PODCAST · business
TechMates
by TechMates
Welcome to TechMates, the podcast where we spotlight the trailblazing founders and game-changing startups transforming Australasia.Hosted by Mark Pavlyukovskyy, a Silicon Valley success story, and Hendrik Remigereau, a former leader in Europe’s largest AI ecosystem turned venture capitalist, TechMates dives deep into the counterintuitive mindsets and bold strategies that drive extraordinary achievements.Powered by NZVC, the venture firm backing the next generation of iconic companies from New Zealand and beyond, TechMates offers fresh perspectives on the people and ideas shaping the future
Episodes
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The Shopify for Rentals Is Here
He built a viral game at 14. Now he’s creating rental millionaires and taking on U-Haul with Lockii. In this episode of TechMates, Hendrik and Mark sit down with Bodhi Hawken, founder and CEO of Lockii — and the conversation starts exactly where you'd expect: a banned school game, two terabytes…
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Is the West Is Losing the Education War?
Jamie Beaton couldn't legally sit on his own board at 17, but built Crimson into a global education empire — and is now taking on Big Law with an AI visa startup, teaching a unicorn-building course at Auckland University, and quietly betting on the next generation of founders. In this episode of...
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Can a Rebrand Really Double Your Sales?
How the right brand decision can double your revenue overnight, and how skipping it can quietly kill a good product.In this special compilation episode of TechMates, Hendrik and Mark bring together three conversations with one common thread: brand as a real growth lever, not a nice-to-have. No...
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Auckland's Mayor to Founders: "Skip the Valley, Come Here"
Wayne Brown: blunt engineer, Auckland mayor, and the man on a mission to make NZ the South Pacific's startup capital. In this episode of TechMates, Hendrik and Mark sit down with Wayne Brown, Mayor of Auckland — and he's not your typical politician. A trained engineer who put half a million of…
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In 5 Years, Every Kid Will Have an AI Teacher
Four founders, one uncomfortable question: what happens to learning — in school, university, and work — once AI can teach better than most humans? This episode of TechMates brings together four conversations around a single theme: technology is quietly rewriting what it means to learn, at every...
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Data Centers in Space — 5 Years Away?
Zenno's CEO just made history — first superconductor ever run in space. And he thinks a war in orbit is now "highly likely." 🧲🚀 Max Arshavsky is the Co-Founder and CEO of Zenno Astronautics, the company building the world's first superconducting technology platform for space. Since launching…
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Could NZ Birth the Next SpaceX? Dawn Aerospace Closes Series B
Stefan Powell scaled a New Zealand space company to eight-figure revenue — quietly dominating 82% of a satellite propulsion market, flying a space plane 64 times, and closing a $25M Series B — all before most of the world even knew Dawn Aerospace existed. In this episode of TechMates, Hendrik and...
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Why VC Funds Are Suddenly Pouring Billions Into Defense
What do you do when a foreign missile cruiser does a "hot lap" around your country? You build the manufacturing tech and deploy the VC capital needed to turn your nation into an unattackable "porcupine." In this episode of TechMates, we dive deep into the sobering reality of national security and...
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What Happens When AI Listens to Sick Pigs for Six Days Straight?
She left a comfortable corporate career to build a Sensory AI startup that listens to pigs—and just secured a major global distribution deal. In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Saba Samiei, the visionary founder and CEO of MACSO. Named after MACS0647-JD, the furthest known galaxy…
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The Startup powering ANZ's Open Banking Moment
He built a bank-grade fintech platform while his twin daughters were napping, bootstrapped it for seven years through 677 investor rejections, and is now rewiring the entire financial system. In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Dermot Butterfield, the Founder and CEO of Wych, the…
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How to Hit #1 on the App Store with a $0 Marketing Budget
She beat TikTok to #1 on the App Store with a $0 marketing budget—now this solo founder is using a consumer app as a "Trojan horse" to disrupt a multi-billion dollar legacy industry.🎧 Listen On: YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gQnb_WbB Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4is21QI Apple Podcasts:...
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Inside the Startups Bringing AI to the Physical World
Why is teaching a robot to fold your laundry actually harder than building an autonomous surgical robot or a self-driving car? In this episode of TechMates, we cut through the sci-fi hype of humanoid robots and dive into the gritty, high-stakes reality of deep tech. We sit down with three…
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Meet the Founders Disrupting Australia & NZ's Banking Monopolies
What do you do when you're so frustrated with your legacy bank that you can't take it anymore? You hire a "Chief Imaginer" and build a financial app designed to rival Instagram and TikTok. In this episode of TechMates, we dive deep into the revolution ripping power away from massive banking...
