Wade In Conversation

About Wade In Conversation

Innovation is Everyone’s Business. You don’t have to be a startup founder or have a breakthrough idea to think like an entrepreneur. Innovation is about how we think, solve problems and create value, whatever our industry or role. Bringing together founders, investors, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and changemakers, we challenge conventional thinking and share real-world lessons. Through candid conversations on entrepreneurship, business innovation, leadership, emerging technologies and the future of work, we explore how people and organisations can navigate change and create impact.

Publisher

Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Jun 2026

Latest episode

15 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

5 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Jul 2026

   Innovation from the inside: how established businesses can think like startups

   In this episode of Wade in Conversation, Jessica Christiansen-Franks speaks with Sally Bruce about what genuine innovation really looks like inside established businesses, from highly regulated banking environments to fast-moving technology companies like Culture Amp. Sally challenges the idea that innovation is a job title or a single “big idea” moment. Instead, she argues that true innovation comes from deep customer understanding, excellent execution and the discipline to keep improving as expectations change. The conversation explores how banks innovate within regulation, why legacy businesses can become too focused on internal complexity, and why AI should not be treated only as a back-office cost-cutting tool. Sally also shares a sharp warning for leaders: if your people are already using AI, the real question is not whether to allow it, but how to create a safe, thoughtful and strategic environment around it. This episode is a timely discussion for business leaders, founders, executives and innovators thinking about AI adoption, customer experience, workforce responsibility and the future of competitive advantage. Jess and Sally discuss: Why innovation is not just a title or department How customer obsession drives meaningful business growth What banking can teach us about risk, regulation and problem solving The difference between internal transformation and customer-led innovation How Culture Amp shaped Sally’s view of product, users and long-term value Why legacy businesses risk being disrupted in an AI-first world The danger of using AI only to reduce costs Why organisations need to democratise AI safely The human responsibility leaders must consider when adopting AI How businesses can balance value for customers, workers and shareholders Follow us on: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-wade-institute) Substack (https://substack.com/@wadeinstituteInstagram ) ⁠YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@wadeinstituteofentrepreneu1159) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wadeinstitute/) Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wade-in-conversation/id1896886820) Or check out our website (https://wadeinstitute.org.au/) Wade in Conversation, business innovation podcast, AI in business, responsible AI, customer obsession, innovation strategy, business transformation, legacy business innovation, AI strategy, future of work, Culture Amp, banking innovation, customer experience, digital transformation, leadership podcast, Australian business podcast.

2. 

   23 Jun 2026

   Impact investing explained: Finding the right capital for your mission with Dan Madhavan

   What does it actually take to raise capital for a business built to create social or environmental impact? In this episode of Wade in Conversation, Jess speaks with impact investing expert Dan Madhavan about the realities of investing in impact-led ventures. They unpack why having an impact mission does not automatically make a business investable, how different impact models attract different kinds of capital, and why founders and investors need to understand the trade-offs behind every funding decision. Dan explains the difference between commercial and concessional impact investing, why blended finance is emerging as an important tool for complex problems, and how patient capital, governance and ownership can help founders protect their original mission as they grow. They also explore the questions investors should ask before backing an impact business, the risks of impact becoming watered down, and why founders must stay focused on the problem rather than falling in love with their first solution. Whether you are building an impact-led company, sitting on a board, deploying capital or simply trying to understand how finance can contribute to meaningful change, this conversation offers a practical starting point. Follow us on: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-wade-institute/) Substack (https://substack.com/@wadeinstitute) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wadeinstitute/) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@wadeinstituteofentrepreneu1159) Or on our website (https://wadeinstitute.org.au/) In this episode Why impact alone does not guarantee investment The five ways impact can be embedded into a business model Matching your business model with the right capital source Commercial versus concessional impact investing Why impact investing is more like track and field than one single category How blended finance combines grants, debt, equity and concessional capital Protecting impact through ownership, governance and regulation The importance of patient capital and flexible expectations of return Red flags investors should look for in impact businesses How founders can avoid watering down their original mission Chapters 00:00 Why impact does not automatically attract investment 01:03 Five ways to embed impact into a business 03:55 Which impact models suit which investors? 05:30 What impact investing really means 07:02 The Olympics and track-and-field analogy 09:29 Blended finance explained 12:07 Choosing between for-purpose and for-profit structures 14:38 Protecting the intention behind impact 17:09 Falling in love with the problem, not the solution 19:41 Commercial versus concessional returns 21:46 Patience, flexibility and trade-offs 24:09 The challenge of finding aligned capital 26:26 When impact investing becomes watered down 31:14 Who is deploying impact capital? 32:46 Impact businesses, real assets and outcomes-based models 33:53 Red flags for impact investors 35:24 The right questions for boards and founders 37:09 Where to start with impact investing Impact investing, blended finance, concessional vs commercial returns, impact capital, social enterprise funding, sustainable investing, patient capital, venture capital, governance, social impact, environmental impact, impact business, responsible investment, founders, investors, Australia, investor education, blended finance, first loss positions.

