Ground Breaking Podcast

#Karl Budge, Director, The LIVE Experience

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 07:55:13 GMT

Karl Budge is a strategic sports leader who has played a key role building the ASB Classic, WTA, Australian Open and FIFA brands globally.

Karl is about to bring one of the most exciting surf events New Zealand has ever had, the Corona Piha Pro.

I know you will enjoy this interview, so be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#41 Ezel Kokcu, CEO and Co-Founder, Passphere

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 08:38:58 GMT

Ezel Kokcu is a serial entrepreneur on to her third startup Passphere; an analytics registration platform for large scale events and theme parks. Ezel also co-founded STQRY; an exploration app for museums and cultural sites. She raised over $7 million in VC funding, and had over 800 customers on the books before selling the company in 2016.

I know you will enjoy this interview, so be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#40 Nick Hyland, Co-Founder, Flamingo Scooters

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 21:06:02 GMT

Nick Hyland and his business partner Jacksen Love are two amazing entrepreneurs taking on the world of last-mile transport through Flamingo Scooters. In the face of major competition from global companies like Lime and Uber, Flamingo Scooters already have over 1,200 scooters across 3 major cities in New Zealand.

I know you will enjoy this interview, so be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#39 Greig Brebner, Founder & Design Director, Madeblunt

Sat, 07 Dec 2019 23:05:24 GMT

Greig Brebner is the founder of BLUNT Umbrellas, a New Zealand company that has disrupted the umbrella category, by creating better performing and longer lasting umbrella.

Greig is still deeply involved in the day to day running of the company, he is passionate about creating a better product, and he is always on the lookout for new ideas and improvements to bring to market.

I know you will enjoy this interview, so be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#38 Grant Difford, Co-Founder and CEO, Waking Giants

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 04:49:01 GMT

Grant Difford founded Waking Giants in 2011, and this creative agency is growing from strength to strength.

Grant talks to me about his massive ambition, the hard times that shaped his leadership and how he is keeping one eye on creativity and the other on entrepreneurship.

I know you will enjoy this interview, so be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#37 Jon Bostock, Co-Founder & CEO Truman's

Sat, 09 Nov 2019 22:02:02 GMT

Jon Bostock has consistently succeeded at the toughest challenges presented by companies both large and small. Over the course of nearly a decade at General Electric, he reinvented the company’s sprawling appliances division, devising ways to grow share and profitability, all the while competing against an ever-increasing number of entrants.

In 2016, Jon joined Big Ass Fans, he focused on improving the customer experience and then shepherded a sale that valued the company at $500 million.

Following the sale, Jon sought a new challenge and joined with Big Ass Fans Global Marketing Director Alex Reed to found Truman’s, a household cleaning products company designed for today's consumer with an emphasis on simplicity, convenience and sustainability.

I know you will enjoy this interview, so be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#36 James Robinson, Co-Founder, My Food Bag

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 06:37:53 GMT

As co-founder of two highly successful NZ start-ups – James Robinson has run the Marketing, IT and Finance teams of both businesses.

With revenues exceeding 100 million, My Food Bag has changed the landscape of the online retail food sector.

I know you will enjoy this interview, so be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#35 Catherine Wood, Founder & CEO, Ark Investment Management

Sat, 21 Sep 2019 22:53:42 GMT

Catherine Wood is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ark Investment Management which runs

$7.4 billion in assets.

From Tesla to the latest innovators in healthcare, Cathie Wood always keeps her eye on the disruptors. In 2018, Cathie was recognised in Bloomberg’s Top 50 list of leaders who have defined global business.

Cathie has spoken all over the world and this week she finds herself in New Zealand speaking to me, your host Eli of Ground Breaking Podcast.

I know you will enjoy this interview, so be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#34 Tony Falkenstein, Founder and CEO, Just Life Group

Sun, 08 Sep 2019 07:01:04 GMT

Tony Falkenstein is the Founder and CEO of Just Life Group.

This Auckland based entrepreneur's story is filled with wins and losses and an array of business ventures from fax machines, to watches to sunglasses and water coolers.

This episode will challenge your mindset around failure and help you consider what you are prepared to lose when it all goes wrong.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#33 Ben Forman, Co-Founder, Wrestler

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 09:07:53 GMT

This week I am speaking with Ben Forman the co-founder of Wrestler.

Wrestler are a creative agency specialising in human centred storytelling.They have worked with the likes of Allbirds, Singapore Airlines, NZ Post and Kiwibank.

