Scaling Up: Lessons From The World's Best CEOs and Founders
Episodes
Mission Zero - Global Money Movement Reimagined: Kristo Käärmann, co-Founder and CEO Wise (LON:WISE) [S10:E1]
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
My guest today is Kristo Käärmann, the co-Founder and CEO of Wise, the fintech £10b powerhouse that's fixing one of the most broken systems i...
From Olympic Gold to ASX 200 - Grant Hackett, CEO Generation Development Group (ASX: GDG) [S9:E8]
25 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grant Hackett is a three-time Olympic gold medallist and undoubtedly one of the greatest distance swimmers of all time. Since stepping out of the pool...
The Next Chapter: Relevancy and Reinvention - Bruce Buchanan, CEO and Co-Founder, Rokt [s9:E7]
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We last sat down with Bruce Buchanan in late 2019 — at the time, Rokt was in hyper-growth, having just raced through the US$100 million revenue mark...
From the Archive: Art meets Science - Bruce Buchanan, Rokt CEO and Co-Founder
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re reaching back into the archive for the second time this season to revisit a conversation from 2019 with Bruce Buchanan, the co founder and C...
Block by Block: Building the Future of Money - Owen Jennings, Head of Product, Block [S9.E6]
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Owen Jennings, the head of product at Block Inc(NYSE:XYZ) and a key person around the executive table of what is now by market cap, one of the largest...
Challenging The Giants of the Game - Tom Beahon, Co-Founder Castore [S9.E5]
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From a kitchen table in Liverpool, England, to the dressing rooms of some of the world's biggest sports teams, Castore is one of the fastest growing p...
Nailing Culture at Scale - Michael Schneider, Managing Director, Bunnings [S9.E4]
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“What does it take to scale one of the most trusted brands in Australia without losing its soul?”Today’s guest is Michael Schneider, Managing Di...
Still Obsessed - Steven Marks, Co-Founder and Co-CEO Guzman Y Gomez [S9.E3]
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Steven first joined us in 2019, GYG was already making noise—130 stores, a cult-like customer base, and a founder who was across every detail o...
From the Archives: Taking on McDonald’s with Guzman y Gomez’s Steven Marks [S1.E1]
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We are reaching back into the archive to revisit a conversation from 2019 with Steven Marks, the co-founder and CEO of Guzman y Gomez. This was one of...
Putting the Care Back in Healthcare, Tim Doyle, CEO and Co-Founder of Eucalyptus [S9.E2]
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Doyle is the co-founder and CEO of Eucalyptus, a digital healthcare business that in just a few short years has redefined what 'patient first care...
Founder Energy, Scaling Mindset - Silvija Martincevic, CEO, Deputy [S9.E1]
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Silvija Martincevic, the Croatian born, San Francisco based CEO of Australian founded Unicorn Deputy.Silvija's executive career has been immense i...
Keeping The Country Running - Greg Boorer, CEO and Founder CDC [S8E3]
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Very rarely do you get to tell the story of a wildly successful entrepreneur that is largely unknown beyond the immediate circle of influence. Today o...
The King of Kalgoorlie - Bill Beament, Founder and CEO, Develop Global [S8, E2]
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bill Beament grew up in a working class family out of Esperance in Western Australia. He dreamed of being a general manager of a mine one day. Instil...
Taking the Pain Out of Payments - Hiroki Takeuchi, Co-Founder and CEO GoCardless [S8.E1]
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hiroki Takeuchi, the co-founder and CEO of GoCardless started in 2011. GoCardless is a star of the blossoming UK FinTech scene- last valued at $2.1b, ...
Culture Scaling Playbook: Hiring and Retention [S7.E2]
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is a high-performing culture? It's a question some think as straightforward as it is philosophical. In these special episodes, we explore hig...
Culture Scaling Playbook: Values [S7.E1]
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is a high-performing culture? It's a question some think as straightforward as it is philosophical. In these special episodes, we explore hig...
The 6-Star Entrepreneur - Adam Schwab, the CEO and Co-Founder of Luxury Escapes [S6.E9]
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Schwab is our guest on Scaling Up, the CEO and co-founder of Luxury Escapes – a travel marketplace with almost $1b in bookings annually. Adam’...
IPOs, Takeovers, SPACs and All Events In Between - Reggie Aggarwal, CEO and Founder of Cvent [S6.E8]
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Reggie Aggarwal is the co-founder of Cvent, a $600m revenue Software company, that is listed on the Nasdaq (ticker CVT). Cvent is allows organizations...
The Great Australian Hustle - Ruslan Kogan, Co-Founder and CEO, Kogan.com [S6.E7]
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ruslan Kogan, the CEO and co-founder of Kogan.com (ASX:KGN) is the guest on this episode of 'Scaling Up'. Kogan.com is Australia’s largest pure play...
Democratising Investing - Alex Vynokur, Co-Founder and CEO, BetaShares [S6.E6]
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a mini hiatus, 'Scaling Up' is back, and we have some incredible guests lined up in the coming months, none more so than this episode. Alex Vyn...
