Founders in Motion with Thea Ngo Passive Investing Australia: Get Rich Slow, The Fintech That Tells You to Trade Less | Hayden Smith, Pearler
Recorded as Co-Founder and CEO, Pearler
About Hayden Smith
Hayden Smith is co-founder and chief technology officer of Pearler, an Australian investing platform for everyday investors who buy and hold shares and exchange-traded funds. He co-founded the business with chief executive Nick Nicolaides. By August 2026 Pearler had more than 110,000 active customers and more than $3.5 billion in holdings, and had raised a $16 million Series A led by Portage, which also led its $7.8 million seed round in 2022.
Alongside Pearler he has taught software engineering at UNSW, where he has convened courses including Software Engineering Fundamentals. Pearler was not his first venture: he earlier started CompareMeals.
On Founders in Motion with Thea Ngo, he explained why Pearler encourages its customers to trade less.
- Talks about
- Founder Journey, Startup Lessons
In conversation.
1 episode
Founders in Motion with Thea Ngo Go straight to the good bits.
Key moments from Passive Investing Australia: Get Rich Slow, The Fintech That Tells You to Trade Less | Hayden Smith, Pearler.
- 0:27What Pearler actually is
- 0:54Getting people started on the boring habit
- 2:46The products: long-term, super, and investing for kids
- 3:36CompareMeals: the first startup that fizzled out
- 5:29Equal equity and the co-founder trap
- 7:42Investors vs. "get rich slow"
- 10:00Why he never quit lecturing at UNSW
- 10:33The early days of Pearler
- 11:48The mental-health edge
- 12:36When it's actually worth going all in
Pearler on Day One
Pearler is an Australian investing platform covering ASX and US shares, micro-investing from $5, superannuation, and dedicated first-home and children's savings accounts.
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Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026
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