From creating parody rap videos in high school Ben has come along way having been named this year on the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list. Ben is one of only six New Zealanders to make the list this year, and the only Kiwi in the media, marketing & advertising category.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#32 Mike Van De Elzen, Restaurateur and internationally renowned chef

Sat, 03 Aug 2019 22:47:38 GMT

This we dive into the world of Mike Van De Elzen an internationally renowned chef and restaurateur. Mike started his career in the food industry at the age of 14 cleaning dishes, and over the last 30 plus years of his career has run and owned some of Auckland’s landmark restaurants.

You are in for an interesting story this week and whether you are in the food business or not there are some great lessons for any budding entrepreneur.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#31 Pat Macfie, Creative Leader

Sun, 14 Jul 2019 06:00:20 GMT

Pat Macfie is a creative leader who has just finished up as the Global Director of Media at Xero, ranked by Forbes as the Worlds Most Innovative Growth Companies.

Pat has built up a reputation of building high performing global creative teams and has partnered with several premium global brands across his career. Pat is passionate about his culture, storytelling and inspiring the next generation.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#30 Pablo Kraus, Managing Director, Ecostore

Sun, 30 Jun 2019 18:30:00 GMT

Welcome to Episode 30 and the launch of Season 3 of Ground Breaking Podcast.

This week I am speaking to Pablo Kraus the Managing Director of Ecostore.

Ecostore was initially founded on being an environmentally friendly brand but have evolved into a full health and wellbeing brand. This year they were voted New Zealand's most authentic brand beating brands like Apple, IKEA, Airbnb, Telsa and Air New Zealand.

Paul and his team have a dream to hold their own on the world stage and beat the likes of the $230 billion-plus valued Unilever.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#29 Alexia Hilbertidou, Director, GirlBoss New Zealand

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 05:20:24 GMT

Welcome to another episode of Ground Breaking podcast.

Did you know Only 4% of NZX 50 CEOs are women, that’s crazy and Alexia Hilbertidou is on mission to get more women to the boardroom table.

Alexia founded GirlBoss New Zealand, an organisation that empowers the next generation of female changemakers. In just a few years, Girl Boss has over 10,500 members and programmes have been implemented in 55 schools across New Zealand, Australia and the Cook Islands.

I walked away from this interview inspired and excited for the future of young New Zealanders and I hope you do to.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#28 Kiri Barfoot, Director, Barfoot & Thompson

Sun, 19 May 2019 01:10:46 GMT

There are more cranes in Auckland at the moment than any city in the United States and with Auckland’s population set to increase to over 4 million people, the property industry is set to become even more competitive.

This week I am speaking to Kiri Barfoot who serves as Director of Barfoot & Thompson.

Kiri joined Barfoot & Thompson in 1991 and represents the third generation of Barfoots in this family business.

Barfoot and Thompson has been part of the Auckland market for nearly 100 years. They have over 75 branches and over 1,700 salespeople across Auckland and Northland.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#27 Leigh Isaacson, CEO & Co-Founder, Dig (DigDates.com)

Sun, 14 Apr 2019 06:08:00 GMT

The dating app world is growing remarkably, at least a third of marriages last year started with online dating.

Leigh Isaacson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Dig Dates, which is a pet technology company that runs Dig - The Dog Person's Dating App. Leigh and her sister Casey found a market in the booming pet industry, infusing the passion and commitment of dog lovers with the energy of dating and finding true love

Leigh shares their successes, challenges, and insights into developing a brand, marketing with little to no resources and what they’re working on for the future.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#26 Aidan Kenealy, Director, Hole in One Ventures

Sun, 31 Mar 2019 05:00:47 GMT

This week I speak to Aidan Kenealy the Director of Hole in One Ventures.

Aidan co-founded EMGN.com in January 2014, EMGN quickly became one of the fastest growing websites in history, attracting over 30 million unique users per day by the end of its first year. By December 2015 the site was ranked in the top 10 US mobile websites and in the top 500 global websites. EMGN.com was sold in Mid-2016.

Aidan has since moved into the mentoring and advisory space, with a particular focus on start-ups, and has been working with many companies to help them navigate the challenges of successfully growing young companies. On top of this work, he has been actively investing and facilitating capital activities for a number of start-up companies. His mission is to help those with high growth businesses realise their vision for success.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#25 Pic Picot, Founder & CEO, Pic's Peanut Butter

Sun, 17 Mar 2019 05:00:52 GMT

Pic Picot is the CEO and Founder of Pic's Peanut Butter has gone from operating out of his garage to running a multi-million-dollar factory which sees more than 20 thousand jars a day exported.