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Why Brand Is the Only Moat Left in SaaS
In a world where software features can be "vibe coded" by AI in 30 minutes, brand expert Simon Pound explains why community and customer obsession are the only moats left for startups.In this episode of TechMates Podcast, we sit down with Simon Pound, a true cornerstone of the New Zealand...
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The Secret Space Revolution in Australia & New Zealand
From hypersonics and space-based hyperspectral imaging to "Starlink for energy" - three deep tech founders are defying the laws of physics to build the future. In this episode of TechMates, we dive into the deep end of hard tech with three visionaries who are redefining the boundaries of…
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From Advising HBO’s Silicon Valley to Selling Startups to Big Tech
He advised HBO’s Silicon Valley for five seasons, was part of a database team built and acquired by Apple, and helped run an "eBay for seized, stolen, and abandoned goods"—now tech veteran Andrew J. Nash is revealing his startup secrets. In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Andrew J....
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How to Deploy $5 Billion in New Zealand's New Wave of Tech Startups
The former London financier who funded Harry Potter now controls the single biggest lever in New Zealand’s startup ecosystem—and he’s on a mission to deploy billions. In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with James Pinner, the Chief Investment Officer of New Zealand Growth Capital Partners...
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Anatomy of a 2,000x Return: Lightspeed Founder Barry Eggers on Spotting Outliers
From his daughter’s kitchen table tip about a new app called Snapchat to building a $300 billion venture empire—legendary VC Barry Eggers reveals how he spots the next big thing.In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Barry Eggers, founding partner of Lightspeed Venture Partners, one of…
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A Dynasty of Inventors: From the Photocopier to Orion
Harry Gestetner’s great-great-grandfather invented the photocopier and nail clippers—now Harry is reinventing how the world sleeps after selling his first startup for eight figures at 21. In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Harry Gestetner, a serial entrepreneur who sold his creator...
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Scaling from the Edge: NZ’s Global Champions | NZVC Portfolio Day
From challenging big banks with a $120M fintech to generating $2.2B in digital collectibles sales—this is how New Zealand founders are conquering the global stage. In this power-packed panel from NZVC Portfolio Day, we sit down with three of New Zealand’s most successful modern founders: Leighton...
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Born Global: Founding from New Zealand to the World
From early days at Rocket Lab to running global marketing for Les Mills, these founders reveal exactly how to build world-class startups from the edge of the world. In this "Born Global" panel from NZVC Portfolio Day, we explore what it takes to launch a company in New Zealand that is designed to...
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Why We Lose 30% of All Drinking Water
Harrison Crowe-Maxwell turned a flooded street on his way to work into a robotics startup that just raised seed funding from Sequoia’s Peak XV. In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Harrison Crowe-Maxwell, co-founder of Puralink, a robotics company building "ferrets" to inspect and…
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The Agentic AI Future | NZVC Portfolio Day
What happens when you put a crypto veteran, a Xero co-founder, and a high-stakes lawyer on stage with a robot dog to debate the future of AI? In this special panel from NZVC Portfolio Day, we dive into the "Agentic Future" with three experts operating at very different layers of the AI stack. We...
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We Tried to Control the Weather (And Made It Worse)
Emily Blythe skipped university to launch a quad-bike accessory business, spent years trying to clear airport fog with drones, and eventually pivoted to solve aviation’s biggest headache through data. In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Emily Blythe, the New Zealand tech entrepreneur…
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I Hired My College Roommates to Build a $300M Empire
Jamie Beaton managed a hedge fund portfolio at Tiger Management while simultaneously taking maximum course loads at Harvard and building a startup that now generates over $300M in revenue. In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Jamie Beaton, the New Zealand tech entrepreneur and CEO of...
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Fintech Frontiers: Reinventing Money from the Edge of the World | NZVC Portfolio Day
In this live NZVC Portfolio Day panel, Jovan Pavlicevic (Emerge & SquareOne), Dermot Butterfield (Wych), and Steven Zinsli (Extraordinary) join hosts Mark Pavlyukovskyy and Hendrik Remigereau to show what it actually looks like to build fintech in New Zealand. They talk candidly about lobbying…
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Grassroots to Global: Innovation the Kiwi Way
Four founders: tackling milk without cows, carbon-free composites, AI farming, and plant-grown proteins—only in New Zealand could this panel exist. This special Portfolio Day panel brings together four New Zealand innovators building companies that literally couldn’t have been born anywhere else:...
