by DayOne.fm
Around 20% of New Zealanders live outside of New Zealand. This is our “Diaspora” — and it’s one of the world’s largest, per capita. Not only is it large, it's insanely talented… early in their lives and careers, many of New Zealand’s most ambitious individuals realise— if they want to make a dent in the universe, they need to get out there… to study abroad, get the experience, build relationships to help them win on a global stage. Today, those estimated ~1M expats include some of our finest talent. They are founders, top operators/execs at industry leading companies. They are scientists and researchers working at the frontiers of science: artificial intelligence, synthetic biology; global leaders in business, culture, and society… entrenched in all corners of the world, walks of live… largely “heads down”, doing their thing. https://www.diaspora.nz Disapora is part of the Day One network. Day One helps founders & operators make better business decisions more often.
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10/8/2017
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April 17, 2025
<h2>Episode Summary</h2><p>Xavier Collins, London-born and New Zealand-raised, is no stranger to building marketplaces that scale. After early days at Uber, Xavier joined Nexus Notes before launching Deliveroo into dozens of UK cities and spearheading Turo’s growth across Europe. Now he’s applying his marketplace magic to the film industry with Wonder, an AI-native creative studio backed by Blackbird, LocalGlobe, and a host of world-class angels.</p><p>In today’s episode, Xavier takes us deep into the creative frontier of AI and storytelling, exploring how technology can unlock new levels of creativity, reshape entertainment financing, and give more filmmakers a voice. We cover:</p><p>• How AI is redefining storytelling and enabling more scripts to reach production</p><p>• Lessons from building successful marketplaces at Uber, Deliveroo, Turo, and Nexus Notes</p><p>• The keys to marketplace success: seeding liquidity, focusing on quality supply, and defining user experience</p><p>• Why the entertainment industry is overdue for disruption (and how Wonder is leading the charge)</p><p>• How filmmakers and creatives can harness AI to amplify their vision</p><p>We also dive into Xavier’s unique journey—from narrowly missing a consulting career to hustling his way through startups, and the unforgettable Cannes moment that launched Wonder.</p><h2>Time Stamps</h2><p>02:49 The Cannes moment: Realising AI will reshape filmmaking</p><p>07:18 Using AI to rescue stories that wouldn’t otherwise be told</p><p>10:56 The life-changing phone call that sent Xavier into startups</p><p>19:37 Early lessons on marketplace liquidity from Deliveroo and Turo</p><p>25:52 Price, selection, and service: The three pillars of marketplace success</p><p>32:16 Services vs SaaS: Rethinking business models in the AI age</p><p>41:05 Financing films 101: Inside Xavier’s other venture, Lumiere Ventures</p><p>48:26 Xavier’s advice to young people: Lean into AI now</p><h2>Resources</h2><p>🙋🏻♂️ Xavier Collins’s LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-collins-58492280/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/xaviercollins/</a></p><p>✨ Wonder – AI-native creative studio: <a href="https://wonderstudios.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.wonder.inc</a></p><p><h1>Diaspora.nz is part of Day One.</h1><h2>Day One helps founders and startup operators make better business decisions more often. </h2><p>To learn more, join our <a href="https://dayonefm.beehiiv.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">newsletter </a>to be notified of new Diaspora.nz episodes and upcoming shows.</p><p><br></p> </p>
April 10, 2025
<h2>Episode Summary</h2><p>Anton Jackson Smith is a synthetic biologist, Stanford PhD, and founder of b.next—a startup building synthetic cells from scratch to make biology truly programmable. Think of it as rewriting life’s codebase, with applications ranging from cancer treatments and diagnostics to lab-grown foods and smart crops.</p><p>In today’s episode, Anton breaks down what synthetic cells actually are (and why they matter), how his open-source platform Nucleus is changing the way biology is engineered, and why the future of medicine, agriculture, and climate tech might be written in DNA.</p><p>We also dig into his journey, from coding in Queenstown and law school in Otago, to cutting-edge research in Silicon Valley, and how a random article on programmable E. coli changed everything.