Business Is Boring
Episodes
How free meal planning is changing food research
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What started as a way to escape meal planning admin has turned into a powerful tool shaping the future of food. Appetise is a free, recipe-rich meal ...
The billion-dollar company that's just getting started
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From starting Crimson Education as a teenager to leading a company operating at a $300 million revenue run rate, Jamie Beaton has been on an extraordi...
From Aotearoa to the world: how Wai Mānuka is going global
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What started as a conversation between three friends in Whakatāne became a new category in drinks - a premium sparkling Mānuka honey beverage rooted...
The AI tool that turns conversations into action
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if your meetings, interviews, or coaching sessions could turn themselves into structured insights, ready-to-go content, or instant action points?...
Rowan Simpson on the right way to be wrong
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rowan Simpson has helped shape some of Aotearoa’s most iconic startups - from Trade Me and Xero to Vend and Timely - usually from behind the scenes....
How AF Drinks is leading their space in the US
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AF Drinks is the fast-growing alcohol-free beverage brand from Aotearoa that is rapidly expanding into global marketplaces, landing on shelves across ...
How Polymath is reimagining maths class
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if maths class looked more like Roblox than a workbook? In this episode, Sophie Silver - co-founder and CEO of Polymath - joins us to talk about ...
Ben Forman & Kat Lintott - From Wrestler to What’s Next
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kat Lintott and Ben Forman helped build Wrestler into one of Aotearoa’s most forward-thinking creative and production studios – fusing storytellin...
How Pals became Pals
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pals is the pastel-coloured RTD that somehow made ready-to-drink drinks cool for the first time. But it wasn’t always assured to be a success, in fa...
How timber innovation can protect old growth forests
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you think of premium feature timber for cladding, decking or façades, your mind likely goes to cedar - that rich, beautiful wood loved by arch...
The virtual CFOs with very real results
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve probably come across Oxygen Advisors if you’ve spent any time around Aotearoa’s startup scene. And if you haven’t, well - you’ve almo...
The compostable cling wrap winning big in the US
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a world drowning in plastic waste, Jon Reed of Compostic is pioneering a revolutionary approach to everyday kitchen products. Through sheer determ...
Changing the face of investment
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Finance, investment and better money habits have traditionally been areas mainly staffed by, led by and advocated by men. Boring men. Two friends, S...
Why great operators can make for great venture capitalists
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Venture capital is one of the most prominent types of capital out there. But it isn’t necessarily a great fit for every business. We’re joined b...
How Keep the Change changes lives
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Being good with money is not easy. The whole credit, consumer, and hedonistic world are built to try to get people to spend too much on things they do...
Doing better at business by doing better
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In theory every business has the potential to bake doing good into how it makes money. But very few do. Brianne West has shown with first Ethique, a...
Why people leaders make great CEOs
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
People leaders are often the quietly most vital parts of a business. Great people leaders are like a cross between HR and an executional chief operat...
How to build a community of 10,000 marketers
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Building community can be one of the most important parts of building a brand and business. When people talk about businesses and customers, we are r...
Creating an Extraordinary new category
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this season of Business is Boring we’re talking to leaders who are great examples of the best of business - and today we are looking at the oppor...
A banking challenger emerges
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This season on Business is Boring we’re talking to people who are examples of better ways to do business. This week we meet Jovan Pavlicevic, co-fou...
From Aotea to the world: Tama Toki on energy, connection, and purpose
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in a self-sufficient community on Aotea Great Barrier Island, Tama Toki owes much of his problem-solving nous and deep connection to the wh...
Creating Humanistic AI
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AI is becoming an integral part of daily life, and chances are you’ve already used the work of today’s guest. Tom Gruber is the co-founder and cre...
Building smarter cities and ethical AI with Dr. Ayesha Khanna
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AI, smart cities, and the future of urban living aren’t just buzzwords—they’re reshaping our world. Few are driving this transformation more tha...
How to get the best of AI today
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AI can be a superpower, but like all tools, if you know what you’re doing you’re going to get a better result. In a nutshell: the better the input...
Live from Spark Accelerate: Balancing innovation and efficiency for organisational success
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How can organisations proactively disrupt themselves to stay ahead in rapidly changing markets while optimising costs? Nadine Higgins hosts a panel of...
How Karma Drinks earns its name in Sierra Leone
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Karma Drinks and All Good Organics are among the best examples of businesses putting purpose and social impact at the heart of what they do. While pro...
