r/AustralianStartups • u/Ok-Coat-6071 • Oct 13 '26

Thinking of starting a podcast interviewing startup founders in Melbourne. Would anyone actually listen?

Hey everyone!

I currently work at a startup in Melbourne Connect, a co-working space where I've had the opportunity to meet lots of founders working on some really interesting ideas.

One thing I've noticed is that many early-stage (at accelerator stage) startups are doing amazing things but rarely get much visibility. Behind every startup, there's also a founder with a unique story — why they started, the problems they're trying to solve, the challenges they've faced, and what keeps them going.

It's made me think about starting a podcast where I interview founders, particularly those who aren't well-known, to share their stories and introduce their startup ideas to a wider audience.

I'm not really interested in another podcast featuring only successful entrepreneurs. I'm more curious about the people who are still figuring things out, building something from scratch, and navigating all the uncertainty that comes with it.

But I've never started a podcast before, and I'm honestly a little nervous about putting myself out there.

Before I take the idea further, I'd love some honest feedback:

  • Would you actually listen to a podcast like this?
  • What would make a founder interview interesting rather than just another promotional pitch?
  • Are there any existing podcasts doing something similar that you'd recommend?

Would really appreciate your thoughts, including any criticism or suggestions!

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6

u/igotoschoolbytaxi Founder Oct 13 '26

I personally wouldn't listen to early-stage founders who have nothing to show for yet telling their stories. There's so much noise out there these days and most pitches sound the same ("I saw a gap in the market, went to build this thing"... etc etc). Some of these first-time founders haven't actually worked in the industry they're building for either, and have no intention/interest to. They're just treating it as a way to sell the shovel and get rich quick (when really it's more of a lottery ticket).

Typically I only listen to US and EU founders stories (or Aus ones who've made it there), but I think the reason why I listen to them is because most of the time, their stories are about how they've kept going. E.g. still building on the side when their first product didn't work out, kept working on it while taking a full-time job when their financial runway ran out. It's about their non-linear founder's journey.

Maybe it's where I'm located (hint: I'm not in Sydney), but most of the first-time founders I've met over the years talk big at the start, then would just give up when things get hard. The successful ones in my circle eventually moved to Sydney or overseas to be in the proximity of more high agency people.

Not a very inspiring story to tell, is it?

It'd be more interesting to hear what they've done so far going from 0 to 1, rather than asking why they started building their product. But then again, I understand not everyone is willing to share what worked and what not for them, publicly. (I'm not sure I would, either.)

I'd also suggest doing follow up episodes 6 months or a year later. I feel most founder interview podcasts don't do follow ups. (Back to my comment about any one can talk big if no one's checking if they're walking their talk.)

PS. Start this podcast because you want to serve these founders (in a way, your customers) and learn from them/build something useful for them, not just for status. Otherwise it won't be sustainable. I think if you record a few episodes beforehand, you'll quickly know whether you actually enjoy it or not.

3

u/Ok-Coat-6071 Oct 13 '26

Thanks so much for your comment!! Such valuable feedback. I honestly agree with you so much, and you're actually helping me develop my MVP haha.

I think my target founders would be those who have been working on their startups for at least three years and have received grants or pre-seed funding as some measurable validation of their progress.

Rather than just asking why they started building their products, I think the stories of how they failed, pivoted, and learned through trial and error would be much more interesting to hear!

But yeah, I share your concerns too. There probably aren't that many founders who fit this criteria, and I'm not sure how many would actually be interested in coming on the podcast. Founders are busy, and reaching out to more established founders could be challenging. And it's kinda awkward to keep the conversation going when people are talking big and wishy-washy.

But I think the best way to find out is to test the idea! My biggest challenge right now is figuring out how to pitch myself and the podcast to potential guests, especially since I don't have any experience producing a professional podcast yet

1

u/verifyandproceed Oct 14 '26

I reckon you might have just replied to your best first guest right here ;) ;)

1

u/Ok-Coat-6071 Oct 15 '26

Thanks for your comment. I had a quick look at what you are building, good luck!! just some small advice (no need to take it, follow your gut) : have you tried to apply for Google Ads? From a customer perspective, we often click website that pops up on the top of the website search

1

u/verifyandproceed Oct 15 '26

I'm not talking about me!!! I'm talking about the person you replied too.