But before peanut butter, Pic had started probably more businesses than years I have been alive. Pic had a chat to me about his journey, what he has learnt over the years and how delegation enabled him to build his peanut butter empire.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#24 Daniel Flynn, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Thankyou

Sun, 03 Mar 2019 05:42:55 GMT

The Thankyou story belongs to three kids from Melbourne who started out with nothing more than a belief in their ability to change the world.

Driven, resourceful, humble and determined, those are just some of the words that came to mind after my interview with Daniel Flynn the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Thankyou.

Thankyou, is a social enterprise that commits 100% of our profit to end global poverty.They have now given over $5.5 million to impactful projects around the world that have enabled clean water for more than 540,000 people and provided food aid for more than 132,000 people.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#23 Jake Millar, CEO & Co-Founder, Unfiltered

Sun, 17 Feb 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Jake Millar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Unfiltered and is just as passionate as me about learning everything he can from some of the most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders out there.

Unfiltered, offers video interviews with many of the world's leading entrepreneurs and business leaders, and has attracted 27 million video views and he has established strategic partnerships with over 30 companies including BMW and PwC.

Last year Jake and his co-founder Yuuki on Forbes Magazine's "30 under 30" list of individuals in education to watch in North America.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#22 Michael "Luni" Libes, Founder and Managing Director, Fledge

Sun, 03 Feb 2019 05:00:02 GMT

Michael Libes or “Luni” as he is more well known, is the Founder and Managing Director of Fledge.

Luni is a US based serial entrepreneur, impact investor and an ecosystem builder. After watching graduates struggle to launch their mission-driven businesses, Luni founded Fledge, the Conscious Company accelerator. Each year Fledge runs a program with seven mission-driven, for-profit companies. Each company is focused on making an impact on some of the most pressing challenges around the world.

If you enjoy this interview be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#21 Ryan Sanders, Founder, Haka Tours

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMT

A New Year and a new season. I am super excited by what we have in store on Ground Breaking Podcast for Season Two.

To kick off 2019 I wanted to share my interview with Ryan Sanders.

Ryan was climbing the career ladder in a well-paid corporate job for the Royal Bank of Scotland when he realised something was missing and in 2007 after a year of planning, he established Haka Tours. Haka Tours runs small group tours and has a growing portfolio of hotels and a fast-growing special interest overseas tour operation, these have gone on to grow at an average of 80 per cent year-on-year.

I hope you enjoy this first episode of Season Two.

Stay awesome

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#20 Nicholas Marchesi, Co-Founder, Orange Sky Laundry

Sun, 16 Dec 2018 05:00:00 GMT

I love doing an interview that changes the way I look at business and life. Nicholas Marchesi and Lucas Patchett Co-Founded Orange Sky Laundry in 2014. One day they had a crazy idea to throw a washing machine and a dryer in the back of a van and go and help out the homeless by doing their washing. In just four years they have:

27 vans across Australia, one in every state and territory.
Launched their first ever international van, across the Tasman into Auckland, New Zealand.
Over 1,500 volunteers

Now I am seriously motivated to help these guys and you can help too. Here are 3 ways:

You can volunteer
You can donate
You can pick up a Orange Sky Gift Pack for Christmas
You can introduce them to someone you know, someone who can do the above 2 things or (and maybe even better) you can introduce them to a HUGE sponsor.

I hope you enjoy this final episode of Season One. Thanks for joining me and I am looking forward to launching Season Two in 2019.

Stay awesome and have a happy Christmas and New Year

Eli Smit

Founder & Host

Ground Breaking Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#19 Guy Ryan, CEO Co-Founder, Inspiring Stories

Sun, 09 Dec 2018 05:00:13 GMT

Welcome to episode 19 of Ground Breaking Podcast.

My guest this week, is Guy Ryan, the CEO and Founder of Inspiring Stories.

Guy is an entrepreneur and a leader. He has built numerous ventures, both for-profit and charitable, and has built an impressive track record of programmes and partnerships that have helped support more than 6,000 young New Zealanders to unleash their potential.

Guy was awarded Young New Zealander of the Year in 2015 and has spoken internationally and at home to more than 20,000 people.

I hope you enjoy the interview, be sure to subscribe and share it with your network.

