We built this thing Ep1: When solving the water crisis comes from thin air with Shannon Lemanski episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 5, 2026 · 37 MIN

We built this thing Ep1: When solving the water crisis comes from thin air with Shannon Lemanski

from UNSW Centre for Ideas · host UNSW Centre for Ideas

As a veteran, Shannon thought his business idea, a machine that filters water from the air, would be a no-brainer for the military. But when the first round of funding fell through, he had to pivot. His next move led Shannon all the way to Buckingham Palace and is transforming countless lives across Australia in the process. There are over two million Australians without access to fresh drinking water, but Shannon Lemanski intends to change that. On this episode of We built this thing, UNSW Canberra alumnus Shannon chats with host Justine Rogers about his uncertain path to becoming an award-winning founder. From his decision to swap his childhood plan of becoming a pilot to doing an engineering degree at uni, to the trials and tribulations of being a first-time founder, to finding out the secret sauce to start-up success isn’t the invention but the business plan. For more episodes from We built this thing, visit unsw.to/wbtt.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 5, 2026

Embed this episode

On this episode, Shannon chats about pivoting your start-up after funding failure, committing to your mission and transforming lives in the process.

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

We built this thing Ep1: When solving the water crisis comes from thin air with Shannon Lemanski

0:00 37:20

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of UNSW Centre for Ideas?

This episode is 37 minutes long.

When was this UNSW Centre for Ideas episode published?

This episode was published on August 5, 2026.

Can I download this UNSW Centre for Ideas episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!