How Bardar Pivoted: Dexter Todd’s Festival Data Playbook

How Bardar Pivoted: Dexter Todd’s Festival Data Playbook

How Bardar Pivoted: Dexter Todd’s Festival Data Playbook

|

|

Show Host

Show Host

0:00/1:34

Also on

Also on

Imagine navigating a festival with ease, knowing exactly where to go, how busy each venue is, and what’s happening around you. That’s the vision behind Bardar, an app revolutionising the festival experience. In this episode of Pick My Brain, Dexter Todd shares how Bardar pivoted from a nightlife discovery app into a data-driven platform that helps festival organisers improve attendee experiences and prove their economic impact. Alan Jones dives into the importance of positioning Bardar as an enterprise SaaS product rather than a one-off event app, and how this strategy can unlock longer-term revenue and growth. They also discuss Dexter’s cold outreach success with South by Southwest Sydney, landing a $25K contract, and the power of leveraging real-time foot traffic data to build value for festival clients.

Chapters

00:00 – Dexter on festival frustrations and app clunkiness

02:01 – From ANU student startup to Bardar’s growth

03:37 – How Bardar pivoted to focus on festivals

08:23 – Landing a contract with South by Southwest via cold email

11:55 – Using foot traffic APIs to track venue capacity

14:24 – Post-event reports and insights for festivals

15:09 – Fundraising journey: $225K pre-seed and $200K extension

16:36 – Alan’s advice: converting seasonal deals into SaaS contracts

17:27 – Positioning Bardar as a data-driven SaaS enterprise

21:38 – The importance of annual contracts to build a sustainable business

Resources

🙋🏻‍♂️ Dexter Todd’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dexter-todd-77a600242/

📍 Bardar - https://www.bardar.app/

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Partners

Click our partners below to see their unique offers

More Episodes You Might Like

Let's talk

Turn podcasting into pipeline

We help founders, funds and operators build trust, authority and deal flow with a show tailored to their market.

Win better deals and stay top‑of‑mind with founders.

Close more deals and build a category you own.

Reach founders and operators with a show they trust.

Day One® exists to help founders and startup operators make better business decisions more often

Subscribe for helpful content from other successful founders, operators and investors

Join 755 other founders & investors receiving our emails. They're cool, are you? :)

* Regrettably, mel@canva.com is not on our list… yet.

Day One® is a registered trademark of W2D1 Media Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. © 2026 W2D1 Media Pty Ltd.

Day One® exists to help founders and startup operators make better business decisions more often

Subscribe for helpful content from other successful founders, operators and investors

Join 755 other founders & investors receiving our emails. They're cool, are you? :)

* Regrettably, mel@canva.com is not on our list… yet.

Day One® is a registered trademark of W2D1 Media Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. © 2026 W2D1 Media Pty Ltd.