About This Episode
Ben Ransley, 27-year-old founder and managing director of Smart City NZ, brings a youthful entrepreneurship perspective. Founded at age 22 after dropping out of building science at Victoria University (was going to major in project management), doing smart home automation, then spotting the gap, no one was focused solely on smart city solutions in NZ. He established global supply partnerships with Germany, Canada, Serbia, and the Netherlands. Products include smart bus shelters, smart VMS (variable message signs) with real-time detour travel times (first in NZ), smart radar trailers for traffic analysis, and solar-powered self-compacting smart waste bins (5-7x capacity, real-time fullness data, with te reo Maori speakers thanking users in the Far North). Key clients include Auckland Transport and Oratahi. Andy and Ben share a parallel: both started their companies at the same time (~4.5 years ago). On mental health and staying grounded, Ben advocates "movement is medicine", working out at least 5 times a week. Andy started CrossFit to avoid being "an old Indian dude with a pot belly on a podcast." Both agree: if everyone went to the gym 5 times a week, there'd be no crime.
Key Topics Discussed
- Smart City NZ. Urban tech solutions founded at 22, NZ's first smart city provider.
- Smart VMS. Real-time detour travel times, first in NZ, public transport promotion.
- Smart waste bins. Solar-powered self-compacting, 5-7x capacity, te reo Maori speakers.
- Smart radar trailers. Roundabout turning movement analysis, traffic data.
- Global supply chain. Germany, Canada, Serbia, Netherlands (no China).
- Entrepreneurship parallel. Both Andy and Ben started companies ~4.5 years ago.
- "Movement is medicine". Physical health as mental health foundation.
- Started at 22. No co-founder, investor, or partner, "forced to learn everything."
Notable Quotes
"Movement is medicine."
Smart waste bins that speak te reo Maori, "Kia ora, thanks for being a tidy Kiwi."
Andy: "Just imagine an old Indian dude with a bald head and a pot belly trying to talk to you in a podcast. That's enough to get me to the gym."
Guest Background
Ben Ransley is founder and managing director of Smart City NZ, an urban technology company. Age 27. Dropped out of building science at Victoria University. Parents own TSL (traffic signals and civil construction). Global partnerships with Germany, Canada, Serbia, Netherlands.
