From side hustles to startup success, the entrepreneurial journey of Ned Dywer, co-founder and CEO of Great Question, has been anything but linear.

In this episode of The First, we sit down with Ned Dwyer, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Great Question, the all-in-one UX research platform revolutionizing how companies gather customer insights.

Raised in Melbourne, Ned’s path to startup success was anything but conventional. From working over 26 jobs to scaling and selling his first company, Elto (formerly Tweaky), to GoDaddy, his journey is packed with raw lessons on hustle, product-market fit, and what happens when ambition meets bureaucracy.

Ned shares candid insights on:

• How he navigated startup life post-acquisition at GoDaddy
• The painful missteps and learnings from building Spritz, a fintech startup acquired by an Australian payroll firm
• Why Great Question was born from frustration—and how it’s tackling the biggest pain point in UX research
• His smarter, more strategic approach to fundraising with Y Combinator
• Why culture isn't something to delay, and how he built a remote-first team with radical candor and low ego
• Where he sees AI and research going next—and why workflow beats hype

Whether you're an early-stage founder, product builder, or just fascinated by the real stories behind great startups, this episode offers a front-row seat to the trials, pivots, and principles that shaped Ned’s entrepreneurial playbook.

Tune in to hear why Ned believes there’s no single mold for entrepreneurs—and how staying curious, committed, and customer-obsessed leads to building enduring companies.