
Most people think private messaging is already solved. Chris Fresle is proof it isn't.
Chris Fresle is the founder of Just Us, a private messaging app built to prevent image-based abuse. He's a year nine dropout with no tech background, a patent pending across six countries, and a product that uses facial recognition and object detection to make private messages genuinely impossible to screenshot, forward, or capture on another device.
In this episode, Chris joins Alan at the Cremorne Digital Hub in Melbourne to talk through how he built something everyone said was impossible, how he found and trusted a development team in Vietnam with no technical knowledge of his own, and how he's using survivor-led influencer marketing to build trust with a Gen Z audience that WhatsApp and Signal have never been able to reach.
Stay until the end for Chris's take on why Australian investors are harder to crack than US investors, and Alan's advice on how to pitch a product that people struggle to believe actually works.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
03:00 The Journey to Creating Just Us
06:02 Building a Trustworthy Team
08:55 Navigating Skepticism in the Startup World
12:00 Monetization and User Engagement Strategies
15:07 User Feedback and App Development
17:58 Marketing and Influencer Partnerships
20:50 Protecting Intellectual Property
23:56 The Vision for Just Us
27:14 Passion for Change and Helping Others
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.