Stay awesome and share the love

Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#18 Sam Stuchbury, Founder & Creative Director, Motion Sickness

Sun, 25 Nov 2018 05:00:00 GMT

Motion Sickness is an independent creative agency based in Auckland, New Zealand, shaking up the industry.

This week Sam Stuchbury the Founder and Creative Director at Motion Sickness and 2018 Forbes Asia 30 under 30 list-maker, shares his thoughts on his journey from a tiny Dunedin flat to producing quality content for the who’s who of high-profile clients including Blunt Umbrellas, Burger Burger, Les Mills and Jim Beam to name a few.

I hope you enjoy the interview, be sure to subscribe and share it with your network.

Stay awesome and share the love

Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#17 Robett Hollis, Founder, FRONTSIDE

Sun, 11 Nov 2018 05:00:42 GMT

Robett Hollis is a passionately driven Entrepreneur. He founded a media business called FRONTSIDE, one of NZ's leading Content Consultancy & Video Production Agencies which in February 2018 officially joined forces with Saatchi&Saatchi. This company now sits (100%) under Publicis Groupe - The 3rd Largest Communications Company in the World with 80,000 employees in over 120 countries.

In 2006 Robett launched AIRTIME - which grew into NZ's Largest Action Sports Media Network. In July 2018 AIRTIME officially partnered with ICG - New Zealand's Biggest Independent Media Publisher.

In 2013, to support the startup and tech ecosystem Robett created a shared workspace business called ColabNZ - which expanded to New Zealand's Largest Co-Working Workspaces. In July 2018 ColabNZ was fully acquired (100%) by Generator.

Robett went on to acquire the New Zealand Innovation Council & the New Zealand Innovation Awards and launched a 50 million dollar initiative to help more kiwis win in business.

Robett has now partnered with Spark Lab and launched the #YesToSuccess Initiative which aims to help educate and inspire 800,000 New Zealand students.

There is nothing Robett does by halves and I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.

Be sure to subscribe and share it with your network.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#16 Lisa Ison & Johanna Cotter, Co-Founders, Digital Commons

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 05:00:00 GMT

Lisa Ison and Johanna Cotter are two amazing entrepreneurs who have a depth of digital expertise and have rapidly grown their business, Digital Commons.

Digital Commons operates in both New Zealand and Australia with a team specialising in online and mobile media.

I hope you enjoy this episode, be sure to subscribe and share it with your network.

Stay awesome and share the love

Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#15 Craig Piggott, Founder & CEO, Halter Ltd

Sun, 14 Oct 2018 05:05:00 GMT

New Zealand’s farming sector adopts new technology more quickly than many other countries around the world.

Our emerging start-up ecosystem has been able to iterate quickly on-farm and is often driven by deep domain knowledge. Craig Piggott, the Founder and CEO of Halter, is one entrepreneur helping farmers embrace the digital revolution.

Halter’s product is a cow collar that lets farmers track and move their herds. So think of a Fitbit for cows, a cow wearable that not only tracks their activity data but controls their movement using audio cues. Halter is committed to reducing the intensive hours farmers work, supporting farmers to meet growing global food demand, enhancing animal welfare and protecting the environment.

So strap on your wellingtons and enjoy this chat with Craig.

Be sure to subscribe and share this episode with your network.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#14 Chloe Van Dyke, Founder & CEO, CHIA Natural Health Drinks

Sun, 30 Sep 2018 05:00:03 GMT

This episode I spoke with Chloe van Dyke the Founder and CEO of CHIA.

CHIA aims to produce innovative nutrient rich options and encourages adventure.

Chloe is involved in all aspects of the business from production through to sales. The brand is now widely distributed throughout New Zealand and is recognised as a leader in the beverage industry in innovation and nutrition. CHIA exports to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Australia.

Be sure to subscribe and share this episode with your network.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#13 Sharndre Kushor, Co-Founder and COO, Crimson Education

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 06:00:52 GMT

This was my first time meeting someone who has been recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

This episode I speak to Sharndre Kushor, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Crimson Education. Sharndre along with her Co-Founder Jamie Beaton have turned a small Auckland based start-up in a global education company operating in 25 countries and valued at over $200 Million. To date, Crimson Education students have received more than $33 million in scholarships to study at the world’s best universities, including Harvard, Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge.

