How to get from idea to $1m revenue in 4 months with AI, run a listed tech company & what makes great design

Black Pearl Group founder Nick Lissette had an idea for a AI-driven sales agent for small business about five months ago. It took 90 days to develop and launch Bebop, the latest product from his New Zealand listed tech company, and within 45 days, it hit $1.2 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). Black Pearl's previous innovation, Pearl Diver, took 45 days and within two years hit NZ$10 million. Nick, the company's CEO (and briefly CTO), is Startup 360's first international guest, joining cohosts Simon Thomsen and Majella Campbell from Aotearoa to talk about everything from AI to investing, rugby, music and his belief in teamwork. He describes Bebop as like ChatGPT, but built for sales and revenue growth. The Black Pearl boss, who could have been a professional musician had he not blown his audition in the UK studios of Sir George Martin (of The Beatles fame), is funny, fast-paced, a wild card, focused, stubborn, and jack of all trades. It's a cracking conversation filled with plenty of great insights on what it takes to run a listed company from WellingtonHe also revealed their currently exploring a dual listing in Australia, for the 13-year-old tech business, and how hard it was to find the funding to back Black Pearl Group (NZX:BPG), heading to the US and refusing to come home until he had the cash. Black Pearl shares jumped 30% on the NZ exchange this week after he announced the success of Bebop and the potential the company sees in artificial intelligence products. In other news, Simon and Majella talked about philanthropy by tech founders, and how Australian founders are among the world's best when it comes to turning small amounts of VC funding into valuable companies.Also joining them for 10x, the rapid fire questions (but they lost count so it could be more) is Spanish-born design guru Miguel Anton from Xeito Studios, who explained how hard it is to make things look simple, why great design matters, and how to think about luxury in a conversation that spans his time working for billionaire Bernard Arnault at LVMH, to the genius of Apple and Labubus. Startup 360 is more founder fund than founder mode. It’s all about finding out what makes people tick and staying human. Subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and don't forget to read ⁠StartupDaily.net⁠ for all the ANZ tech news for free! This episode of Startup 360 is supported by Vanta, helping startups unlock market opportunities through automated compliance.