The Sachin and Adam Show Podcast

Mina Radhakrishnan was Uber’s first Head of Product in 2011 (employee #20), after working at both Google and Goldman Sachs, and was also the co-founder of Different - a VC-backed startup that raised millions and scaled fast before shutting down.

Now, she’s building solo with AI as her co-founder.

In this episode, she shares an unfiltered look into the highs and lows of building at the edge of tech:

- What it was really like working with Travis Kalanick at Uber

- The hard lessons from shutting down Different - and how she bounced back

- Why AI is changing how we build companies - and who should build them

- Her hot takes on junior engineers, bootcamps, and the future of coding

- How Uber shaped her mindset on speed, intensity, and product culture- Building a solo startup today - with AI as her full team

- The mistakes founders make when acting like big companies- Why Australian startups need more pay-it-forward culture

One of our most candid and insightful episodes yet - a must-watch for anyone building in tech.Like this video?

You might also enjoy our interview with 21-year old CEO, Liam Millward, of $100M startup, Instant. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5WgEElgBuyz3I1fvDXPAwA?si=6cb7c19e875548cf

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:12 Help us get to 15k subscribers!!

01:46 Vibe-coding & Back to Building

03:12 The Future of Software Engineering

05:40 Mina Career Journey

07:57 Zeller Ad

15:03 Reflections on the Tech Industry

19:58 Lessons from Uber and Working with Travis Kalanick

23:00 Working with Intensity: The Travis Effect

25:13 Uber's Legacy and Personal Growth

27:20 Advice for Aspiring Founders

30:11 The Role of AI in Modern Startups

31:03 Emotional Challenges of Founding a Startup

32:38 KC Ventures Ad

33:46 The Importance of Curiosity and Learning

35:33 Building a Company in the Age of AI

41:27 Improving Australian Startup Culture

45:15 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts

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Thanks to our sponsors Zeller and KC Ventures.

Zeller is building the financial stack to help startups scale, called Zeller for Startups. Every founder unlocks exclusive rewards and offers when you use Zeller for Startups - including a high-interest savings account, 12-month free access to Zeller Corporate Cards and expense management, and discounts on amazing partner solutions from Employment Hero, Xero, and Pop Business.

https://www.myzeller.com/startups

KC Ventures helps Australian startups scale by providing strategic financial advice. You can find KC Ventures at http://kcventures.com.au/ or message their founder Luke Rix on Linkedin to get in contact directly.

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LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3M29tMFbZ4mtzJbcRNY3N6?si=731f376e2ddf4d34

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-sachin-and-adam-show/id1462522364

About us

We are two best friends, trying to build a community around in-depth interviews and short documentaries with the best minds in technology and startups. Through bold storytelling and candid conversations, we explore how visionary thinkers are shaping the future. The best way to support is subscribing, truly it makes all the difference for us 💙

Liam Millward is the 21-year-old co-founder and CEO of Instant — one of the fastest-growing startups in Australia valued at $100M. In this episode, he reveals how he went from dodging WeWork rent at 17 to raising $18 million in just 10 days at 21.

We dive deep into Liam’s wild founder journey:

- How he scaled Instant to millions in revenue with zero pitch deck

-The real story behind their lightning-fast Series A raise

- Why momentum solves every issue — and how to create it

- Why every person at Instant has a revenue target (including engineers)

- His unconventional hiring strategy, leadership style, and obsession with speed

- Expanding into the US and building AI-powered marketing tools- What drives him to prove people wrong — and what it takes to win