Be sure to subscribe and share this episode if you enjoy it.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#12 Vaughan Rowsell, Founder & Director, Vend

Sun, 02 Sep 2018 09:45:07 GMT

You are in for an awesome episode, as I speak to Vaughan Rowsell, the founder of Vend, a New Zealand high-growth tech success story, and founder of OMGTech! a charitable initiative to help kids into careers with future technology.

Vaughan was EY's Tech Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014 and is a sought after speaker on numerous topics from startups, culture, education and innovation.

As Vice-chair of the NZ Hi-Tech Trust Vaughan is involved in the celebration of the NZ hi-tech industry through awards and education.

Be sure to subscribe and share this episode if you enjoy it.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#11 Carson Kropfl, Founder, Locker Board

Sun, 26 Aug 2018 09:20:23 GMT

The United States accounts for more than 50% of the total skateboarding market and skateboarding is now a $4.8 billion dollar industry.

Now imagine being 12 and getting the chance to appear on “Shark Tank” to pitch your skateboard business. And then imagine that Sir Richard Branson offers you $65,000 for a 20-percent stake in your company.This was the reality for Carson Kropfl the creator and founder of Locker Board.

But as any good entrepreneur knows, before luck comes hard work.

You are in for an awesome episode, so get your helmet and pads ready as we hit the streets with Carson.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#10 Lillian Grace, CEO & Founder, Figure.NZ

Sun, 19 Aug 2018 06:06:29 GMT

Welcome to another amazing episode of Ground Breaking Podcast.

Did you know...

2.7 Zettabytes of data exist in the digital universe today
149, 513 emails are sent every minute.
3,3 million (undoubtedly extremely insightful) Facebook posts are created every minute.
3.8 Google million searches are performed each minute.
Each minute, 65,972 Instagram photos are uploaded.

By the year 2020:

1.7 megabytes of new information will be created every second, per person.
Around 1/3 of all data will be processed through the cloud.

In the face of all of this data, today, less than 0.5% of available data is actually being analysed.

Lillian Grace is one of those making sense of this data for New Zealand. Lillian founded Figure.NZ in 2012 and is focused on making data accessible to everyone.

I hope you enjoy this episode. So, leave a comment and subscribe today.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#9 Anna Guenther, Co-Founder and Chief Bubble Blower, PledgeMe

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 06:00:45 GMT

As careers go Anna Guenther is not doing half bad, with stints working for the New Zealand Government, MIT and a Masters in Entrepreneurship with a focus on crowdfunding. Anna is currently co-founder and Chief Bubble Blower of PledgeMe, New Zealand's first crowdfunding platform.

Over five years PledgeMe has had over $15 million pledged and over 1,100 creative, community and entrepreneurial campaigns - ranging from food forests through to a craft brewers.

In order to continue to grow in New Zealand, launch in Australia and focus on making equity crowdfunding equitable, PledgeMe are equity crowdfunding equity crowdfunding (again). If you want to join Anna and the PledgeMe team for this journey, please head over to their campaign page.

I hope you enjoy this episode. So, leave a comment and subscribe today.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#8 Ben Reynolds, CEO and Co-Founder, Spalk

Sun, 05 Aug 2018 11:25:58 GMT

This week's episode saw me speak with Ben Reynolds the Co-Founder and CEO of Spalk.

Spalk's offices are based out of the Icehouse and I was amazed by the number of significant businesses that have been connected with this Trust.

Spalk’s technology allows broadcasters and content owners to offer hundreds of different audio commentary options alongside their existing live broadcast. They have developed some clever technology which is able to perfectly synchronise remote commentary audio to the existing live video. Spalk works with content partners around the world like FIBA, Rugby Canada and Māori Television and have seen their software power 1,000’s of commentaries for millions of sports fans.

I hope you enjoy this episode. So, leave a comment and subscribe today.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#7 Dale Clareburt, Founder and CEO, Weirdly

Sun, 29 Jul 2018 04:06:43 GMT

Welcome to another amazing episode of Ground Breaking Podcast.

When it comes to the recruitment process and landing the ideal hire it can seem like a daunting and nearly impossible task.

This week I am talking with Dale Clareburt the founder and CEO of a high-growth kiwi tech company called Weirdly.

Dale describes herself as a business Leader, a HRTech expert and a Future of Work enthusiast. She has extensive experience across the recruitment industry. Her passion lies in developing people and challenging traditional business structures.

I hope you enjoy this episode. So, leave a comment and subscribe today.

