Friday, October 31, 2025

Turning seaweed into the future of materials. 🌊


Massive congrats to Uluu on raising $16 million AUD in Series A funding, led by Burda Principal Investments, with participation from Main Sequence, Novel Investments, Startmate, and a consortium of impact investors.


Co-founders and co-CEOs Julia Reisser and Michael Kingsbury are building something remarkable — world-first technology that transforms seaweed into materials that look and feel like plastic, but are reusable, recyclable, compostable, and marine biodegradable.


This funding will accelerate Uluu from their 100kg/year test plant to a 10-ton/year demonstration facility, enabling partnerships across cosmetics, fashion, and automotive industries.


With less than 12% of plastic effectively recycled today, innovations like Uluu are critical to building a post-plastic future. We’re proud to continue backing Julia, Michael, and the Uluu team as they scale technology that could one day help reduce global CO2 emissions by two gigatonnes annually. 💜


#DeepTech #Sustainability #PlasticAlternatives

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

10 Principles to stay dangerous in this Time of Rapid Change

1.Your brand is key 

Your brand is the heartbeat of your business — it’s what people remember, trust, and talk about when you’re not in the room. Your brand isn’t just a logo or a name — it’s your story, your reputation, and the promise you make (and keep) to your customers. A strong brand builds credibility, attracts loyal clients, and differentiates you in a crowded market. It creates emotional connection and consistency — the reason customers choose you over someone else, come back again, and refer their friends. In short, your brand is your most powerful growth asset — it’s what turns transactions into relationships and customers into advocates.


2. Cash is king and Queen and make sure that unit economics work,

Your business should run at a healthy profit margin. Growth capital is okay, but once you gain critical mass, if unit economics don't make sense, then what’s the point?


Positive Cash flow is King and Queen 


3. Build connections with service providers who serve the same customers - and Refer On

It will give you insane business leverage, especially for those who know what outcomes they can bring for you. Outsource  and  build a huge following, affiliate and partner network - Referron is the perfect tool to help you do this 


4. Hire normal people -  train and motivate them

Simplify what you want to do so that “normal” people can do it. The people who  work for you don't own the company, and mostly will not innovate or own outcomes. The ones who do should be given a profit share and ownership. 

Both are important - and know which bucket each team member fits in 


5.Frame the problem to solve and be clear on the process and System

If you want your team to be obsessed with outcomes, frame the problem and be clear about the process to solve that problem.


6. Keep your team lean

It will force you to say no and prioritise what to do.


7.AI is changing everything

How your customer interacts with you and what you and your team do on a day-to-day basis and your organization chart is going to look very different a year from now. 


Don't wait, now is the time to act.


8. Be lean and mean 


  • don’t accept the status quo 
  • Focus on the customer UX and UI and CX 
  • Know your point of difference
  • Tell story’s , and
  • Be the lean underdog.


9. People make purchase decisions when they need what you offer now

No one wakes up and says, "Today I'm going to refinance my mortgage.” People make purchase decisions when they need what you offer when they need it. Continue to talk to your customers and continue to learn. Be visible at the time your customer is looking for what you need ! 


 10. Business plans don’t cut the mustard 

Business Plans are more for management to tell investors what they are building. It's impossible to know what to build. Only work in 4-6 week sprints . Nothing else works - especially in this environment of exponential rapid change !!


What else?

Is Referron a modern day “don’t miss out” story

Referron investment opportunity — is Referron a modern-day “don’t miss out” moment? 

Don’t Be the Next Ron Wayne: The Missed Trillion-Dollar Opportunity


Ron Wayne, one of the lesser-known co-founders of Apple, sold his 10% stake for just $800 shortly after its founding.


At the time, it seemed like a smart, low-risk decision.


Today, that same stake would be worth over $350 billion.


His story is more than just a piece of tech history — it’s a timeless reminder that game-changing opportunities rarely look obvious in their early days.

Enter Referron — The Next Big Shift in How the World Connects


Every major business revolution starts with a simple, powerful idea.

- LinkedIn redefined professional networking.

- Uber transformed how we move.

- Canva democratized design.


Now, Referron is redefining how trust, referrals, and business relationships grow — through a platform that enables people to share trusted connections in seconds.

Once we complete our MVP and get to 10,000 users, we will be raising $3 million in seed capital at a $3 million pre-money valuation, with a path to scale into a $5 billion global business.


If you had invested $10,000 at this stage and Referron reaches its projected potential,

your investment could grow to over $16 million.


The Question Is:

When the story of Referron is told —

will you be remembered as one of the early believers…

or will you be the next Ron Wayne?


We will be looking for 300 investors to invest a minimum of $10,000 - let me know if you would like a copy of our Information Memorandum or Prospectus when it is released.

#Referron #StartupInvestment #MissedOpportunity #AppleStory #GameChanger #TrustEconomy #Innovation #SeedCapital #TechStartups #EarlyInvestors