The Australian startup and VC podcasts worth following — what each show covers, who hosts it, and which stage of building or investing it is useful for.
Australia's startup scene is small and connected, so the most useful shows are the ones made for it. Global startup podcasts are good company; local ones tell you which funds are writing cheques this quarter and who just shipped something.
These are the shows on the Day One® Network, grouped by what you would actually go to them for — founders first, then the investing shows.
If you are raising
First Cheque
Angel and early-stage investing, hosted by Cheryl Mack and Maxine Minter. The reference show for anyone raising a first round in Australia — how angels decide, what a good early cap table looks like, and where the money actually is.
Oversubscribed
Hosted by Brendan Hill. Venture and fundraising, focused on how rounds come together rather than how they are announced. Useful for the gap between a first conversation and a signed term sheet.
Investment Thesis
Hosted by Kali Norman. How investors form and defend a view. Worth listening to as a founder specifically because it shows you the other side of the table.
If you are building the company
The Startup Retro
Hosted by Will Richards and Gemma Clancy. An insider view on Australian startups and venture — the week's news with people who know the context behind it.
Building Tech Teams
Hosted by James MacDonald. Hiring, structure and engineering leadership. The problems that arrive somewhere around your tenth engineer.
Life After Launch
Hosted by Megan Luttrell and Geo George. What happens after the launch post — the unglamorous middle where most of the work is.
Secured
From Galah Cyber. Security and compliance for scaling companies — the operational risk surface that investors start asking about at Series A.
If you are working out what is next
In The Blink Of AI
Hosted by Georgie Healy. AI developments framed for founders and operators rather than researchers.
Operator AI
Hosted by Zachary King. The applied end — what operators are actually deploying, and what is still a demo.
Pick My Brain
Deep tech conversations hosted by Alan Jones. Longer-horizon technology and the people commercialising it.
Founder stories
Welcome to Day One
The flagship, hosted by Adam Spencer. Startup stories across the full journey, from first idea to whatever came after.
Perspective X
Founder interviews hosted by Pauline Fetaui.
Unfunded
Hosted by Joan Westenberg. The companies built without venture money, which is most of them.
How to use these as a founder
- Follow two, not twelve. One for your current stage, one for where you are heading. A crowded feed gets ignored.
- Listen for names, not lessons. The most valuable thing in a local show is often who was on it. That is a warm introduction with a reason attached.
- Use episodes as prep. Before a meeting with a fund, find the partner on a podcast. An hour of them talking beats any amount of website.
- Follow the network, not one show. A single show gives you one slice. The network gives you the arc from first cheque to scale.
What to listen for as an investor
The value is not reach, it is relevance. A single episode with the right GP or founder is worth more than hours of generic global VC content.
- Who is on, not just what is said. Guest lists are a map of who is active and who is talking to whom.
- Founders you have not met. An hour of unfiltered thinking is better diligence input than a deck.
- How other funds articulate a thesis. Useful competitively, and useful for sharpening your own.
- Operator detail. Shows like Secured surface the practical risk questions that come up in diligence.
Thinking about running one
A fair number of Australian funds and founders now do. If you are weighing it, the useful reads are designing a thesis-led show and choosing a partner to produce it, and the business case for a B2B startup show.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best podcasts for Australian startup founders?
On the Day One® Network: First Cheque and Oversubscribed for raising, The Startup Retro and Building Tech Teams for building, In The Blink Of AI and Pick My Brain for what is coming, and Welcome to Day One for founder stories.
What are the best Australian VC podcasts?
First Cheque, Oversubscribed, Investment Thesis, Secured, Pick My Brain and The Startup Retro cover investing, fundraising and the operators around venture in the Australian ecosystem.
Which show should I start with if I am pre-seed?
First Cheque. It is built for exactly that moment, and the guests are the people who would write your first cheque.
Where can I find Australian startup podcasts in one place?
The Day One® Network at dayone.fm lists its shows for founders, investors and operators.