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Rapid Growth

00:08 Liam Millward's Entrepreneurial Journey

00:38 Challenges and Proving Doubters Wrong

01:37 Fundraising and Expansion

02:12 Podcast Interview Begins

02:29 Scaling the Company

03:18 Revenue Obsession and Company Culture

04:48 Fundraising Strategies and Investor Relations

08:10 Zeller Ad

11:25 Driving Momentum and Setting Goals

21:09 Leadership and Personal Drive

28:27 KC Ventures Ad

28:58 Optimal Timing for Founders

29:19 Managing Founder Psychology

31:43 Hiring and Talent Strategy

33:32 Scaling and Product Expansion

36:01 Global Expansion Challenges

37:47 Revenue Obsession and AI Integration

48:52 Operational Efficiency and Team Focus

53:14 Leadership and Decision Making

59:33 Future Goals and Reflections

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Thanks to our sponsors Zeller and KC Ventures. Zeller is building the financial stack to help startups scale, called Zeller for Startups.

Every founder unlocks exclusive rewards and offers when you use Zeller for Startups — including a high-interest savings account, 12-month free access to Zeller Corporate Cards and expense management, and discounts on amazing partner solutions from Employment Hero, Xero, and Pop Business.

https://www.myzeller.com/startups

KC Ventures helps Australian startups scale by providing strategic financial advice. You can find KC Ventures at http://kcventures.com.au/ or message their founder Luke Rix on Linkedin to get in contact directly.

--

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

LinkedIn 🚀: / the-sachin-and-adam-show

📸 Instagram: / sachinandadam 🐦 X: https://x.com/Sachin_and_Adam

🎵 TikTok: sachinandadam

Today we’re joined by Max Marchione — a close friend and ambitious founder disrupting healthcare through AI, data aggregation, and radical prevention to make personalised medicine accessible to everyone.

This conversation is important because it explores one of the few industries left untouched by true innovation — healthcare. Despite its scale, it’s still waiting for its defining startup moment.

We dive into:

- Why healthcare is still waiting for its defining startup

- How Superpower raised $30M to make prevention mainstream

- The vision: AI doctors, not human ones

- Building for the world vs. building for VCs

- The danger of consensus thinking and advice

- Making $50K concierge care available for $500

- Sacrifice, fear, and living below the office

- What sets elite investors and teams apart

- Underpriced talent, content, and 10x growth bets

- Why dreaming bigger is the only option

This isn’t just about building a startup — it’s about reinventing a system that impacts everyone.

00:00 Intro

02:05 Podcast Introduction and Catching Up

02:25 Reflecting on the Journey and Future Plans

03:04 Insights on Fundraising and Investor Relations

04:18 Challenges and Strategies in Building a Startup

05:41 The Role of AI in Transforming Healthcare

08:33 Zeller Ad

10:06 Proving and Discarding Beliefs in Healthcare

11:55 Constructing Superpower's Funding Round

15:00 Setting Ambitious Goals for the Future

16:34 Product Vision and Consumer Impact

18:53 Balancing Focus and Expansion

20:56 Superpower's Branding

24:16 Operational Challenges and Growth Strategies

27:01 Betting on the Right Growth Levers

28:18 Top-Down and Bottom-Up Growth Strategies

29:13 KC Ventures Ad

30:05 The Importance of Risk in Business

31:16 How does Max Balance Ambition and Happiness?

33:01 Tips For Hiring and Identifying Talent

36:16 Personal Sacrifices and Priorities

37:09 Discarding Old Beliefs

38:48 How Max Learnt to Overcome Fear and Take Action

40:11 Changing Self-Talk and Personal Narratives

43:00 New Learning and Growth Methods

47:28 The Future of AI and Human Relationships

53:06 Final Thoughts and Accountability

-Thanks to our sponsors Zeller and KC Ventures. Zeller is building the financial stack to help startups scale, called Zeller for Startups. Join the waitlist at https://www.myzeller.com/startups to be eligible for a $100 cash bonus.

KC Ventures helps Australian startups scale by providing strategic financial advice. You can find KC Ventures at http://kcventures.com.au/ or message their founder Luke Rix on Linkedin to get in contact directly.

