Matt’s been to /NEW, a tech and dev conference in Newcastle, and he’s brought back notes, stories, and insights from a range of brilliant speakers (and maybe a few sticker giveaways too). From financial independence to military simulation tech, diversity in funding, and agentic AI, this episode dives deep into the highlights of the conference.

We cover:

💰 Why “F U” money isn’t about yachts — it’s about freedom
📉 What’s happening in the VC world and why capital is correcting
🚀 Cutting-edge Australian defence tech using modular simulation engines
🧠 The case for valuing people who’ve overcome more (and why you should back them)
🤖 NotebookLM, deep research, and what’s changed since we last spoke to Uly

This one’s jam-packed. If you’re interested in financial independence, ethical investment, Aussie tech success stories, or how AI is changing… everything, there’s something in here for you.

🍻 Tonight’s Drinks:
Nothing tonight - both recovering from looooong weeks and a big conference!

Links & Mentions

• Scalare Partners – Carolyn Breeze’s firm backing tech founders with a different approach


• Craig Williams at Applied Virtual Simulations

FIRE Resources:

• The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins


• All Your Worth by Elizabeth Warren & Amelia Warren Tyagi


• You Need A Budget (YNAB) (Note: This is Kris’ affiliate link)

AI Resources:

• NotebookLM – Google’s tool for structured knowledge synthesis


• Matt’s MCP explainer for non-techies

Any 👍 Likes, 📣 Shares, 🔔 Subscriptions, and ❤️ Love go a long way to helping us continue this podcast.

Cheers! 🍻