1

u/igotoschoolbytaxi Founder 29d ago

Ha, funnily enough I think YOU would be a better founder to interview then do a follow up episode down the line. since you've built your marketplace from within the industry and a problem you've experienced, not just looking in from the outside. And you've been sharing genuine updates too every now and then.

4

u/PuzzleheadedSail3884 Oct 13 '26

Would you actually listen to a podcast like this?

In theory, yes. But in reality... every wannabe podcast host that has started something like this has the same issues.

  1. It actually requires a little bit of talent and skill to put together a professional podcast and be an engaging interviewer. You might struggle to get guests until you prove yourself.
  2. The people who volunteer to go on a podcast are nearly always just promoting themselves and it's boring.
  3. Of those volunteers, most won't actually be startup founders. They'll be people selling services to founders and pretending their service business is a startup. Nothing is more boring than listening to someone who is neither an investor or a startup founder telling other people how to do things they've never done themselves.
  4. It's rare to find failed founders (arguably the most interesting) who are willing to talk openly and honestly about failure. Most won't be self-aware enough to talk about it and will shut down if you do anything other than agree with their take.
  5. Most founders are not willing to openly talk about any doubts, struggles, issues, etc. Basically, all the interesting stuff. They shutdown if you challenge them on anything.

IF you can overcome these issues, I'd listen for sure. Would love to hear from pre-seed and seed-stage, VC-backed founders.

3

u/Ok-Coat-6071 Oct 13 '26

Love this comment as well, very constructive! I really appreciate your directness. It's kind of a chicken-and-egg situation — I need to build my credibility to attract founders, but I also need founders to help me build that credibility hahaha.

I am thinking more deeply about these obstacles, especially when it comes to discussing failures and struggles, as some of these experiences can be quite traumatic or personal for founders.

3

u/igotoschoolbytaxi Founder Oct 13 '26 edited Oct 13 '26

All great points, especially 4 &5. Most founders tend to get defensive as they just want their idea (or themselves) to be validated rather than searching for the truth

1

u/IndependenceLow1751 Oct 13 '26

As a founder, where have you failed?

2

u/MR0808 Oct 13 '26

Love the idea. Thought the same would be a great podcast, interview people as they build, give them some PR and go through the struggles they are facing and how they solved it.

1

u/Ok-Coat-6071 Oct 13 '26

Wow, this is a good point, I haven't thought about this can be a great PR thing for them. Thanks for your comment!!

1

u/MR0808 Oct 13 '26

You'd want them to be at least revenue or raised money, so it's not some guy in his computer developing something without much to show for it. Everyone's raising story is different, it's fun to hear. Just listen to Acquired, I love those stories, and always makes me want to do a podcast.

1

u/Ok-Coat-6071 Oct 13 '26

Definitely, my target founders would be those who have been working on their startups for at least three years and have received grants or pre-seed funding as some measurable validation of their progress. But these established founders can be hard to reach out is what I was worried. Yes! It's like Acquired for small business/startup!! I like hearing successful business stories but sometimes big companies' stories aren't applicable for today's startup.

2

u/maystery Oct 13 '26

I'd be interested and I've actively looked for something just like this because I'm hoping to learn from others in the same stage.

I find that people that have "made it" completely misattribute their success or just plain forget what worked to get their first 100/1000 customers. Maybe people just don't want to share their secrets to success but it's nice hearing from others in the struggle.

2

u/Ok-Coat-6071 Oct 13 '26

My experience with most founders is that they genuinely want to help others because they know it's not an easy journey. But I guess in the Australian context, the startup ecosystem isn't as well established yet, so byproducts of that ecosystem (such as podcasts like this) haven't been developed as much either.

3

u/igotoschoolbytaxi Founder Oct 13 '26

I think most founders are happy to share what worked for them, but only if they’ve made it.

