Pick My Brain with Alan 'the nice one' Jones

The 4 Things Every Investor Wants to Hear in Your Pitch (Replay Ep)

Tap, beep, done. Australia’s payment experience is one of the world’s most convenient, but also one of the most expensive. Small businesses lose thousands a month in card and scheme fees, while everyday Australians pay hundreds each year just to access their own money. In this episode of Pick My Brain, Gaurav Rana, co-founder of GANI Pay, joins Alan Jones to pitch his mobile-first payment platform designed to bypass the legacy card system entirely. GANI Pay uses NPP, PayID, and PayTo to enable instant, secure QR payments, with flat monthly fees for merchants and cash-back rewards for consumers. Alan and Gaurav dig into the economics of “tap and go,” how to convince both merchants and customers to switch, and why regulatory trust is just as important as slick tech in fintech. They also explore GANI Pay’s go-to-market focus on high-volume, low-ticket retailers, and what it takes to turn a payment product into a movement. If you’re building in fintech, payments, or tackling an entrenched incumbent, this is a masterclass in pitching, positioning, and finding your wedge. Time Stamp 01:40 – What is GaniPay? Mobile-first QR payments without the card fees 03:00 – Gaurav’s early ambitions: from science to entrepreneurship 04:15 – The problem: why tap payments quietly cost Australians billions 06:10 – How GaniPay works: bypassing Visa/Mastercard with NPP & PayTo 08:20 – Merchants’ biggest question: will customers adopt it? 09:50 – Building trust: compliance, security, and banking partnerships 12:15 – Go-to-market: targeting high-volume, sub-$100 transactions 14:30 – Competing with Afterpay & co: different problem, different value 15:55 – Alan on finding the most promising merchant verticals 17:40 – Fundraising plans: seeking $600k to scale tech & marketing 18:35 – How to become an “investable” fintech in 60 days 20:45 – Movement vs product: can GaniPay spark a payments revolution? Resources 🙋🏻‍♂️ Gaurav Rana – https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauravrana841/ 💰 GaniPay – https://ganipay.com.au/ SPONSORS: PICK MY BRAIN IS SUPPORTED BY OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS: Deel: Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders. It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast. Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone ___ Galah Cyber offers Application Security Assessment Get a clear, ten-minute snapshot of your AppSec maturity across the five core principles. Fast, practical insights you can act on straight away at https://www.galahcyber.com.au/assess THE DAY ONE NETWORK PICK MY BRAIN IS PART OF DAY ONE, THE PODCAST NETWORK DEDICATED TO FOUNDERS, OPERATORS & INVESTORS. To learn more, join our newsletter [https://dayone.fm/newsletter] to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders. Mentioned in this episode: Deel x PX_Script 1 Deel x PX_Script 2

Why Investors Keep Saying No (And What to Do About It) | Justin Wastnage from Vloggi

Win $2,000 in credits with the Day One Network — take our 2-minute audience survey before 30 June: dayone.fm/survey Justin Wastnage is the founder and CEO of Vloggi, a platform that transforms everyday mobile phone footage into trusted, structured, legally owned video assets for businesses and enterprises. What started as a tool for tourism boards to crowdsource location content has evolved, through COVID, multiple pivots, and years of customer-funded development, into an infrastructure layer that verifies, structures and processes video for some of the world's most compliance-heavy industries. In this episode, Justin joins Alan to talk honestly about the challenges of pitching a business that investors think they already know. Vloggi has worked with Major League Baseball, Netflix, the NSW Government, Google Ads and RFK's presidential campaign, yet raising in Australia remains stubbornly difficult. Alan digs into why that is and what Justin can do about it, from repositioning the pitch, to rebranding, to putting someone else in the room. If you're a founder who has pivoted hard but can't shake what investors remember about your old story, this one is for you. 00:00 - Intro 02:03 – Meet Justin Wastnage and the origins of Vloggi 04:57 – What Vloggi does: video as content, data and evidence 07:11 – What changed with synthetic AI video and why it matters now 09:00 – The pivot story: from tourism boards to enterprise compliance 12:35 – Bootstrapping and the team behind Vloggi 13:03 – The current raise: $800k to bring the enterprise product to market 17:03 – How Vloggi verifies that uploaded video is authentic, not AI-generated 19:33 – Commercial model: per project vs ongoing enterprise licensing 22:31 – Why Vloggi wants to be infrastructure, not a consumer brand 24:48 – Alan's challenge: how to reposition when investors think they know your old story 29:08 – Should you rebrand? The case for and against 32:26 – Pitch deck strategy: teaser first or full deck upfront? 35:23 – Alan pitches Vloggi back to Justin the way he'd do it 38:51 – The airline use case and how to open with one vertical then go broad SPONSORS: PICK MY BRAIN IS SUPPORTED BY OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS: Deel: Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders. It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast. Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone ___ Galah Cyber offers Application Security Assessment Get a clear, ten-minute snapshot of your AppSec maturity across the five core principles. Fast, practical insights you can act on straight away at https://www.galahcyber.com.au/assess SPONSORS: PICK MY BRAIN IS SUPPORTED BY OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS: Deel: Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders. It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast. Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone ___ Galah Cyber offers Application Security Assessment Get a clear, ten-minute snapshot of your AppSec maturity across the five core principles. Fast, practical insights you can act on straight away at https://www.galahcyber.com.au/assess Mentioned in this episode: Deel x PX_Script 2 Deel x PX_Script 1

