohnsonAlexandra Zatarain Companies mentioned: Playbook VenturesEight SleepWhoopOuraFitbitRamsay Health Care Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Paycheck Other channels: Find all of the links for the podcast on Linktree here https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/startupplaybook/Ep217_-_Dr_Steven_Lu.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed" onclick="javascript: this.select();" onfocus="javascript: this.select();" style="width: 70%;" readOnly>Subscribe: RSS adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut ...
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    1 h et 40 min
  • Ep216 – Chris Withers (Founder & CEO – Klikit) on lessons from Uber & Gojek, beating cancer & solving hard problems

    Ep216 – Chris Withers (Founder & CEO – Klikit) on lessons from Uber & Gojek, beating cancer & solving hard problems
    Jul 17 2025
    The Startup Playbook PodcastInsights and lessons from the world's best entrepreneurs and investors Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram Ep216 – Chris Withers (Founder & CEO – Klikit) on lessons from Uber & Gojek, beating cancer & solving hard problems July 18, 2025 rohitbhargava Podcast, Uncategorized My guest for Ep216 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Chris Withers. This week marks 9 years of The Startup Playbook Podcast. What started as a side project in 2015 has now become a platform that’s shared the stories of 200+ founders, investors, and operators — and I’m so grateful to all of you who’ve tuned in, shared episodes, and supported the show along the way. To mark the milestone, I couldn’t have asked for a better guest than Chris Withers, the Founder & CEO of Klikit, a platform helping merchants grow revenue, cut costs, and streamline operations through a powerful all-in-one operating system. Before founding Klikit, Chris was part of the early Uber team in Australia & NZ, helped scale Uber Eats across Asia, and later became VP of Global Mobility at GoJek, giving him a front-row seat to some of the world’s most intense high-growth environments. Chris is also someone I’ve personally backed through Playbook Ventures. Beyond the complexity of building in Southeast Asia, what’s inspired me most is his resilience, including his fight through a cancer diagnosis just months after raising capital as a solo founder. In this episode, we dive into: The high performance cultures at Uber and Gojek and what Chris took away from eachWhy hard problems are worth solvingHis battle with cancer and what it taught him about leadership, health, and gritThe realities and misconceptions about the Southeast Asian marketAnd much more! Timestamps: 00:02:15 Chris’ background, accidental entry into Uber via a “mechanics yard” interview in Brisbane00:04:26 Jumping to Uber Eats APAC: contrarian career move that paid off00:07:10 Chris explains “second-order thinking” and calculated risk-taking00:11:56 Lessons from Uber 1.0’s boundary-pushing culture of ownership00:15:00 Inside Gojek: mission, patriotism and Nadiem Makarim’s “Pasti Ada Jalan” mantra00:20:21 Genesis of klikit: running six virtual brands in one kitchen to test a thesis00:24:58 Building the “pipes and rails” before the creator-commerce vision00:29:51 Shipping fast and moving with speed00:33:24 Going multi-region early; why Southeast Asia forces breadth and depth00:38:26 Facing cancer diagnosis while running a venture backed startup00:56:04 eFishery fraud fallout and Chris’s plea not to write off Asian tech Our partners: A big shout out to our long-term partners for the show: Scendar Scendar is the OG startup accounting firm in Australia catering to all stages of your business’ life. If you’re busy running your startup, you don’t have time to do your own books and forecast. Instead, fully outsource your finance function, giving you time and resources back to focus on what you do best in growing your business. Find out more at Scendar.com Vanta Vanta helps businesses get — and stay — compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in-demand compliance frameworks. And with over 300 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on.Join over six thousand fast-growing companies that use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time.The Startup Playbook Podcast listeners get access to an exclusive offer of USD$1000 off their plans. Head over to vanta.com/podcast to get access to this exclusive discount. Links mentioned: The Komo Club: The world’s first human accelerator Chris’ links: Chris on LinkedInKlikit People mentioned: Travis KalanickPaul SantosNadiem MakarimDaniel Kahneman – Thinking Fast & SlowJeff BezosRay KrocBen Dunphy Companies mentioned: UberUberEatsGojekGrabPlaybook VenturesTikTok ShopShopeeLazadaAmazonGoogleMrBeast BurgereFisheryWavemaker Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Paycheck Other channels: Find all of the links for the podcast on Linktree here https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/startupplaybook/Ep216_-_Chris_Withers.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed" onclick="javascript: this.select();" onfocus="javascript: this.select();" style="width: 70%;" readOnly>Subscribe: RSS adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco ...