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Eli Smit

Founder + Host

Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#6 Katharina Weischede, Founder, Slime Princess

Sun, 22 Jul 2018 01:29:09 GMT

I'm super excited this week as I got to meet a princess. Well the Slime Princess.

Katharina Weischede is twelve and passionate about slime and putting smiles on peoples faces. Katharina runs a physical and an online store and has expanded to sell Slime Princess merchandise. She has built an awesome brand and is well worth following on Instragram.

I hope you enjoy this episode. So, leave a comment and subscribe today.

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Eli Smit
Founder + Host
Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#5 Ashutosh Sharma, CEO and Founder, Sparx Exchange

Sat, 14 Jul 2018 23:06:50 GMT

Hi everyone,

Welcome to another week and another episode of Ground Breaking Podcast.

This week I speak with Ashutosh Sharma, the CEO and Founder of Sparx Exchange.

In a world of AR, VR, cryptocurrency, blockchain and the ecommerce frontier, Ash Sharma is working on some of the products for tomorrow. I was so glad to find some time with Ash who travels regularly outside of New Zealand and I'm sure you will enjoy every minute of this interview as much as I did.

Prior to this interview I'd never heard of Bitcoin, ZCash, Monero or Ethereum. After the interview I thought I'd investigate Fintech and what I discovered was whole new world of chatbots, insurtech and open banking.

It was interesting looking at the infographic below from the team at Code Brew Labs.

I'd love to hear from you, so do leave a comment and subscribe today.

Stay awesome and share the love

Eli Smit
Founder + Host
Groundbreakingpodcast.com

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#4 Will Hewitt, Managing Director, Ventworks

Sun, 08 Jul 2018 10:22:15 GMT

Welcome to epsiode 4 of Ground Breaking Podcast.

This week I interviewed Will Hewitt the Managing Director of Ventworks. Will started his career in Nelson, while he was still attending school. He co-founded ThnkBot with his long-term mentor and friend Daniel Farley. ThnkBot produced educational robot kits. From robots to wireless sensing products, Will moved onto his next venture founding Ventworks. His devices are in use in the Nelson/Tasman and Canterbury regions, and work atop of existing networks as well as custom networking solutions.

If you love robots, technology and science this episode is for you. I know I geeked out. Will shares solid advice and I was amazed to hear I could start a company for a $100. We talked lemonade stands, resilience and the opportunities available to young entrepreneurs.

I'd love to hear from you, so do leave a comment and subscribe today.

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Eli Smit
Founder + Host
Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#3 Deanna Yang, Chief Cookie Officer, Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 01:20:35 GMT

Welcome to our next episode, this week we are talking with Deanna Yang the Chief Cookie Officer of Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar.

If you have never tried one of Deanna’s cookies, can I encourage you to jump online and order a pack today, YUM!

Deanna dreamt of opening her own Milk & Cookie shop since she was 8 years old. Deanna talks with me about the journey of making this dream a reality. Retailing through both physical and online stores and the cultural change we need to see in New Zealand to help the next generation of young business people thrive.

I'd love to hear from you, so do leave a comment and subscribe today.

Stay awesome and share the love

Eli Smit
Founder + Host
Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#2 Rees Vinsen, CEO & Founder, Adduco Media

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 04:08:15 GMT

Welcome to our first episode, this week we are talking with Rees Vinsen the Founder and CEO of Adduco Media.

Rees talks with me about starting his business at the age of 15-years-old. The incredibly hard transition from taking an idea and turning it into a real world business; all with no business experience and no capital. He shares his recipe for successfully finding the right customers and the challenges he had to overcome because of his age. Also don't miss his best 3 pieces of advice for any up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

Adduco Media is a modern-day Social Media Marketing Company built to unlock value from today’s changing media landscape. His team are focused on helping brands, across New Zealand, USA and parts of Asia, build trust and advocacy amongst their key audiences.

I'd love to hear from you, so do leave a comment.

Stay awesome and share the love

Eli Smit
Founder + Host
Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#1 Welcome to Ground Breaking Podcast

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 09:14:02 GMT

Welcome to Ground Breaking Podcast.

I have a passion for business and when I started to work on my first business idea I thought I should learn as much as possible from those already blazing a trail ahead of me.

Each week I'll connect with young entrepreneurs making an impact on the next generation of business. Guests will share the stories behind the businesses they are building, what’s worked, what hasn’t and how they are figuring things out.

I look forward to you joining me on the journey.

Stay awesome and share the love

Eli Smit
Founder + Host
Groundbreakingpodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.