Simon sits down with Dave McManus, founder of Ocean Greens and Lightning Ventures, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually looks like to build a brand from scratch while running a seaweed farm 2.5 kilometres offshore.
Dave spent six years in Silicon Valley, worked with roughly 100 startups, and co-founded a digital health company before moving back to Australia with a very different idea in his head. Three years ago, he leased 3.5 hectares of water from the government near Flinders, Victoria, set up a Breaking Bad-style lab in his co-founder's backyard, and started growing giant kelp. The first consumer product, a furikake seasoning called Ocean Greens, sold out its first 50 units hand to hand.
We go deep into how Dave built a no-code software product for Ironclad Pan in weeks that a competitor spent $6 million replicating the old way; why AI-generated LinkedIn posts got him zero engagement until he switched to raw founder clips; and why he thinks brands that use AI to become more human will win, while brands that use it to replace humans will accelerate their own collapse.
This episode is about what happens when a Silicon Valley product builder decides to solve a real problem with dirt (and seawater) under his fingernails.