The Lazy Sales Tactic That's Hurting Your Business | Ben King from Aviato Consulting

Win $2,000 in credits with the Day One Network — take our 2-minute audience survey before 30 June: dayone.fm/survey Ben King is the founder and CEO of Aviato Consulting, a software and AI consultancy that ranked sixth in the AFR Fast 100 this year. Before starting Aviato, Ben ran the app modernisation team for Google Cloud across Asia Pacific, and when he left, he built essentially the same thing, but leaner and on his own terms. The company now has 95 people across Australia, India and Singapore, with around half of all work being AI-related. In this episode, Ben joins Alan to talk about what it actually looks like to build and scale a technical consulting business in Australia, from the talent shortage that forces most serious engineering firms offshore, to the practical realities of using AI in production versus just prototyping. Ben is refreshingly direct about what works and what doesn't, including why he thinks signing a three-year deal with any AI provider right now is a mistake, why AI cold email campaigns do more damage than good, and why a physical piece of mail will outperform ten thousand automated messages every time. Alan challenges Ben on the right tech stack for founders heading into 2026, how to get the most out of free cloud credits before you raise, and what product managers still do better than any AI tool on the market. If you're a founder making decisions about how to build, who to hire, or which AI tools to trust with your business, this episode is worth your time. 🎙 Ask Alan a Question – https://speakpipe.com/pickmybrain [https://speakpipe.com/pickmybrain] 🎧 More from Alan Jones – https://www.startupfoundercoach.com [https://www.startupfoundercoach.com/] SPONSORS: PICK MY BRAIN IS SUPPORTED BY OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS: Deel: Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders. It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast. Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone ___ Galah Cyber offers Application Security Assessment Get a clear, ten-minute snapshot of your AppSec maturity across the five core principles. Fast, practical insights you can act on straight away at https://www.galahcyber.com.au/assess THE DAY ONE NETWORK PICK MY BRAIN IS PART OF DAY ONE, THE PODCAST NETWORK DEDICATED TO FOUNDERS, OPERATORS & INVESTORS. To learn more, join our newsletter [https://dayone.fm/newsletter] to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders. Mentioned in this episode: Deel x PX_Script 1

How to Turn Happy Customers Into Your Best Sales Channel

Win $2,000 in credits with the Day One Network — take our 2-minute audience survey before 30 June: dayone.fm/survey Most founders who've tried PR will tell you the same thing: it was a waste of money and they never got in the media. But when Marie Dowling digs deeper, the real answer is usually that they weren't involved enough to make it work. In this episode, Alan is joined by Marie Dowling, founder and CEO of Newsary, a hybrid AI and human PR platform built for startups and small businesses. Marie walks through how Newsary works, why PR is becoming the new SEO, and how she landed enterprise client Flixbus, generating over 300 pieces of Australian media coverage. Alan challenges Marie to think beyond founder-led sales, pushing her to consider referral incentives, agency partnerships, and her LinkedIn audience as scalable distribution channels. If you're a founder who's written off PR, this episode might just change your mind. Time Stamps 02:13 – Meet Marie Dowling and her path from PR agency to founder 04:37 – Why bigger clients mean less interesting press releases 06:09 – What Newsary does and who it's for 07:02 – The pivot: from "how to write" to "what is a good story" 08:01 – Why PR is the new SEO 09:09 – How Newsary works: interview-style, not AI-generated 11:05 – Pricing: what Newsary costs vs. a traditional agency 12:32 – How Marie finds customers (and what they all say about PR) 13:39 – The real reason most PR fails: founder involvement 15:14 – Alan's challenge: scaling beyond founder-led sales 18:03 – The Flixbus campaign: 300+ pieces of coverage 19:14 – Who's behind Newsary: the team and advisors 20:16 – Co-hosting industry events: lessons learned 23:18 – Platform rebuild and January launch plans 25:10 – Marie's one ask of listeners Resources Mentioned 💸 Newsary: https://www.newsary.co/ 🎙 Ask Alan a Question – https://speakpipe.com/pickmybrain 🎧 More from Alan Jones – https://www.startupfoundercoach.com SPONSORS: PICK MY BRAIN IS SUPPORTED BY OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS: Deel: Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders. It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast. Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone ___ Galah Cyber offers Application Security Assessment Get a clear, ten-minute snapshot of your AppSec maturity across the five core principles. Fast, practical insights you can act on straight away at https://www.galahcyber.com.au/assess THE DAY ONE NETWORK PICK MY BRAIN IS PART OF DAY ONE, THE PODCAST NETWORK DEDICATED TO FOUNDERS, OPERATORS & INVESTORS. To learn more, join our newsletter [https://dayone.fm/newsletter] to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders. Mentioned in this episode: Deel x PX_Script 1