</p><p>In this conversation, we cover:</p><p>• How synthetic cells could power the next generation of therapeutics and diagnostics</p><p>• Why biology needs its own “AWS moment” and how open source can unlock it</p><p>• The real business model behind synthetic biology (and why it's not just science)</p><p>• How Kiwi strengths in agriculture and biotech could shape a global future</p><p>• What New Zealand needs to do to retain and return its brightest minds</p><p>Anton also shares his vision for a safer, more ethical bio-economy, and how we can build powerful new tools without repeating the mistakes of the past.</p><h2>Time Stamps</h2><p>01:21 What is a synthetic cell—and why should you care?</p><p>06:44 How Anton fell into biology (thanks to an E. coli article in Vietnam)</p><p>11:12 Why modifying real cells isn’t enough—and what BNext is doing differently</p><p>16:30 The near-term use cases: cancer, diagnostics, and food</p><p>22:47 How Nucleus is creating the open-source toolkit for biology</p><p>30:14 Three phases of BNext’s business model: Boot → Build → Bazaar</p><p>37:10 The big vision: programmable biology that saves lives</p><p>44:18 What New Zealand’s biotech future could look like</p><p>47:30 Returning talent, building bridges, and bringing brains back home</p><h2>Resources</h2><p>🙋🏻♂️ Anton Jackson Smith on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajacksonsmith/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonjacksonsmith</a></p><p>🧬 b.next : <a href="https://www.bnext.bio/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bnext.bio</a></p>
April 3, 2025
<h2>Episode Summary</h2><p>Growing up in Wellington, New Zealand, with parents in the police force and government, a career in film and TV wasn’t exactly on the radar for Georgia Rippin. But after studying law and Māori at Vic, she made a bold leap to New York, armed with only a suitcase, a dream, and a few blocks of Whittaker’s chocolate that she used to slip into mailrooms of the biggest studios on the planet. That scrappiness paid off: Georgia wound up producing mid-form shows (those 10- to 20-minute episodic pieces that can eventually scale into full series), teaming up with major networks, and ultimately founding Kold Open, a platform reshaping how creators monetise their IP and get discovered.</p><p>In this episode, Georgia digs into the pitfalls of legacy media, why YouTube fails episodic creators, and how AI-driven product placement might unlock new revenue streams for independent filmmakers. She also shares the real story of how she broke into the industry, from dressing like an assistant to cold-knocking on studio doors, and why she believes being just the right amount of naïve can be an entrepreneur’s superpower. Finally, she offers insights for fellow Kiwis eager to chase creative careers on the world’s biggest stages.</p><h2>Time Stamps</h2><p>00:00 – Intro</p><p>02:16 – From legal briefs to scripts: Why she picked New York over LA</p><p>04:18 – Mid-form explained: How shows like Workaholics and It’s Always Sunny began</p><p>08:01 – Why YouTube’s algorithm hurts episodic creators—and how Kold Open fixes it</p><p>10:20 – Cracking the first big studio deal: Lessons in hustle, grit, and chocolate bribes</p><p>14:19 – Being ‘productively naïve’: Georgia on forging a path without industry connections</p><p>18:07 – AI’s silver lining for indies: New tools that help with coloring, sound, and distribution</p><p>25:37 – Rise of FAST channels: Why “free TV” is the next frontier for content creators</p><p>31:53 – The founder journey: Building a startup in NYC and hitting sustainable revenue</p><p>35:54 – AI-driven ad placement: Adding a digital Pepsi cup post-production (and getting paid)</p><p>40:48 – Advice for aspiring Kiwi creators: Collaboration, comedic storytelling, and never giving up</p><h2>Resources</h2><p>- Kold Open – Georgia’s mid-form platform: <a href="https://www.koldopen.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.koldopen.com</a></p><p>- Georgia Rippin on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiajrippin7/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgia-rippin/</a></p><p>- Viva La Dirt League (NZ’s comedy YouTubers mentioned): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/VivaLaDirtLeague" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/c/VivaLaDirtLeague</a></p>
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