Check out more of Max's work including learnings on the journey of building a $100B company, hobbies, life hacks and more at maxmarchione.com

Alex Valente is the founder of Redactive, an AI security startup helping enterprises control who can access sensitive data. Redactive ensures permissioning is done right—so companies can safely adopt tools like Copilot and AI agents without leaking internal documents, exposing secrets, or creating massive security risks.

This episode is for anyone building or working with AI—especially in enterprise, security, or early-stage startups. If you're thinking about AI adoption, data risks, or how to take a product global, Alex shares hard-won insight, sharp takes, and a few great stories along the way.

Thanks to our sponsors Zeller and KC Ventures.

Zeller is building the financial stack to help startups scale, called Zeller for Startups. Join the waitlist at https://www.myzeller.com/startups to be eligible for a $100 cash bonus.

KC Ventures helps Australian startups scale by providing strategic financial advice. You can find KC Ventures at http://kcventures.com.au/ or message their founder Luke Rix on Linkedin to get in contact directly.

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00:00 Introduction

02:05 The Bull Case for Europe

05:03 Moving to San Francisco: Opportunities and Challenges

06:28 Redactive's Mission and Vision

07:25 The Importance of Exporting Australian Engineering

15:03 Early Life and Career Path

21:39 The Future of AI and Software

28:13 Enterprise AI Adoption Challenges

33:23 The Pitfalls of Relying on a Single Vendor

34:05 The Importance of Agility and Grit in Founders

35:51 Commerciality and Interdisciplinary Respect

38:23 Identifying and Improving Weak Points

41:05 The Reality of Moats in Modern Business

49:20 Security Threats in the Age of AI53:39 Building a High-Performance Culture

57:23 Strategic Bets and Market Predictions

1:01:00 Reflections and Future Plans

--

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

LinkedIn 🚀: / the-sachin-and-adam-show

📸 Instagram: / sachinandadam

🐦 X: https://x.com/Sachin_and_Adam

🎵 TikTok: sachinandadam

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3M29tMFbZ4mtzJbcRNY3N6?si=3ba0457fb1974595

Ben Pfisterer is an ex-NAB, Visa and Square employee who co-founded Zeller, an Australian fintech company that achieved unicorn status - reaching a valuation of $1 billion - in less than two years.

Under his leadership, Zeller has attracted over 85,000 customers and secured $180 million in funding, revolutionizing business banking in Australia by offering integrated financial solutions that challenge traditional banking giants.

He built fast, made bold bets, and outworked the competition - and Zeller is now challenging the banks that have dominated Australia for decades.

If you're a founder, operator, or just someone who wants to understand how startups win at scale, this episode is for you.

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Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, KC Ventures! They help Australian startups scale by providing strategic financial advice.

You can find KC Ventures at https://kcventures.com.au/ or message their founder Luke Rix on Linkedin to get in contact directly.

00:00 Introduction to Zeller's Success

00:10 Challenges and Low Points

00:22 Go-to-Market Strategy

00:35 Ben Pfisterer's Background

01:00 The Startup Community and Zeller for Startups

01:25 Building a Culture of Speed

02:33 Ben's Early Life and Influences

04:48 Competitiveness and Design in Zeller

05:52 Direct Approach to Leadership

07:05 Navigating Bureaucratic Organizations

10:02 Insights into the Financial System

12:16 Founding and Growing Zeller

17:33 Hiring and Building a Team

19:40 Rapid Growth and Execution

22:19 Sponsor Break: KC Ventures

22:35 Strategic Work and Scaling Startups

22:50 Optimal Timing for Founders to Seek Help

23:11 Product Growth and Market Penetration

25:25 Challenges and Resilience in Startup Journey

28:27 Building a Culture of Speed and Efficiency

30:58 Balancing Work Intensity and Employee Well-being

33:37 Zeller for Startups: Revolutionizing Financial Services

38:23 Future of Customer Experience in Financial Services

40:47 Endless Entrepreneurial Journey

42:46 Conclusion and Wrap-up