Michelin Star Software with Joel Montaniel, CEO and Co-Founder, SevenRooms [S6.E5]
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Joel Montaniel is the Co-founder, and CEO of SevenRooms, a private software company devoted to improving the way hospitality operators leverage their ...
Special episode: Australia's Greatest Unknown Technologist w/ Hugh Williams [S6.E4]
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh Williams probably isn't a name that pops to the front of mind when talking Australia's greatest technology exports - but it should. His career le...
Closet in the Cloud - Jenn Hyman, Co-Founder and CEO, Rent the Runway [S6.E3]
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest today on scaling up is Jenn Hyman, co-founder and CEO of Rent the Runway (Nasdaq:RENT). From a thought bubble to ringing the bell on the Nas...
In a League of Their Own - Mike Serbinis, CEO and Co-Founder, League [S6.E2]
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Serbinis is the CEO and co-founder of League – a healthcare platform on a mission to empower people to live the lives that they want to lead; h...
Flying High - Tim Brown & Joey Zwillinger, Co-Founders & CEO’s Allbirds [S6.E1]
17 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Series 6 of Scaling Up kicks off with Tim Brown & Joey Zwillinger, the co-founders and co-CEOs of AllBirds. From a Kickstarter campaign, to listin...
Leading with a Smile - Phil McKenzie, CEO Pacific Smiles Group [S5.E7]
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Phil McKenzie, the CEO of Pacific Smiles Group, the ASX listed (PSQ:ASX) dental services business is our final guest of Season 5. Phil joined Pacific ...
People and Culture Mini Series (part 2) - Culture as a Product w/ Anna Binder, CPO Asana [S5.E6]
19 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 2 of our People and Culture mini series features the phenomenal Anna Binder, the CPO of Asana, the $15b NYSE and LTSE listed technology busine...
People and Culture Mini Series (part 1): Reimagining the Face of Corporate America w/ Elias Torres (Co-Founder) and Dena Upton (CPO), Drift [S5.E5]
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the start of a Scaling Up mini series hoping to illuminate some amazing growth stories in regards to people and culture. We go deep on...
The Only Car Sales(man) You Ever Want to Meet - Cameron McIntyre, CEO Carsales.com [S5.E4]
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cameron McIntyre is one of Australia's most respected executives, having played a major part in the Carsales.com (CAR:ASX) journey over the last 15 ye...
The Forty Year Overnight Success Story - Dr Sam Hupert, CEO and Co-Founder, Pro Medicus [S5.E3]
05 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pro Medicus may well be one of the most under the radar growth stories of the world. Many listeners would not have heard of Pro Medicus (ASX:PME), nor...
The Future is Brighte - Katherine McConnell, CEO and Founder, Brighte [S5.E2]
28 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Katherine McConnell, the founder and CEO of Brigte is revolutionising how Australians are financing and decentralising sustainable energy solutions in...
Eating the Bank's Lunch w/ Athena Home Loans Co-Founders Nathan Walsh and Michael Starkey [S5.E1]
21 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the fifth season of "Scaling Up"! Expect an ecclectic mix of incredible Australian growth stories, told by their founders and CEOs. Some of...
Conquering the World from Southeast Asia w/ Abhishek Gupta, Co-Founder Circles.Life [S4.E7]
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Abhishek Gupta is the co-Founder of Circles Life, Asia’s first fully digital telco. Everything a Circles customer experiences is completely online, ...
CFO Mini Series (part II) - Rocketships and Receivables w/ David Obstler, CFO Datadog [S4.E6]
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David Obstler is the CFO of Datadog (NASDAQ:DDOG), a $30b hyper growth monitoring and security platform for cloud applications. Few current active CFO...
CFO Mini Series (part 1): Racing Through the Gears - Jill Woodworth, CFO Peloton [S4.E5]
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The first episode in this mini series is Jill Woodworth, the CFO of Peloton (NASDAQ:PTON). Since 2018, when Jill joined, Peleton has been on a hyper s...
The Ultimate Servant Leader - Ethan Berman, Founder and CEO RiskMetrics (1998-2010) [S4.E4]
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ethan Berman, was the CEO and founder of the NYSE listed Risk Metrics, until it was bought by MSCI in 2010 for US$1.55b. RiskMetrics, which was spun o...
Entertaining and Entrepreneurship - Howard Lerman, CEO and Co-Founder Yext [S4.E3]
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Howard Lerman is the CEO and co-founder of Yext (NYSE:YEXT) a US$360m revenue business that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Maybe list...
A Modern Day Wonder Woman - Therese Tucker, Founder, Executive Chairperson, and former CEO Blackline Inc [S4.E2]
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Therese Tucker is the founder, former CEO and current Executive Chair of the NASDAQ Listed, $6b market cap business Blackline Inc. (NASDAQ:BL) Therese...
Ahead of the Curve - Bill Magnuson, Co-Founder and CEO of Braze [S4.E1]
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back for another series of Scaling Up. Season 4 will again explore some of the great growth stories from around the world. To kick off Series ...
