Sweat Capital

#150 - Nick Palumbo: The Gelato Messina Story & Why Specialisation Matters

In this week's episode, we are joined by Nick Palumbo (Founder - Gelato Messina) to discuss his journey over more than 20 years of operating Australia's most recognised gelatisserie. In the discussion, we unpack: Why keeping it simple has served Nick and his business partners well? Messinanomics - the secret behind Gelato/ice cream and its rough nexus to the macroeconomy, some of the patterns and trends discussed may surprise you... The one thing that Nick could not live without His advice for other young entrepreneurs and business owners of all kinds A rare insight into the brainchild of Messina's approach to succeeding in a notoriously challenging industry. *** This episode was recorded on 25 June 2026. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instragram [https://www.instagram.com/sweatcapitalpodcast/] & ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn. [https://au.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod] We'll see you in the next one, Keep playing the long game.

#149 - Best of 2026 So Far: Job Interviews, Cybersecurity, Consulting Wealth Management (Part 2)

We're just about halfway through 2026 with 26 episodes in the bag, so we wanted to look back at some of our favourite moments from the show so far this year. In Part 2, we revisit four conversations that stuck with us – from the art of ethical hacking and protecting Australia's largest companies from cyber threats, to lessons from Australia's highest ranked wealth adviser, to how to nail your next job interview or pitch. In this episode: 00:00–09:05 Assadi Youssef (IBM) on the art of ethical hacking and protecting Australia's biggest companies from cyber threats [⁠⁠Episode #139 [https://youtu.be/iFL8zx3qUiA?si=D-sxCiEj_QSLLaif]⁠⁠] 09:05–22:03 Jonathan Pease (Winning The Room) on how to nail your next job interview or pitch [⁠⁠Episode #145 [https://youtu.be/cnWLJQ-dmRM?si=uemEQ2SH50wwWefX]⁠⁠] 22:03–33:36 Dr. Stephanie Allen (Kearney) on going from solving bus timetables to advising global healthcare giants [⁠⁠Episode #137 [https://youtu.be/sX3p6RDhoL0?si=3DXVk3wgX8bZ7olO]⁠⁠] 33:36–52:24 Charlie Viola (Viola Private Wealth) on going from a bank teller to Australia's highest ranked wealth adviser [⁠⁠Episode #141⁠⁠ [https://youtu.be/ZaCgVNMmg2A?si=il__kvelfTB7Zs1b]] *** Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/sweatcapitalpodcast/] & ⁠LinkedIn⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod/]. Enjoying the show? Share this episode with a friend who's playing the long game in whatever they're doing. We'll see you in the next one.

#148 - Best of 2026 So Far: AI, Careers, Moscow, Satellites & Backing The Right Horse (Part 1)

We're just about halfway through 2026 with 26 episodes in the bag, so we wanted to look back at some of our favourite moments from the show so far this year. In Part 1, we revisit six conversations that stuck with us – from how AI is revolutionising fundamental investing, to why you should view your career as a portfolio and not a ladder, to launching satellites into space after hitting rock bottom. In this episode: 00:00–15:09 Armina Rosenberg (Minotaur Capital) on how AI is rewriting the rules of stock picking [Episode #130 [https://youtu.be/w2kBDKgLlZ8?si=llft0ulI58tORIaY]] 15:09–18:13 Alexander Currie (Baker Botts) on what happens when your boss asks you to move to Moscow "just for 3 months" and it turns into 5-and-a-half years [Episode #134 [https://youtu.be/5YPOwGHQYFc?si=bcCEH6oyV53b2mZe]] 18:13–24:16 Anthony Brown (NobleOak) on why your career is a portfolio, not a ladder [Episode #125 [https://youtu.be/-fSVRk8v308?si=okAHOKuWAO1AeaN8]] 24:16–27:48 Graham Kerr (South32) on cramming in as many experiences as you can before you turn 30 [Episode #132 [https://youtu.be/SQ60gfN6Ksw?si=AAdNw6ySXRPzTh43]] 27:48–38:02 Flavia Tata Nardini (Fleet Space Technologies) on going from rock bottom to launching satellites into space [Episode #128 [https://youtu.be/S8SpPTp13Vg?si=FLGpt2UAWC6AaXWA]] 38:02–48:09 Brian Hartzer (Quantium Health), former Westpac CEO, on the importance of backing the right horse [Episode #144 [https://youtu.be/3n9n2qCZh1E?si=fOQsknKdQF1EHMDz]] Part 2 drops next week. *** Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sweatcapitalpodcast/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod/]. Enjoying the show? Share this episode with a friend who's playing the long game in whatever they're doing. We'll see you in the next one.

#147 - Do These Things Right Now To Stop Falling Behind In The AI Race (Oliver Merrick)

In this episode of Sweat Capital, we sit down with Oliver Merrick [https://www.instagram.com/olivermerrick___/], the 22-year old founder of Mez Corp, to unpack what it actually takes to build a business at the coalface of AI. Ollie's path is anything but conventional. The son of winemakers, he made his first $5 at 14 doing Instagram shoutouts from boarding school, cycled through drop shipping, print on demand and theme pages, and eventually quit a startup job he loved to bet on himself. Eight months after starting his current Instagram account, he booked a one-way ticket to France to join a hacker house with a Dutch founder he'd never met, and has since worked out of the UK, Dubai, DC, New York and Sydney. We unpack his framework for making businesses "dangerous with AI", why he believes the Elon Musk first-principles playbook (stop, audit, delete, simplify, then automate) matters more than chasing shiny agents, what it's like inside a global hacker house alongside founders running 400K-follower accounts and 8-figure consumer apps, and why distribution, curiosity and ruthless honesty about what you actually want are the most compounding skills of our generation. A genuinely inspiring conversation for anyone trying to figure out how to build, post and live with intent in the AI era. *** Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sweatcapitalpodcast/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod/]. This episode was recorded on 13 May 2026. We'll see you in the next one, Keep playing the long game.

#146 - The Contrarian Bet on Japan That Most Investors Are Missing (James Halse)

In this episode of Sweat Capital, we sit down with James Halse [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-halse-cfa/], founder of Senjin Capital [https://senjincap.com/] and former portfolio manager at Platinum Asset Management, to unpack one of the most overlooked opportunity sets in global investing: Japanese small-cap activism. James shares the journey from starting his career in tax at Deloitte, to spending years inside one of Australia’s most respected global equities firms, before eventually launching Senjin Capital with a dedicated focus on undercapitalised and undermanaged Japanese companies. We explore why Japan has historically been misunderstood by global investors, what has changed in recent years, and why James believes Japanese small-cap activism is the best opportunity he has seen in nearly two decades of investing. We also discuss the difference between cheap stocks and true value, how engagement and activism work in Japan, and why the market structure creates opportunities that are difficult to find elsewhere. A conversation about global equities, deep-value investing, activism, and what it takes to leave an established platform to build a specialist investment firm from scratch. ***   This episode was recorded on 4 May 2026. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod/]. We’ll see you in the next one, Keep playing the long game.