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He’s Creating Australasia‘s PayPal Mafia
SAP’s youngest hire at 19, Dominic Pym went on to build Up—Australia’s first cloud-hosted bank—and sold three companies during COVID. Dominic Pym is an Australia-based, New Zealand-minded tech entrepreneur, builder, and investor behind products used by millions—from Up (the mobile bank he...
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From Edge to Epicenter: Building the NZ Innovation Ecosystem | NZVC Portfolio Day
How founders, investors, and institutions are shaping the next decade of ANZ innovation. Live on stage with TechMates (hosts Mark Pavlyukovskyy & Hendrik Remigereau), three heavyweight voices dive into the state of the NZ startup ecosystem: Shaun Quincey (rowed the Tasman; now building Simfuni…
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Beyond Startup Hype: 5 Founders on Real Difficulties
Five New Zealand–linked founders drop hard-won truths! This highlight episode brings together five New Zealand tech entrepreneurs at very different stages—Shaun Quincey, Liam Kampshof, Nick Damiano, Steven Zinsli, and Anna Henwood. It’s a punchy reel of what actually moves the needle in startups:...
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Why Big Tech Failed at This Simple Farming Task
🐄 Engineer Liam Kampshof turned an early milking-shed prototype into a simple, low-cost sensor now used on 145+ New Zealand farms, catching mastitis early to protect milk quality and payouts! Liam is a New Zealand tech entrepreneur and founder of Bovonic, makers of QuadSense—a snap-in,...
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He Rowed the Tasman—Then Built and Sold a Fintech
He rowed solo across the Tasman, later sold his BNPL startup—now he’s rebuilding life insurance with AI from New Zealand. Our guest, Shaun Quincey, is a New Zealand tech entrepreneur who went from a 54-day solo ocean row to exiting a services-focused BNPL company—and now leads Simfuni, an…
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Building the Tesla of Surgical Robots 🏥 #healthtech
He’s turning an iPad into a surgical cockpit—and launching semi-autonomous surgery from New Zealand to the world. Nick Damiano is a Bay Area deep-tech founder with strong New Zealand ties: after building medtech across pacemakers, tele-presence OR support, and implantables (YC alum twice), he...
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Exit at 27: Chasing Bigger Horizons 💳 #fintech
From 15 clinics and 105,000 patients to a fintech rebrand and a tax ruling with IRD—this New Zealand founder turned “HealthNow” into Extraordinary, a benefits-payments platform winning banks, telcos, and airlines. Steve is a New Zealand tech entrepreneur who scaled an allied-health group to ~$12M...
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Healthcare is a $4.5 Trillion Broken System 💊
Ari Tulla built, pivoted, exited, and is now using AI to rewire preventative health. Ari Tulla is a Finnish-born, SF-based tech entrepreneur who started in gaming and Nokia’s early app ecosystem, founded doctor-finder startup BetterDoctor (later rolled into a 500-person PE platform), and now…
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Startups vs Hype: VeVe’s Real Web3 Business 👾🎮
From $5 stamp packs on Queen Street to ~$1.5B in VeVe marketplace GMV—New Zealand entrepreneur David Yu built one of the world’s biggest digital collectibles businesses! David Yu—founder/CEO of VeVe—grew up in Taipei, moved to Auckland, and turned a teenage collecting habit into a retail chain, a...
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Ads Are Broken. Feedback Fixes Them 📲
🎙️ Rural Kiwi roots, global marketing leadership, and now startup innovation — Anna Henwood helps brands get real consumer truth in just 48 hours with Stickybeak. Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4is21QIApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/42KZ2x1 Anna Henwood is a New Zealand tech entrepreneur and...
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Australia's Most Ambitious Defense Tech Startup
From building websites in high school to revolutionizing Australia's defense capabilities—Vu Tran is redefining what tech entrepreneurship means. 🔥 Join us in this insightful conversation with Vu Tran, co-founder of Go1—one of Australia's most successful EdTech startups—and now Black Sky...
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Energy’s Internet: Beaming Power Globally 🛰️🌏
He’s building a startup to beam power through lasers — transforming how we access energy! Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Billy Jeremijenko, the visionary Australian entrepreneur behind Aquila, a groundbreaking startup focused on wireless energy transmission through advanced laser...
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This Startup Knows What You’ll Eat Next 🥑
He turned a side hustle fixing walls into a quarter-million-dollar student business—and he's now reshaping the food insights industry. Join us as we explore the entrepreneurial journey of Toby Hilliam (Skilton), a seasoned entrepreneur from New Zealand and founder of Appetise, a cutting-edge...