NZ tech’s favourite recruiter
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Recruitment can be a great business if you do it well. You get roughly 15% of the salary of the people you place as a success fee, and if you have a g...
25 years of Nature Baby
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nature Baby is the organic baby wear company creating natural, long-lasting and well-made clothing, with a retail model that’s big on community. Co-...
The old idea that could be the future for trades payments
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When a client didn’t pay Max Semmons-Russell’s plumbing business for a completed $30k job it nearly knocked his company over. When it happened aga...
The biggest opportunity for startups? People!
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Although the biggest spending line for most startups is people, most startups don’t get serious about people until they get pretty big. Doing so ear...
The Kiwi company making concrete change
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Concrete is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, with around 8% of global carbon emissions linked to its manufacture and use - but it wa...
A new agency for a new world
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Daylight is an advertising and communications agency that was born out of The Spinoff newsroom, from the amazing work Toby Morris and Siouxsie Wiles d...
Innovating for the underserved accessibility market
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2012 Mike Brown was hit by a car and became paralysed from the waist down. The transition to using a wheelchair and navigating a world not built fo...
How Re-Leased powers 350,000 tenancies around the world
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Tom Wallace went to work at his family property business after university while working on start-up ideas he was amazed to find how poor the soft...
Grinding away: how Megan Wyper went from employee to co-owner
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Megan Wyper started her career working with New Zealand coffee pioneers Millers coffee, before getting experience overseas in every element of the cof...
How Anihana made it in America
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a few short years, Anihana have gone from a small New Zealand brand to being on the shelves of 6000+ stores in America. Their shower steamers, sham...
Making period products more available through Ads on Pads
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Roughly half of all people experience periods, so why aren’t period products more accessible? In Aotearoa today, if you are dealing with period-rela...
How bugs can save the world
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jessie Stanley first came on the pod to chat founding and growing I Love Pies, the startup she led through to a successful exit. From there she has he...
The first approach to fitness training designed for women and the menstrual cycle
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Femmi is a coaching and fitness app challenging the outdated idea that periods limit performance. Their run training programmes and run club communiti...
How Hnry helped Australasia never think about tax again
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hnry is now New Zealand’s largest accountant, helping to manage, file and contribute nearly 1% of New Zealand’s entire tax revenue - and is gettin...
Has your workplace thought about menopause?
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Menopause happens to roughly half of everyone, yet until very recently it’s largely been absent from culture and work - and when it has popped up, i...
What happened with Ārepa
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ārepa has had a roller coaster year. The functional drinks company are on a mission to make brains work better, through their science and research-ba...
A billion is just the beginning
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kernel recently surpassed $1B in funds under management - a massive achievement for the investment and finance platform. They started with a range of ...
Changing boating for the better
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vessev make hydrofoilng boats, marrying America’s cup foiling and boatbuilding prowess with software excellence to make smooth, sustainable travel p...
Creating more Māori entrepreneurship pathways
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Access to opportunity is not equal. A new report looking into pathways for Māori in entrepreneurship and capital has identified many barriers and opp...
What we can learn from Silicon Valley VC
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rob Coneybeer co-founded Shasta Ventures in Silicon Valley in 2004. They invested in companies like Nest and Dollar Shave Club, have over $1B of funds...
How Taxi is getting the NZ economy moving
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Taxi is a new venture helping Kiwi businesses turn their provisional tax payments into a new source of business funding, at about half the price of a ...
Listen Now: episode one of Juggernaut – I Love You, Mr Lange
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We thought you might like a wee taster of our brand new #1 series, Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government, hosted by Toby Manhire. Clic...
The AI opportunity for Aotearoa
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Greg Shove is CEO at Section, the next generation education online company founded by Professor Scott Galloway. He is in NZ with Spark for Business, l...
How the design lead of Slack is building the future of work
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ethan Eismann has been a design leader at Adobe, Google, AirBNB, Uber and Slack - some of the most influential companies of our age. As part of the Sp...
Future State: The maker of ‘That Sugar Film’ on the power of ideas to fight climate change
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Damon Gameau was one of the most successful actors in Australia when he made ‘That Sugar Film’, a documentary which unpacked the dangerous volume ...
Future State: Lessons on the power of AI, from someone who helped build it
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Noelle Russell has had roles at - or contact with - most of the biggest names in artificial intelligence. She answered the bell when Jeff Bezos emaile...