The Power of Compounding - Hamish Douglass, Co-Founder, CIO and Chairman, Magellan Financial Group [S3.E8]
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A very special guest rounds out Season 3, with many listeners very familiar with Hamish, Magellan, their investment philosophy and sustained success.&...
Big and Small, Seen it All - Robbie Cooke, CEO Tyro Payments [S3.E7]
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Robbie Cooke is one of Australia’s most experienced CEOs – having seen 'big' in his time as CEO of Tatts as well as entrepreneurial and fast growi...
Backpacking the Road of Business Intelligence Software - Myles Glashier Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Phocas Software [S3.E6]
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Myles Glashier is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Phocas Software. Most listeners would not have heard of, nor read about Phocas, as this is a story that...
The Full Spectrum: Entrepreneur, CEO and Investor - Paul Bassat, Co-Founder and former CEO Seek, and Founder Square Peg [S3.E5]
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Bassat makes for a unique 'Scaling Up' episode. As most listeners will know, Paul and his brother Andrew, along with Matt Rockman founded Seek in...
Purpose Meets Profit w/ Simon Griffiths, Co-Founder and CEO, Who Gives A Crap [S3.E4]
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Griffiths is the Co-Founder and CEO of Who Gives a Crap. People listening might not, until now, appreciate both the scale of the business and al...
Joining the Dots w/ Sankar Narayan, CEO SiteMinder [S3.E3]
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sankar Narayan, the CEO of SiteMinder is my guest today and the tapestry of his career is equal parts fascinating and inspiring. Born into the India m...
Dog Food, Deliberate Decisions and Durable Growth w/ Mike Frizell and James Edwards, Co-Founders of Pet Circle [S3.E2]
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Frizell and James Edwards, Co-Founders of Pet Circle, are the quiet achievers of the Australian consumer business scene. Their story is largely u...
Enterprise Software in Your Pocket - Luke Anear, CEO and Founder, SafetyCulture [S3.E1]
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Anear, CEO and Founder of SafetyCulture, is undoubtedly one of Australia's finest modern entrepreneurs. A boy from Townsville in Northern Queensl...
The Road to the Extraordinary - Rick Stollmeyer, Co-Founder and CEO of Mindbody [S2.E4]
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rick Stollmeyer co-founded Mindbody in 2001 and is still the CEO 20 years later. This is his story as much it is Mindbody’s story; from his learning...
The Secret Powers of a Generalist - Anneka Gupta, Co-President of LiveRamp [S2.E3]
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I am thrilled that Anneka Gupta has joined as the guest of this episode. Anneka is one of the rising stars in the US technology scene. She is currentl...
One Team, One Score, One North Star - Jonathan Corr, Ellie Mae CEO [S2.E2]
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Corr is my guest on this episode of Scaling Up. Jonathan is the current CEO of Ellie Mae. This episode is a wonderful deep dive into th...
Zillions of Pillows and Why Culture Matters - Spencer Rascoff, Co-Founder of Zillow Group [S2.E1]
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Season 2 of Scaling Up! My guest on this episode is Spencer Rascoff. Spencer looms as a large figure in the US tech scene – t...
The Future of the Flat White w/ Nick Stone, CEO and Founder of Bluestone Lane (Bonus Episode) [S1.E7]
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a bonus episode of Scaling Up season one – I recorded this while on the road recording season 2, but it feels like it has a natural home,...
Outhouse to the Penthouse - How Guy Russo Turned Around Kmart [S1.E6]
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Unlike the other interviews in this series, this is a retrospective tale, recounting one of Australia’s greatest turnaround storiesGuy Russo is one ...
Grit and Hustle Over Glitz and Glamour with Kate Morris, Founder of Adore Beauty [S1.E5]
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is the quintessential heroic founding tale. In 2001, with online retail in its infancy, Kate with just $12,000 of borrowed money in her back pock...
Cracking the Culture Code with Didier Elzinga, Co-Founder and CEO of Culture Amp [S1.E4]
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Didier Elzinga is the co-founder and CEO of Culture Amp – a people and culture platform, with a mission of powering culture focused companies right ...
The Making of a Category Killer with Matt Spencer, CEO Baby Bunting [S1.E3]
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Baby Bunting is Australia’s largest baby goods retailer, and this episode tracks the strategy & execution of what was a small, state-based, fami...
Art Meets Science with ROKT's Bruce Buchanan [S1.E2]
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Unknown to many, Bruce is one of Australia’s great entrepreneurs. As CEO, he scaled Jetstar to Asia’s largest low-cost carrier and then he co-foun...
Taking on McDonald's with Guzman y Gomez's Steven Marks [S1.E1]
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Steven Marks is the founder and global CEO of Guzman y Gomez – Australia’s fastest-growing quick-service restaurant. Steven’s inspirational...
Prologue: A Welcome to Scaling Up
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Scaling Up" is a new podcast series, hosted by Ed Cowan. Scaling a business is hard. Very few succeed to even navigate their way through startup land...