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    59 min
  • Ep215 – Ben Dunphy (Co-founder & Partner – January Capital) on data-driven VC & leveraging both equity & credit for growth

    Ep215 – Ben Dunphy (Co-founder & Partner – January Capital) on data-driven VC & leveraging both equity & credit for growth
    Jul 10 2025
    The Startup Playbook PodcastInsights and lessons from the world's best entrepreneurs and investors Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram Ep215 – Ben Dunphy (Co-founder & Partner – January Capital) on data-driven VC & leveraging both equity & credit for growth July 10, 2025 rohitbhargava Uncategorized My guest for Ep215 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Ben Dunphy. Ben is the Co-Founder and Partner of January Capital, a VC fund that invests in early stage high growth startups in the Asia Pacific region. They also run an $85M growth credit fund, offering scale-stage companies access to non-dilutive capital. I first had Ben on the show back in October 2016 and nearly a decade later, we revisit the journey and dive into:  What’s changed and what hasn’t in early stage investingHow January Capital is bridging the gap between equity and debt-based financing in an innovative modelThe opportunities in Southeast AsiaAnd much more! Timestamps: 00:01:17 Ben’s background: Australia-born, now leading January Capital in Singapore00:03:16 What’s remained constant vs. what’s changed in nine years of APAC venture00:05:26 Proving billion-dollar outcomes outside Silicon Valley and the AI paradigm shift00:09:03 Founding January Capital: spotting gaps and launching with three partners00:12:41 Why (and when) startups should diversify into credit alongside equity00:19:21 Misconceptions about “one big Southeast Asia market” and the B2B focus00:24:07 January’s data-driven deal-sourcing engine and composite talent scoring00:27:53 Signals of exceptional founders00:31:00 Advice on timing investor outreach and the benefits of month-long rapport-building00:39:04 Case study: William Li’s whiteboard pitch for Akulaku and the power of clarity Our partners: Also a big shout out to our long-term partners for the show: Scendar Scendar is the OG startup accounting firm in Australia catering to all stages of your business’ life. If you’re busy running your startup, you don’t have time to do your own books and forecast. Instead, fully outsource your finance function, giving you time and resources back to focus on what you do best in growing your business. Find out more at Scendar.com Vanta Vanta helps businesses get — and stay — compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in-demand compliance frameworks. And with over 300 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on.Join over six thousand fast-growing companies that use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time.The Startup Playbook Podcast listeners get access to an exclusive offer of USD$1000 off their plans. Head over to vanta.com/podcast to get access to this exclusive discount. Links mentioned: The Komo Club: The world’s first human accelerator Ben’s links: Ben on LinkedInJanuary Capital People mentioned: Jonathan HodsonJason EdwardsWilliam Li Companies mentioned: AkulakuShopBackTikTokBlue Sky Venture Capital Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Paycheck Other channels: Find all of the links for the podcast on Linktree here https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/startupplaybook/Ep215_-_Ben_Dunphy.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed" onclick="javascript: this.select();" onfocus="javascript: this.select();" style="width: 70%;" readOnly>Subscribe: RSS adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Copyright © 2015 - Live Composer The post Ep215 – Ben Dunphy (Co-founder & Partner – January Capital) on data-driven VC & leveraging both equity & credit for growth appeared first on Startup Playbook.