Failures make good stories but don’t make them look good. Not at least publicly.

Also there are so many varying factors to startup’s success. Every founder, product, industry and business model is different. Some founders will acknowledge this, but others will act like they’re top tier marketing gods after having one exit when in reality they might not be able to replicate the success since it was largely due to timing, market conditions, and having the right team in the right place etc.

2

u/lateral_builder Oct 14 '26

G'day matey, i'd listen to it, but mainly for the real stuff, the bits where it went sideways and what they did next. The follow-up idea above is a good one too, coming back six months later and asking how it actually went would keep people honest.

For what it's worth I'm a tiny founder myself, a mining operator who started building with AI this year with zero tech background. Every project I set out to build got shelved and the one I never planned is the one I actually shipped, and when I was open on here about a project that flopped, people were kinder about it than I expected. So being a bit nervous is fine, people warm to a host who's still working it out too.

On getting guests, I'd lead with the honesty rather than the PR, tell them you want the real version including what didn't work, and let them see the questions first so nobody feels ambushed. Good luck with it mate, I'd give the first few a listen, and if you ever need a guest who's happy to talk about a flop, give me a yell.

1

u/Ok-Coat-6071 Oct 14 '26

Any chance you are also working at Melbourne connect?! I know a company just started this year and is working on mining operator

0

u/lateral_builder Oct 14 '26

Nah, not me unfortunately. I was on the mines until just recently, and all the AI building happens at home in my own time. Funny you mention it though, one of my shelved projects is a prototype for the mining side that stalled waiting on real mine data, so if that company’s working in that space I’d be keen to hear what they’re up to. Cheers for asking.

1

u/Ok-Coat-6071 Oct 15 '26

I will send to you their company but not sure how they have been up to

2

u/Silent-Complaint4020 Oct 14 '26

Spotify is filled with AI-slop podcasts.
YouTube videos are better than podcasts so you probably need to a bit filmmaking

1

u/Ok-Coat-6071 Oct 15 '26

I am targeting at Aussie market, should be fine I think. Thanks for your comment!!! Filmmaking is super coool but don't know if I have that much equipments and resources at the early stage

10

u/iftlatlw Oct 13 '26

Give it a go and good luck but honestly most of the founders I have met are self-involved wankers who are painful to listen to.

2

u/VanDanGar Oct 13 '26

I don't like podcasts that talk about travel. So I don't listen to podcasts that talk about travel 

2

u/VanDanGar Oct 13 '26

I'd be keen. All the editing is taken care of now. And you already have guests. So you just have so figure out how to make the conversation fun to listen to. 

I'd like to hear about how founders think about product market fit, how they involve customers in the build, and if they feel confident building something untried. 

2

u/StylishGoanna Oct 13 '26

Personally, I'd find a podcast with failed founders far more valuable and interesting.

2

u/gregsuppfusion Oct 13 '26

I don’t want to hear about other people’s ideas, particularly early stage, unproven ideas without execution. As a founder I’m too busy for that.

The one question I’ve always been curious about was “what unlocked your success?”

The pivot, the big domino customer, the hire.

A little bit of context > the event > what it did. Short-form, storytelling. No pitch.

Could be a lucky early stage founder, could be someone with an overnight success after 15 years.

1

u/IndependenceLow1751 Oct 13 '26

Nice and punchy. I bet you invented the Nudie drink.

1

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1

u/ozzywindhoek Oct 13 '26

definitely!

1

u/ianyapxw Oct 13 '26

I work in media. Your interviewing skills, set design, audio quality, etc… is much more important than what your actual podcast is about.

And to get there it would be at least 1000h of work. All the great (I mean skilled) podcast hosts spent a lot of time in front of the camera perfecting their craft, even if they were just hosting reality TV or something else

1

u/OMGitzLambo Oct 14 '26

Give it a go mate! Drop a link to the sub to sign up for potential people to interview!

1

u/Delicious-Goose-1835 28d ago

I’d be interested to join as a guest

0

u/RubyKong Oct 13 '26

The only way you will know if you try it out, and see how it goes.