WFLS Podcast

About WFLS Podcast

Exploring the wins, challenges, & lessons from startups. Honest conversations, real insights, and everything in between. Troy Hammond & Serge van Dam, with deep roots in the startup ecosystem in New Zealand and beyond, explore the world of startups, tech, markets, and media. They break down industry trends, uncover the realities of scaling companies, and share expert insights through candid conversations. Each episode features top founders, operators, investors, and innovators, offering lessons, perspectives, and stories from the frontlines of business and technology.

Publisher

Talent Army Media

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Dec 2022

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 113 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   Trying to Find Product-Market Fit… for a Political Party with Qiulae Wong

   Every startup has to find product-market fit. Qiulae Wong is trying to do it for a political party. Troy Hammond and Serge van Dam sit down with the Leader of The Opportunity Party for a founder conversation about building a challenger brand in New Zealand politics. Q shares what it took to raise money with no financial return, find her ideal voter beyond a 2–3% early-adopter base, and scale from about 15 candidates to 42. She also covers taking over Gareth Morgan's founding vision, handling tall poppy syndrome, and why breaking the left–right divide is the real disruption. We also cover:• Culture built on "well-founded hope"• Donation caps, the 5% threshold and new entrants• New Zealand's tech opportunity and weightless exports• AI policy and the public sector, with some friendly pushback• The mistake she learned the most from• Her five bottom lines and a cross-party 10-year health plan This isn't an endorsement. It's a conversation about founder thinking applied to democracy. This episode is brought to you by Talent Army, New Zealand's best startup recruitment company. www.talent.army 🎧 Follow Startup Theatre for more conversations with founders, investors and operators.

2. 

   9 Sept 2026

   Why a Minister and Mayor became a startup fan

   Why is government so bad at adopting new technology? And what would it take for New Zealand to build an economy where tech and startups sit alongside our traditional industries? This week, Serge Van Dam sits down with Wellington Mayor and former Cabinet Minister Andrew Little for a wide-ranging conversation about government, technology, risk and the future of New Zealand’s economy. Andrew gives an unusually candid view from inside government, including why the public sector is so risk-averse, why agencies gravitate towards large consulting firms and established technology providers, and why Kiwi startups can sometimes find it easier to win government customers overseas than at home. They also explore Wellington’s opportunity to become a genuine global startup city. Andrew lays out an ambition for 100 new startups a year, more globally significant technology companies, and a city where tech becomes a fundamental part of Wellington’s economic identity. The conversation covers AI inside local government, the $600,000 council website controversy, legacy technology in healthcare, procurement incentives, New Zealand’s “weightless economy”, and why political leaders struggle to articulate a compelling vision for a modern technology-driven economy. Plus, Andrew reflects on leadership, failure, resilience, his own technology literacy, what he admires about entrepreneurs, and whether he might ever invest in a startup himself. A fascinating conversation about what happens when politics, government and startups collide — and what New Zealand needs to do differently if technology is going to help drive the next chapter of our economy. Startup Theatre is hosted by Troy Hammond, Serge Van Dam and Adrienne Muir. This episode is brought to you by Maximus — an AI-powered go-to-market agency for B2B companies. Find out more at MaximusGTM.com. Why is government so bad at adopting new technology? And what would it take for New Zealand to build an economy where tech and startups sit alongside our traditional industries? This week, Serge Van Dam sits down with Wellington Mayor and former Cabinet Minister Andrew Little for a wide-ranging conversation about government, technology, risk and the future of New Zealand’s economy. Andrew gives an unusually candid view from inside government, including why the public sector is so risk-averse, why agencies gravitate towards large consulting firms and established technology providers, and why Kiwi startups can sometimes find it easier to win government customers overseas than at home. They also explore Wellington’s opportunity to become a genuine global startup city. Andrew lays out an ambition for 100 new startups a year, more globally significant technology companies, and a city where tech becomes a fundamental part of Wellington’s economic identity. The conversation covers AI inside local government, the $600,000 council website controversy, legacy technology in healthcare, procurement incentives, New Zealand’s “weightless economy”, and why political leaders struggle to articulate a compelling vision for a modern technology-driven economy. Plus, Andrew reflects on leadership, failure, resilience, his own technology literacy, what he admires about entrepreneurs, and whether he might ever invest in a startup himself. A fascinating conversation about what happens when politics, government and startups collide — and what New Zealand needs to do differently if technology is going to help drive the next chapter of our economy. Startup Theatre is hosted by Troy Hammond, Serge Van Dam and Adrienne Muir. This episode is brought to you by Maximus — an AI-powered go-to-market agency for B2B companies. Find out more at https://maximusgtm.com/

3. 

   15 Jul 2026

   She Built & Sold an AI Startup in Under 2 Years for $34M

   How do you build and sell an AI startup in under two years? In this episode of Startup Theatre, Troy Hammond, Serge Van Dam and Adrian Muir sit down with Jessica Venning-Bryan, CEO and Co-founder of Factor, fresh off the company's acquisition by NZX-listed Gentrack. Jessica shares the incredible journey from identifying a major problem in the global energy industry to building an AI-powered SaaS platform that was acquired in record time. She also opens up about founder relationships, raising capital, leadership, work-life balance, and why your career doesn't have to follow a straight line. In this episode we cover: How Factor was built and acquired by Gentrack The fastest startup exits in New Zealand Finding billion-dollar problems hiding in plain sight Building AI products for the energy sector How to prepare your startup for acquisition Due diligence lessons every founder should know Why founder relationships matter Raising venture capital as a female founder Leadership, motherhood, and entrepreneurship Why careers should be "jungle gyms", not ladders Critical thinking, AI, and the future of education What Jessica would build next Whether you're building a startup, investing in technology, leading a team, or dreaming of your first exit, this episode is packed with practical lessons from one of New Zealand's most impressive founders. 🎧 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, investors and operators building the future. This podcast was brought to you by Oxygen Advisors Oxygen Advisors is New Zealand's leading outsourced finance partner for startups and high-growth businesses, providing accounting, bookkeeping, tax, CFO, payroll and revenue operations services to help founders scale with confidence. Learn more at www.oxygenadvisors.co.nz. #StartupTheatre #JessicaVenningBryan #Factor #Gentrack #Startup #AI #SaaS #Founder #Entrepreneurship #TechNZ #WomenInTech #StartupExit

Inside a recent episode

How I went from sewing machines to building a global SaaS company

Published 25 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] But I think getting inspiration from other businesses, I think that was really key. Like just following zero, following campaign monitor, following Zendesk, maybe you'll recognize some of these you guys all, not even real, but I think you go out to the market and you find companies that have money and that are doing great things and you imitate them where it's possible. Yeah, I think that's shameless imitation thing. I mean, it's come through in conversations with you before, but there's nothing wrong with copying what others are doing, right? What's really cool time is when you get past that and you start creating your own interesting things. […]

Who has been a guest on WFLS Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Marian Johnson
• Alliv Samson
• Kristen Lunman
• Natalie Ferguson
• Lucy Pink

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

110,767

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

4.9 / 5

57 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

62

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

77

Contact WFLS Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

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

Questions about WFLS Podcast