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    45 min
  • Ep214 – Pan Koutlakis (Co-founder & CEO – EatClub) on rebuilding EatClub from $0 revenue to global expansion after COVID

    Ep214 – Pan Koutlakis (Co-founder & CEO – EatClub) on rebuilding EatClub from $0 revenue to global expansion after COVID
    Jul 3 2025
    The Startup Playbook PodcastInsights and lessons from the world's best entrepreneurs and investors Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram Ep214 – Pan Koutlakis (Co-founder & CEO – EatClub) on rebuilding EatClub from $0 revenue to global expansion after COVID July 3, 2025 rohitbhargava Podcast My guest for Ep214 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Pan Koutlakis. Pan is the Co-Founder and CEO of EatClub, a platform that uses dynamic pricing to help restaurants fill empty tables during off-peak hours, while passing on great deals to diners. EatClub saw remarkable growth early on, but like many in the industry, the business came to a standstill when COVID hit, with revenue dropping to zero overnight. Pan responded by drastically downsizing overheads, restructuring the company, and rebuilding momentum recently leading the business to secure an impressive $18.2 million Series A round. In this episode we covered a variety of topics including:  How he convinced industry heavyweight Marco Pierre White to come on boardNavigating the uncertainty of COVIDThe power of setting ambitious targetsFrameworks for making strategic long-term betsAnd much more! Timestamps: 00:01:10 Pan’s Adelaide upbringing, law-and-economics studies & first jobs in hospitality00:08:41 Joining Rocket Internet’s ‘Suppertime’ and witnessing growth-at-all-costs firsthand00:10:17 Founding EatClub00:13:08 Cold-emailing Marco Pierre White, why the celebrity chef came on board00:16:12 Structuring deals with celebrities00:22:22 Signing the very first restaurant (on the first cold-call) and refining the MVP00:27:58 EVP’s initial pass, eventual investment and the overnight COVID revenue crash00:56:15 Tough cuts, shutdown of U.S. ops, and doubling-down on R&D during lockdown00:39:32 Founder/Investor relationship00:47:58 How he thinks about product roadmap and what features to build00:55:07 Post-pandemic rebound, UK market entry & closing the $18.2 M Series A Our partners: A big thank you to Dan Szekely, Jonte Shaw and David Hodges for their help with this interview! Also a big shout out to our long-term partners for the show: Scendar Scendar is the OG startup accounting firm in Australia catering to all stages of your business’ life. If you’re busy running your startup, you don’t have time to do your own books and forecast. Instead, fully outsource your finance function, giving you time and resources back to focus on what you do best in growing your business. Find out more at Scendar.com Vanta Vanta helps businesses get — and stay — compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in-demand compliance frameworks. And with over 300 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on.Join over six thousand fast-growing companies that use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time.The Startup Playbook Podcast listeners get access to an exclusive offer of USD$1000 off their plans. Head over to vanta.com/podcast to get access to this exclusive discount. Links mentioned: The Komo Club: The world’s first human accelerator Pan’s links: Pan on LinkedInEatClub People mentioned: Marco Pierre WhiteDavid BergerBen TylerMatt CanteloDaniel SzekelyJamie OliverGordon RamsayDan SzekelyJonte ShawDavid Hodges Companies mentioned: EatClubEVPSuppertimeFoodoraDelivery HeroRocket InternetMenulogGrouponUber EatsMastercard Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Paycheck Other channels: Find all of the links for the podcast on Linktree here https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/startupplaybook/Ep214_-_Pan_Koutlakis.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed" onclick="javascript: this.select();" onfocus="javascript: this.select();" style="width: 70%;" readOnly>Subscribe: RSS adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Copyright © 2015 - Live Composer The post Ep214 – Pan Koutlakis (Co-founder & CEO – EatClub) on rebuilding EatClub from $0 revenue to global expansion after COVID appeared first on Startup ...