Future State: What does sustainability look like at IKEA scale?
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Håkan Nordkvist was, until recently, head of sustainability innovation for IKEA, one of the world's largest retailers. In New Zealand for Spark Busin...
Future State: Idea to Impact – understanding circular business
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bernard Hickey steps in to host a special live panel featuring three leaders in circular business, bio-materials and turning trash into treasure share...
Introducing Behind the Story: If you love a dog, you must also love disposing of its sh*t
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Spinoff has just launched a brand new series called Behind the Story, where site editor editor Madeleine Chapman sits down with a staff writer or ...
The new Aotearoa lead of Australasia’s biggest VC firm
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Blackbird VC recently netted $800m from a sale of a portion of their holding in Canva. They are, by some distance, the largest and one of the most suc...
Has the AR/VR moment arrived?
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jessica Manins is a Kiwi pioneer in the Augmented and Virtual Reality space. Her studio, Beyond, makes games, experiences and virtual worlds for immer...
David Yu: 2023 EY entrepreneur of the year with Aotearoa’s fastest growing company
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
David Yu’s company VeVe has sold more than 10 million digital collectables licensed from some of the world’s leading IP owners like Disney, Star W...
How Albert Cho went from IG influencer to Ponsonby restaurateur
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Albert Cho burst onto Aotearoa’s food scene in 2017 with Eat Lit Food, an Instagram account that dishes out forthright (and often profane) food revi...
Improving the food system, one wonky box at a time
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The first seeds for Wonky Box were planted when Angus Simms and Katie Jackson were fruit picking and saw how much wasted produce was caused by an unse...
The AI tools every business should already be using
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AI is the biggest topic in business, but where do you even begin? Mark Laurence, founder of Ten Past Tomorrow, is a local expert helping businesses ge...
Designing a te ao Māori agency
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Run is a local design and creativity business led with a te aō Māori and treaty partnership view. Their approach to inclusion is changing up how the...
How to grow NZ Inc
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Robertson has had a huge career in finance. In New York, for Goldman Sachs, he led up international and pan-Asian equities, before coming back t...
Redefining the menstrual experience with Endosoothe
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Like so much of women’s health, natural and normal issues around periods are chronically underfunded, under-discussed and under-addressed. One local...
How Powrsuit is changing the face of leadership
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Aotearoa only 10% of corporate CEOs and 29% of board members are women. Powrsuit co-founders Kristen Lunman and Natalie Ferguson believe this repre...
The company making sustainable practice fashionable
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pangaia sell clothes in order to keep improving the methods of retail and production. Eva Kruse, Chief Global Engagement Officer at Pangaia, talked to...
Setting the right sustainability strategy for your business
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Recorded live at the Spark Innovation Studio in Auckland's CBD, Leela Gantman (Corporate Relations and Sustainability Director at Spark NZ) and Rachel...
The VC firm that raised like a founder
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Icehouse Ventures invests in and supports more companies than any other in Aotearoa, so naturally CEO Robbie Paul gets a good view of what makes a gre...
The solvable problem affecting up to one in three women
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t underestimate the power of the pelvic floor. That’s the advice of Dr Jenny Kruger when it comes to combatting urinary incontinence, an issue...
The legend behind Aotearoa's favourite brands
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nicola O’Rourke led Lewis Road Creamery into America and is now helping companies like Pals, Compostic, Comvita, Cleanery and Grater Goods as they t...
Summer reissue: Meet the brain behind Xero and Upstock
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Business is Boring is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2023: Xero h...
Summer reissue: Fixing your finances with the Māori Millionaire
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Business is Boring is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2023: Te Kah...
Summer reissue: The app making it easier to share your Dosh
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Business is Boring is taking a break over summer. We'll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here's one of our favourites from 2023: Shane ...
The Spinoff presents SUPERPOD 2023
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SUPERPOD is back! Hosted by Gone By Lunchtime's Toby Manhire and featuring Jane Yee and Alex Casey from The Real Pod, Duncan Greive from The Fold, Gon...
Goldie wants to help you own your own slice of luxury
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New investment platform Goldie is allowing people to own fractionalised slices of real assets like gold and, into the future, art and collectables. Th...
Why Unyoked thinks we should disconnect
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Unyoked provide busy city people access to just-secluded-enough getaways, where the carefully art-directed cabins let people disconnect from modern li...