How to Make Your Fintech Pitch Unforgettable | James Horan from Phinly

Win $2,000 in credits with the Day One Network — take our 2-minute audience survey before 30 June: dayone.fm/survey Episode Summary Consumers lose billions to scams and miss out on trillions in potential savings every year. So what if everyone had their own AI-powered financial assistant working 24-7? In this episode of Pick My Brain, Alan Jones is joined by James Horan, founder of Phinly, an AI-driven personal finance platform designed to help consumers automate savings, prevent fees, and optimise their financial lives. James walks through his live pitch for Phinly, outlining the problem with doom-scrolling money advice, the rise of AI agents in personal finance, and a bold vision for owning the AI money assistant category. Phinly connects to over 20,000 institutions, identifies cost savings opportunities, and enables one-tap actions from cancelling subscriptions to switching providers. With early partnerships secured, backing from a global AI accelerator, and a savings-based revenue model, the startup is raising $800,000 on a pre-seed SAFE to scale toward $4.5M ARR in 18 months. But Alan’s feedback goes deeper than traction and TAM. He challenges James to avoid blending in with every other AI fintech startup in the room. Instead of leaning purely on logic and numbers, Alan pushes for something more memorable: behavioural insights that surprise the audience about their own financial habits. The goal is simple. Make investors go home and say, “Did you know that…?” and have that sentence start with something you taught them. If you’re building in fintech, AI, or any crowded category, this episode is a masterclass in standing out when everyone else looks the same. Time Stamps 02:08 – Meet James Horan and his founder journey 03:14 – Lessons from a failed two-sided marketplace 04:28 – The Phinly pitch begins 05:40 – Money advice, TikTok, and the cost-of-living crisis 06:50 – How Phinly works: AI-powered money automation 07:45 – Traction: 20,000 institutions connected and major partnerships 08:30 – Revenue model: percentage of savings and future subscriptions 09:10 – Alan’s first reaction: good foundation, but blends in 11:45 – The power of surprise in a crowded fintech room 12:30 – Using behavioural economics to stand out 14:00 – Stop reading your slides 15:30 – Supporting your story instead of replacing it 17:00 – Bringing emotion into a rational fintech pitch 18:00 – How to create a pitch people repeat to others Resources 💸 Phinly – https://phinly.com 🎙 Ask Alan a Question – https://speakpipe.com/pickmybrain 🎧 More from Alan Jones – https://www.startupfoundercoach.com SPONSORS: PICK MY BRAIN IS SUPPORTED BY OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS: Deel: Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, and get visas handled fast, so you stay focused on scaling. Deel takes care of onboarding, HR, IT, EOR, benefits, and compliance, so your team can grow without borders. It’s why more than 40,000 fast-growing companies trust Deel to move fast. Visit https://www.deel.com/dayone ___ Galah Cyber offers Application Security Assessment Get a clear, ten-minute snapshot of your AppSec maturity across the five core principles. Fast, practical insights you can act on straight away at https://www.galahcyber.com.au/assess THE DAY ONE NETWORK PICK MY BRAIN IS PART OF DAY ONE, THE PODCAST NETWORK DEDICATED TO FOUNDERS, OPERATORS & INVESTORS. To learn more, join our newsletter [https://dayone.fm/newsletter] to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders. Mentioned in this episode: Deel x PX_Script 1