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    58 min
  • Ep213 – Rob Phillpot (Co-founder – Aconex) on scaling Aconex to a $1.6B exit and launching a $50M founders fund

    Ep213 – Rob Phillpot (Co-founder – Aconex) on scaling Aconex to a $1.6B exit and launching a $50M founders fund
    Jun 27 2025
    The Startup Playbook PodcastInsights and lessons from the world's best entrepreneurs and investors Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram Ep213 – Rob Phillpot (Co-founder – Aconex) on scaling Aconex to a $1.6B exit and launching a $50M founders fund June 27, 2025 rohitbhargava Uncategorized My guest for Ep213 of The Startup Playbook Podcast was Rob Phillpot. Rob and his co-founder Leigh Jasper have played a huge part in shaping Australia’s tech landscape, building Aconex into one of the country’s most iconic companies, taking it public in 2014 and ultimately selling it to Oracle in 2017 for $1.6 billion. Since then, Rob has dedicated his time to advising startups, supporting philanthropy, and investing through his family office, Gravel Road Ventures. Most recently, Rob, Leigh Jasper, and A Cloud Guru founder Sam Kroonenberg teamed up to launch Glitch Capital, a $50 million founders fund backing the next generation of global tech companies. In this episode, we cover a lot of ground, including: Aconex’s journey to a $1.6B exit and overcoming multiple near-death experiencesWhat it was like to sell a company when he didn’t want toWhy advising founders is 20% strategy and 80% psychologyThe secrets behind building a high-performance cultureBalancing big ambitions with family lifeWhat Glitch Capital looks for when backing startupsAnd so much more. Timestamps: 00:01:50 Rob’s background00:06:27 Meeting Leigh Jasper: did school-friends always know they’d start a company together? 00:09:15 Switching tracks: advice for people stuck in a career they don’t love00:11:07 Startup ecosystem in 2000 and the early days of Aconex00:13:46 Staying positive: how did Rob and Leigh keep morale when things looked bleak? 00:18:22 Strength in vulnerability00:21:58 Cultivating Aconex’s culture and common founder mistakes00:37:58 The real story of the Aconex sale00:43:13 Life after the exit: what did stepping away from Aconex feel like? 00:49:48 What Rob looks for as an investor00:58:13 80% psychology: common founder struggles Rob sees as an advisor 01:00:48 Family, fitness and cooking dinner: balancing startup life with home life 01:07:05 Philanthropy focus: why Rob created the Gravel Road Foundation and how he thinks about giving Our partners: A big thank you to Ben Leach, Andrew Barron and Bill Phillpot for their help with this interview! Also a big shout out to our long-term partners for the show: Scendar Scendar is the OG startup accounting firm in Australia catering to all stages of your business’ life. If you’re busy running your startup, you don’t have time to do your own books and forecast. Instead, fully outsource your finance function, giving you time and resources back to focus on what you do best in growing your business. Find out more at Scendar.com Vanta Vanta helps businesses get — and stay — compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in-demand compliance frameworks. And with over 300 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on.Join over six thousand fast-growing companies that use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time.The Startup Playbook Podcast listeners get access to an exclusive offer of USD$1000 off their plans. Head over to vanta.com/podcast to get access to this exclusive discount. Links mentioned: The Komo Club – Details here Rob’s Links: Rob on LinkedInGlitch CapitalAconexGravel Road FoundationGravel Road Ventures People mentioned: Leigh JasperSam Kroonenburg Ben Leach Andrew BarronSimon Sinek Geoff Tarrant Companies mentioned: OracleMultiplexMcKinsey & CompanyAmazon Web ServicesDeloitteA Cloud GuruHammerTechFirmablePayappsMr YumLeonardo.AI Feedback/connect/say hello: Rohit@startupplaybook.co@RohitBhargava7 (Twitter)/rohbhargava (LinkedIn)@rohit_bhargava (Instagram)My Youtube Channel Credits: Music: Paycheck Other channels: Find all of the links for the podcast on Linktree here https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/startupplaybook/Ep213_-_Rob_Phillpot.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed" onclick="javascript: this.select();" onfocus="javascript: this.select();" style="width: 70%;" readOnly>Subscribe: RSS adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat adminJanuary 1, 2014 Reply Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud ...
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    1 h et 14 min