maggots, robots and aussie's most underfunded startup ~ Ryan Woodcock

Ryan Woodcock joined Goterra as a software developer in a company using maggots and robots to process food waste inside refurbished shipping containers. By the time he left, he was the engineering manager, could instruct people on heavy machinery, had sorted through tons of food waste by hand, and had watched what the media called Australia's most loved and underfunded startup go into liquidation.He also came out as bisexual. Left Christianity. And says a startup about maggots gave him the community that changed his life.This episode is unlike anything we've done before on Fayl Tales.Goterra was founded in 2016 by Olympia Yarger out of a garage in Fyshwick, Canberra. It raised over $15 million. It had Woolworths, Hyatt, Melbourne Airport and Lendlease as clients. Its technology worked. Its customers loved it. And on June 3rd, 2026, it went into voluntary administration because it couldn't raise the capital it needed to scale. Ryan was there for all of it. And he has a lot to say.We get into 👇:★ What Goterra actually built and how maggots, robots and shipping containers fit together★ What it's like to join a hardware startup as a software dev and end up doing everything★ Why Australia's most loved startup couldn't get funded despite working technology and loyal customers★ The week after administrators came in, when the team was still planning routes and scooping maggots★ What Ryan learned about leadership from watching Olympia Yarger lead right to the end★ How a climate startup gave Ryan the community that helped him come out and leave ChristianityFollow us @fayltales on all platforms!And follow Loveth @lovethochayi on LinkedIn and instagramAnnnddd you can find Ryan Woodcock on LinkedIn#startuppodcast #climatetech #founderstory #startupfailure #australianstartupsFollow us on all platforms!Instagram ~ @fayltalesTiktok ~ @fayltales LinkedIn ~ @fayltales