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Building the School of the Future 🎓
She started her first business selling sherbet at age five—now she runs a revolutionary global online school. 🎧 Listen On: 👉 Spotify – https://spoti.fi/4is21QI 👉 Apple Podcasts – https://apple.co/42KZ2x1 Join us as we dive into the remarkable journey of Penelope Barton, CEO of Crimson Global...
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Inside the Australian Startup Launching Hyperspectral Satellites
Winning hackathons at 16 and launching satellites by 26—meet the founder revolutionizing Australia's space tech. Join us as we chat with Shoaib Iqbal, the dynamic founder behind Esper Satellites, a groundbreaking Australian startup that leverages hyperspectral imaging technology to monitor…
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Why Sam Altman Backed This Kiwi Startup
From programming on punch cards in rural New Zealand to leading a multi-million dollar EdTech success story. 💻🎧 In this inspiring episode, we speak with Bob Drummond, a visionary New Zealand entrepreneur who navigated from humble beginnings programming with punch cards in a tiny rural school to...
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How AI Is Revolutionizing Language Learning
Dropped out of high school after a handshake gone wrong—now he runs a $50M AI-driven language empire. Dive into the extraordinary journey of Finn Puklowski, a New Zealand entrepreneur who transformed personal setbacks into the highly successful Fluency Academy, an AI-powered, creator-led language...
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Dairy Without Cows: The Science Changing Food Forever
Born in Soviet-era Moscow and now revolutionizing dairy without cows—this entrepreneur is reshaping New Zealand’s future.In this insightful episode, we speak with Irina Miller, founder of DaisyLab, a groundbreaking New Zealand startup utilizing precision fermentation to create dairy-identical...
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Why Fusion Energy is Closer Than Ever
From failing physics grades to building New Zealand’s groundbreaking fusion reactor startup—meet the entrepreneur rewriting the rules of energy. Join us in this captivating conversation with Ratu Mataira, founder and CEO of OpenStar, a revolutionary New Zealand startup pioneering fusion…
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Inside Blue Origin's Latest Space Trip
Meet the Kiwi entrepreneur who made history aboard Blue Origin! In this thrilling episode, we talk to Mark Rocket, a groundbreaking New Zealand tech entrepreneur and aerospace pioneer. Mark recently soared into space on Blue Origin's NS-32 mission, becoming the first New Zealander to experience...
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How I Built & Sold NZ's #1 Crypto Startup 🚀
She turned a $3,000 Bitcoin curiosity into one of New Zealand’s biggest crypto exits.Meet Janine, founder and CEO of Easy Crypto, who successfully navigated the turbulent crypto market—overcoming regulation hurdles, market crashes, and intense skepticism—to build and exit one of New Zealand's…
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First Kiwi in Space
He changed his name to Rocket, launched New Zealand's first private space vehicle, and is set to become the first Kiwi in space 🚀. Meet Mark Rocket, a pioneering New Zealand entrepreneur who transitioned from playing in rock bands to launching the Southern Hemisphere’s first private rocket into...
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Can AI Really Fix Academic Research?
He turned frustration with clunky academic tools into a million-dollar deep tech startup. Meet Axton, a New Zealand tech entrepreneur who went from severe childhood asthma and tinkering with remote-controlled aircraft to founding Litmaps, a pioneering startup transforming academic research…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to TechMates, the podcast where we spotlight the trailblazing founders and game-changing startups transforming Australasia.Hosted by Mark Pavlyukovskyy, a Silicon Valley success story, and Hendrik Remigereau, a former leader in Europe’s largest AI ecosystem turned venture capitalist, TechMates dives deep into the counterintuitive mindsets and bold strategies that drive extraordinary achievements.Powered by NZVC, the venture firm backing the next generation of iconic companies from New Zealand and beyond, TechMates offers fresh perspectives on the people and ideas shaping the future
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TechMates
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does TechMates have?
TechMates currently has 64 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is TechMates about?
Welcome to TechMates, the podcast where we spotlight the trailblazing founders and game-changing startups transforming Australasia.Hosted by Mark Pavlyukovskyy, a Silicon Valley success story, and Hendrik Remigereau, a former leader in Europe’s largest AI ecosystem turned venture capitalist,...
How often does TechMates release new episodes?
TechMates has 64 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to TechMates?
You can listen to TechMates on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts TechMates?
TechMates is created and hosted by TechMates.
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