3. 

   18 Jun 2026

   What Every Leader Needs to Know About AI Right Now

   AI is moving fast, but for many business leaders, the hardest part is not understanding the technology. It is knowing what to actually do with it. In this episode, Jess sits down with AI expert and podcast host Georgie Healy to unpack how leaders can move beyond the headlines, fearmongering and buzzwords, and start using AI in practical, strategic and genuinely useful ways. Georgie explains why AI is not just another short-lived tech trend, but something closer to the internet in terms of its long-term impact. From personal productivity and voice AI, to prototyping, business strategy, team collaboration and the future structure of organisations, this conversation explores where AI is already creating value and where leaders need to be careful. The episode covers practical tools like WhisperFlow, Claude, ChatGPT, Lovable, Replit, Microsoft Copilot and Gemini, while also digging into bigger questions around authenticity, human creativity, over-engineering, AI-generated thought leadership and the role of teams in an AI-enabled workplace. Georgie also shares why she believes the future of business may become flatter, more idea-led and more human, not less. In a world where AI can help anyone build faster and cheaper, the real differentiator may become trust, taste, original thinking and the human behind the product. Follow us on: Follow us on: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-wade-institute) ⁠Substack⁠ (https://substack.com/@wadeinstituteInstagram ) ⁠⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@wadeinstituteofentrepreneu1159) ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/wadeinstitute/) ⁠Apple⁠ (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wade-in-conversation/id1896886820) Or check out our ⁠website⁠ (https://wadeinstitute.org.au/) Key Takeaways AI is not just a productivity tool, although that is often where people start. Georgie frames it as a thinking partner that can help leaders make decisions faster, test ideas sooner and access strategic support that once required larger teams or bigger budgets. Voice AI is one of the most practical tools leaders can start using immediately. Georgie highlights WhisperFlow as a way to dictate, transcribe and capture thinking across emails, documents and messages without being tied to one platform. AI is making it easier for founders and teams to go from zero to one. Tools like Lovable and Replit allow people to prototype websites, test ideas and validate customer interest before investing heavily in technical teams. The biggest AI mistake is using it to replace original thought. Georgie warns against outsourcing thought leadership, LinkedIn posts or strategic opinions to AI, because it often reads as generic and damages trust. Context is everything. AI becomes more useful when it understands your goals, voice, business direction and current reality. But feeding it outdated or irrelevant company information can lead to poor outputs. Teams can use AI as a strategic challenge partner. Rather than only using it for productivity, AI can help teams test assumptions, debate ideas, avoid groupthink and back up decisions with data. In the future, human originality may matter more than ever. As AI makes building and execution easier, the differentiator becomes who people trust, whose ideas feel original and who brings real human craft to the work. AI for business leaders, artificial intelligence strategy, AI productivity tools, AI in business, future of work, AI for executives, AI tools for entrepreneurs, voice AI, WhisperFlow, Lovable AI, Replit, ChatGPT for business, Claude AI, AI transformation, AI strategy for teams, AI and leadership, business innovation, AI thought leadership, human creativity and AI, AI workplace strategy.

4. 

   6 Jun 2026

   The hard truths about people and culture

   Founder of Plucky Frank and People and culture expert Charlie Simpson unpacks the hidden leadership mistakes that derail fast-growing companies. From founder bottlenecks and bad org design to Google’s failed no-manager experiment, this conversation explores how culture, systems, delegation, and self-awareness determine whether startups scale successfully - or collapse under their own growth. Follow us on: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-wade-institute) ⁠Substack⁠ (https://substack.com/@wadeinstituteInstagram ) ⁠⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@wadeinstituteofentrepreneu1159) ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/wadeinstitute/) ⁠Apple⁠ (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wade-in-conversation/id1896886820) Or check out our ⁠website⁠ (https://wadeinstitute.org.au/)

5. 

   6 Jun 2026

   Ready never comes. Why entrepreneurship is everyone’s business.

   Jessica Christiansen-Franks joins journalist and startup investor Madeleine Hanger for a candid conversation about building and exiting Neighbourlytics. Together, they also unpack the myths and misconceptions surrounding entrepreneurship and in Australia today, exploring what entrepreneurial practice really looks like behind the headlines. Follow us on: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-wade-institute) ⁠Substack⁠ (https://substack.com/@wadeinstituteInstagram ) ⁠⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@wadeinstituteofentrepreneu1159) ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/wadeinstitute/) ⁠Apple⁠ (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wade-in-conversation/id1896886820) Or check out our ⁠website⁠ (https://wadeinstitute.org.au/)

Contact Wade In Conversation

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.