Ben King is the founder and CEO of Aviato Consulting, a software and AI consultancy that ranked sixth in the AFR Fast 100 this year. Before starting Aviato, Ben ran the app modernisation team for Google Cloud across Asia Pacific, and when he left, he built essentially the same thing, but leaner and on his own terms. The company now has 95 people across Australia, India and Singapore, with around half of all work being AI-related.

In this episode, Ben joins Alan to talk about what it actually looks like to build and scale a technical consulting business in Australia, from the talent shortage that forces most serious engineering firms offshore, to the practical realities of using AI in production versus just prototyping. Ben is refreshingly direct about what works and what doesn't, including why he thinks signing a three-year deal with any AI provider right now is a mistake, why AI cold email campaigns do more damage than good, and why a physical piece of mail will outperform ten thousand automated messages every time.

Alan challenges Ben on the right tech stack for founders heading into 2026, how to get the most out of free cloud credits before you raise, and what product managers still do better than any AI tool on the market.

If you're a founder making decisions about how to build, who to hire, or which AI tools to trust with your business, this episode is worth your time.

🎙 Ask Alan a Question – https://speakpipe.com/pickmybrain

🎧 More from Alan Jones – https://www.startupfoundercoach.com

Galah Cyber offers the Foundations of Application Security course: a practical, hands-on AppSec course built for engineers who actually ship code. Two days of real-world lessons you can apply immediately. Learn more at galahcyber.com.au/learn.

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.

Most founders who've tried PR will tell you the same thing: it was a waste of money and they never got in the media. But when Marie Dowling digs deeper, the real answer is usually that they weren't involved enough to make it work.

In this episode, Alan is joined by Marie Dowling, founder and CEO of Newsary, a hybrid AI and human PR platform built for startups and small businesses. Marie walks through how Newsary works, why PR is becoming the new SEO, and how she landed enterprise client Flixbus, generating over 300 pieces of Australian media coverage.

Alan challenges Marie to think beyond founder-led sales, pushing her to consider referral incentives, agency partnerships, and her LinkedIn audience as scalable distribution channels. If you're a founder who's written off PR, this episode might just change your mind.

Time Stamps

02:13 – Meet Marie Dowling and her path from PR agency to founder

04:37 – Why bigger clients mean less interesting press releases

06:09 – What Newsary does and who it's for

07:02 – The pivot: from "how to write" to "what is a good story"

08:01 – Why PR is the new SEO

09:09 – How Newsary works: interview-style, not AI-generated

11:05 – Pricing: what Newsary costs vs. a traditional agency

12:32 – How Marie finds customers (and what they all say about PR)

13:39 – The real reason most PR fails: founder involvement

15:14 – Alan's challenge: scaling beyond founder-led sales

18:03 – The Flixbus campaign: 300+ pieces of coverage

19:14 – Who's behind Newsary: the team and advisors

20:16 – Co-hosting industry events: lessons learned

23:18 – Platform rebuild and January launch plans

25:10 – Marie's one ask of listeners

Resources Mentioned

💸 Newsary: https://www.newsary.co/

🎙 Ask Alan a Question – https://speakpipe.com/pickmybrain

🎧 More from Alan Jones – https://www.startupfoundercoach.com

Galah Cyber offers the Foundations of Application Security course: a practical, hands-on AppSec course built for engineers who actually ship code. Two days of real-world lessons you can apply immediately. Learn more at galahcyber.com.au/learn.

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.

Episode Summary

Consumers lose billions to scams and miss out on trillions in potential savings every year. So what if everyone had their own AI-powered financial assistant working 24-7?

In this episode of Pick My Brain, Alan Jones is joined by James Horan, founder of Phinly, an AI-driven personal finance platform designed to help consumers automate savings, prevent fees, and optimise their financial lives. James walks through his live pitch for Phinly, outlining the problem with doom-scrolling money advice, the rise of AI agents in personal finance, and a bold vision for owning the AI money assistant category.

Phinly connects to over 20,000 institutions, identifies cost savings opportunities, and enables one-tap actions from cancelling subscriptions to switching providers. With early partnerships secured, backing from a global AI accelerator, and a savings-based revenue model, the startup is raising $800,000 on a pre-seed SAFE to scale toward $4.5M ARR in 18 months.

But Alan’s feedback goes deeper than traction and TAM. He challenges James to avoid blending in with every other AI fintech startup in the room. Instead of leaning purely on logic and numbers, Alan pushes for something more memorable: behavioural insights that surprise the audience about their own financial habits. The goal is simple. Make investors go home and say, “Did you know that…?” and have that sentence start with something you taught them.

If you’re building in fintech, AI, or any crowded category, this episode is a masterclass in standing out when everyone else looks the same.

Time Stamps

02:08 – Meet James Horan and his founder journey

03:14 – Lessons from a failed two-sided marketplace

04:28 – The Phinly pitch begins

05:40 – Money advice, TikTok, and the cost-of-living crisis

06:50 – How Phinly works: AI-powered money automation

07:45 – Traction: 20,000 institutions connected and major partnerships

08:30 – Revenue model: percentage of savings and future subscriptions

09:10 – Alan’s first reaction: good foundation, but blends in

11:45 – The power of surprise in a crowded fintech room

12:30 – Using behavioural economics to stand out

14:00 – Stop reading your slides

15:30 – Supporting your story instead of replacing it

17:00 – Bringing emotion into a rational fintech pitch

18:00 – How to create a pitch people repeat to others

Resources

💸 Phinly – https://phinly.com

🎙 Ask Alan a Question – https://speakpipe.com/pickmybrain

🎧 More from Alan Jones – https://www.startupfoundercoach.com

Galah Cyber offers the Foundations of Application Security course: a practical, hands-on AppSec course built for engineers who actually ship code. Two days of real-world lessons you can apply immediately. Learn more at galahcyber.com.au/learn.

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.