Blackbird

What do you look for when building a startup team from scratch — with no clear playbook and everything on the line? In this week’s episode of #WildHearts, Jesse Creighton reveals the unconventional hiring philosophy that helped fuel their early success: forget specialists, hire generalists with grit, empathy, and the kind of energy you actually want to spend 12-hour days with. Jesse breaks down the three traits that became non-negotiable when building a team that could survive the chaos of startup life — and why those principles still matter today. Listen now on all streaming platforms! 🚀 #WildHeartsPodcast #StartupHiring #Leadership #TeamBuilding #FoundersJourney Heidi Health

300 students. 3 big moments. 1 powerful idea. The future isn’t inherited - it’s imagined, built, and believed into being. This year at #Sunrise25, Blackbird Foundation is handing the mic to the next generation. ✨ Curious high schoolers from across NSW ✨ Open conversations with founders and young creatives ✨ A Foundations story of belief, creativity and what happens when we back young people to shape the world From passion projects to bold dreams - this is where it begins. Come and see what the future looks like when you believe in it. 📍 Sunrise Australia 2025 | 30 April - 1 May | Carriageworks 🎟️ Tickets on sale now → https://lnkd.in/gQKjFx7Y 💫 Theia Gabatan Solomon Inyang Justin L. Amelia Vu Henrietta Amevor Lucy Hay Annabel Hay Tim Doyle

What happens when you pack a carry-on, fly across the world, and try to scale a healthcare startup in one of the world’s toughest markets? In today's episode from our Operator series of #WildHearts, we sit down with Jesse Creighton, Director (US) at Heidi Health 🚀 Jesse shares what it really looked like to launch the company’s American expansion — from hosting awkward dinners with two doctors at a 20-person table to building a high-performing sales team with its own unique culture in New York. In this conversation, we cover: 🗽 What it was like being the first on the ground in New York to launch Heidi in the US 🎯 Why Heidi's initial customer outreach flopped — and what they learned from it 🧠 How freemium became a game-changing growth strategy in healthcare 🛠 Why product-market fit in the US required rethinking sales, support, and compliance 🌎 The role of generalists vs. specialists when building early-stage teams across markets 🎥 How customer obsession and Aussie culture helped shape Heidi’s US team 📈 The two biggest bets that paid off — and why most investors didn’t see them coming This episode is a masterclass in how to scale a startup across borders — blending instinct, experimentation, and a deep belief in product. #WildHearts #Podcast #Leadership #StartupLife #BusinessGrowth

In this weeks episode of #WildHearts, Jesse Creighton, Director (US) at Heidi Health, unpacks the weight and responsibility of being there from day one — and how the habits, good and bad, formed in those early days can shape an entire company’s DNA. It’s a real, honest look at leadership, growth, and the challenge of holding onto your roots while building something new. Subscribe now on all streaming platforms 🚀 #WildHeartsPodcast #CompanyCulture #Leadership #StartupLife #BusinessGrowth Mason Yates

PSA: Free Startmate Demo Day Tickets Are Now LIVE for Sunrise Ticket Holders 📣 Startmate’s Demo Day 2025 is taking over the Visions Stage to close out #Sunrise25 - and we have a limited number of free tickets up for grabs for Sunrise ticket holders. But heads up: 🔥 We don’t have heaps ⚡️ It’s first come, first served 🕒 Demo Day tickets go on sale through @Startmate this Thursday 3 April 🎟️ Want in? Grab your Sunrise ticket + claim your Demo Day spot at checkout: https://lnkd.in/gQKjFx7Y

Learning lessons while they’re cheap? For Ratu Mataira, that’s essential when working in a field as ambitious as fusion—and at a company like OpenStar. In this week’s episode of #WildHearts, we unpack common misconceptions about fusion, explore the unique design of OpenStar’s levitated dipole reactor, and discuss why the path to commercial fusion might be shorter—and more valuable—than many expect. Listen now across all streaming platforms 🚀

Excited to come along to Sunrise next month, or maybe wondering what to expect from our Visions stage program? 🎤 Listen in to this special episode of David Booth's Diaspora podcast to hear a conversation straight from Sunrise Aotearoa last November, where Rowan Simpson and Joel Little jammed on all things creativity, culture and ambition. It's just the type of conversation you can expect at Sunrise ✨ 💡 Links in post below 👇

What does it take to achieve nuclear fusion in less time than it takes to build a traditional power plant prototype? In this episode of #WildHearts, we’re joined by Ratu Mataira, CEO of OpenStar Technologies, a company that just hit the crucial "first plasma" milestone in a staggering 16 months. We unpack the misconceptions surrounding fusion, the unique design of OpenStar’s levitated dipole reactor, and why the pathway to commercial fusion might be shorter - and more valuable - than most people think. 🔍 In this conversation, we cover: ⚡ How OpenStar achieved first plasma in just 16 months—years faster than competitors 💥 Why fusion isn’t “30 years away” anymore—and never really was 🧪 Why their first product won’t be a power plant—and what it might be instead 🔧 “Always include a crank”: how failure tolerance fuels rapid learning 🚀 The startup mindset behind building a trillion-dollar fusion company This episode goes beyond fusion hype; it’s a candid look at how OpenStar is breaking barriers in one of the world’s hardest engineering challenges. #WildHearts

If you thought nuclear fusion was always out of reach, this conversation with Ratu Mataira will change your mind... From strategic risk-taking to pragmatic engineering, this episode is a masterclass in how to build frontier tech at startup speed. Drops tomorrow morning on all streaming platforms! 🚀 Not yet subscribed? Head over to the links below 👇 📣 Listen on Apple: https://lnkd.in/gn2HNu7U 📣 Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g7zur8wy #WildHearts

🚨 Startmate’s Demo Day is BACK at Sunrise Australia 2025! 🚨 We’re closing out Day 2 of Sunrise (May 1) with a bang – The Startmate team is taking over the Visions Stage at Carriageworks for Demo Day 2025, one of the biggest events on the startup calendar. Where Starmate Accelerator founders unveil radical progress, boundless ambition, and their world-changing startup ideas to the world. 🎟️ 300 x FREE Demo Day tickets are up for grabs for Sunrise ticket holders only ⏳ Get first access to Demo Day tickets 🚀 First come, first served Want in? Grab your #Sunrise25 ticket before this Thursday 27 March to be the first to be notified on how to claim your free Demo Day ticket. 🎟️Get your Sunrise ticket here: https://lnkd.in/gQKjFx7Y 👀PSA: Startmate will officially release their tickets to the public next Thursday 3 April