How can you change the world at scale?
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Kamine’s family business is a significant infrastructure player in the States, and they have used their scale to change up a number of huge i...
Meet one of the Champions of the Earth
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
International circularity and sustainability expert Dr. Leyla Acaroglu believes that we can change the world with our actions if we care enough to do ...
Critical's solution to plastic-packed landfills
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We send around 330,000 tonnes of used plastics to landfill every year. Critical are out to change this. They make table and bench tops, partitions an...
The zero-alcohol beer hero
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
State of Play is a 100% non-alcoholic brewery - part of a growing movement looking at how we drink, and providing options for healthier relationship w...
Reimagining customer testing with Stickybeak
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s fast, cost effective, engaging and being used by big and small brands all over the world. Stickybeak is creating a unique form of consumer test...
How Ministry of Awesome gives hope to start-ups
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Marian Johnson has been a key part of Christchurch becoming one of the fastest growing ecosystems for start-up success. As the CEO of Ministry of Awes...
OpenStar's nuclear solution to solve clean energy
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been called the most ambitious startup in Aotearoa and a company that truly has the potential to change the world. OpenStar CEO and founder Dr...
Squirrel Mortgages is revolutionising the mortgage broker
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Bolton started Squirrel Mortgages during the height of the 2008 global financial crisis with an aim to bring the process of buying your first hom...
Anna Mowbray is creating Tinder for finding jobs
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As one of the leaders who grew Zuru to billions in trade, Anna Mowbray is one of the most successful entrepreneurs Aotearoa has produced. She led cult...
Slice is bringing home ownership back within reach
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After working hard to get into her first home, Amy Stevens felt there had to be an easier way. So she founded Slice, a platform that makes it easier f...
Mark Adams from Vice on how brands can reinvent themselves
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What a guest! Head of innovation for Vice Media Mark Adams has been part of some of the world’s most successful campaigns, and built the profiles of...
How Almighty grew into an international success
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Lenart, CEO and founder at Almighty Drinks joins Simon Pound to chat innovation in beverages, caffeinated sparkling waters, and their current capi...
How Frankie manages property management
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After helping scale Uber in the UK, Frankie founder George Fenwicke decided to tackle a bigger challenge, streamlining the process to manage commercia...
How Indigital is decolonising digital spaces
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Descending from the Dharug speaking Nations of Sydney, Mikaela Jade is the founder and CEO at Indigital – Australia’s first Indigenous edutech com...
OnBoard: Improving diversity in startup boards
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
OnBoard is on a mission to improve diversity of thought for startup and growth company boards. Founder Cassie McAdams and Program Director Sophie McLe...
Kate Sylvester is celebrating 30 years in fashion
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For Kate Sylvester, 2023 marks 30 years of design, helping make New Zealand’s reputation in the fashion industry across the globe. Kate joins Simon ...
Woolchemy's answer to plastic-filled nappies
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Woolchemy is a local wool technology company with a patented approach to creating a woven, absorbent fabric layer for use in nappies and other hygiene...
Meet the team behind the 2022 NZ House of the Year
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pac Studio are one of NZ’s top architecture studios, who work to bring fun, colour and a personal feel to every project. Last year their beautiful p...
What the past tells us about the future of AI
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The pace at which generative AI is advancing is rapidly accelerating, giving rise to a sense of uncertainty among many individuals regarding its impac...
Derek Handley's new non-bank bank for aspiring homeowners
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aera is a new financial institution aimed at people who earn good money but are locked out of the housing market because they cannot afford extremely ...
Meet the brain behind Xero and Upstock
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Xero has defined the SaaS ecosystem here. Although an accounting company, it stood out as a delightful experience and brand, and much of that spirit i...
Angel Food is bringing vegan cheese to the mainstream
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alice Shopland is a pioneer in the dairy-free cheese space in Aotearoa. Her company, Angel Food, has been at the forefront of distributing vegan chees...
Danielle Krettek on bringing soul to Google's AI
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Founder of Google's Empathy Lab and Grandmother—a nonprofit that brings diverse voices and perspectives into solving big problems—Danielle Krettek...
Sam Conniff's journey to embracing uncertainty
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Here for the Spark Lab Future State: New Realities, Sam Conniff is a British expert in uncertainty and author of the 2018 book 'Be More Pirate'. His n...