Show notes
In this episode, Steve Grace sits down with Arjun — founder of inaam — to unpack how a tragic loss of his father's life savings fueled a mission to disrupt the Australian financial system, and why he believes the local VC ecosystem is fundamentally broken due to a crippling lack of risk tolerance.Arjun breaks down the dangerous myth that "impact investing" means sacrificing returns (proving it with a portfolio that outperformed the market), why he famously believes the tagline for Australian venture firms should be "F*ck off," and how he is gamifying financial literacy to help young Australians build wealth without compromising their values.They also dive into:The "Oligopoly" problem: Why having only three major VCs is stifling Australian innovationThe reality of building a fintech as a migrant founder and facing racism on the streets of MelbourneThe irony of being an award-winning innovator who still doesn't qualify for a National Innovation VisaHow inaam combines education with execution to bridge the wealth gapWhy email is a terrible leadership tool and the power of the "Communication Triangle"The "Non-Linear" career path: From investment banking to losing it all, to building a unicorn contenderTimestamps: 0:00 From investment banking to startup founder 6:45 Arriving in Melbourne 3 weeks before lockdown 10:27 The "F*ck Off" critique of Australian VCs 11:04 Why Australia has capital but zero risk tolerance 15:22 The Origin Story: Losing his father's life savings 17:20 Debunking the myth: Impact Investing vs. High Returns 23:30 The reality of racism and the migrant founder experience 28:16 The struggle to get a National Innovation Visa 36:00 Why email kills culture: The Communication Triangle 43:10 How to start investing with just $10Links: inaam → https://www.inaam.me/Connect with Arjun → https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunagarwal1996/The Nudge Group → https://thenudgegroup.com/Give It A Nudge Podcast → https://www.youtube.com/@giveitanudge/Steve on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegrace/The Trouble With People → https://thetroublewithpeople.substack.com/
