Phil Hayes-St Clair is a CEO coach who works with chief executives one-to-one and in small groups, including through The CEO Room, a six-week program for six CEOs at a time.
He was CEO of AirShr, an app that let radio listeners save what they heard, until it closed in 2016, then co-founded Drop Bio Health, an at-home blood testing business, and led it as CEO before exiting. He began his career as an infantry soldier in the Australian Army and worked in financial services before starting his first company in 2006. He holds a BSc from QUT and an MBA from UNSW, and has taught entrepreneurship to MBA students.
On The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem interview series, he talked about Drop Bio, learning to sell and how the startup community has changed since the mid-2000s.
4 episodes
Start herePhil Hayes-St Clair: “Take care of yourself”His own interview: he explains Drop Bio's mission and gives his advice on learning to sell and looking after yourself as a founder.
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem With Mark Pesce, Hayden Williams, Evan Thornley, Tim Fung, Trevor Folsom, Peter Davison, Pete Lead, Terry Hilsberg, Matt Bullock, Allan O'Connor, Rachael Neumann, Maxine Sherrin, Malcolm Turnbull, James Alexander, Alan Jones, Paul Bassat, Hamish Hawthorn, Alfred Lo, Cameron Adams, Bruce Tulloch, Matt Barrie, Kate Cornick
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem With Jodie Fox, Alfred Lo, Hamish Hawthorn, Cameron Adams, Evan Thornley, John Allsopp, Malcolm Turnbull, Ian Gardiner, Mick Liubinskas, Matt Barrie, Mark Pesce, Simon Thomsen, Phil Morle, Silvia Pfeiffer, Dean McEvoy, Alan Noble, Niki Scevak, Alan Jones
Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem With Leslie Delaforce, Darryl Lyons, Megan Sebben, Wayne Gerard, Nicole O'Brien, Alex Carpenter, Evan Thornley, Baden U'Ren, Tim Fung, Trevor Folsom, Peter Davison, Craig Swann, Moira Were, Colette Grgic, Allan O'Connor, Rachael Neumann, Chad Renando, Annie Parker, Brendan Hill, Aaron Birkby, Malcolm Turnbull, Jodie Fox, Susan Oliver, Silvia Pfeiffer, Yolanda Redrup, Andrew Nunn, Melissa Widner, Alfred Lo, Sarah Pearson, Colin Kinner, Lauren Capelin, Matt Barrie, Kate Cornick, Cheryl Mack, Andrea Gardiner, Niki Scevak
The History of the Australian Startup Ecosystem - Interview Series Recorded as Co-founder and CEO, Drop Bio
Key moments from Phil Hayes-St Clair: “Take care of yourself”.
“This is not a training ground. You don't come to startup to learn a new set of skills, you come to learn quickly so you can build something amazing.”
CEO Coach
CEO & Co-founder · AirShr
Head of global business development · inkl
Product team lead (user-centred design) · AMP
Product team lead (user-centred design) · Suncorp
Infantry soldier · Australian Army
Sources: balancethegrind.co, philhsc.com
Adam SpencerHost, Documentary: The History Of The Australian Startup Ecosystem 
Mark PesceFuturist & Host, The Next Billion Seconds 
Hayden WilliamsGroup Product Manager, MYOB 
Evan ThornleyCo-Founder & CEO, LongView 
Tim FungFounder & CEO, Airtasker 
Trevor FolsomCo-Founder and Chairman, Investible 
Peter DavisonCo-founder, Fishburners 
Pete LeadCoach, Scalable Leaders Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026
Put your brand alongside the voices founders, investors and operators come to hear.
Explore sponsorshipW2D1 Media — the team behind the Day One Network, which helped build Blackbird Ventures' Wild Hearts — builds and produces podcasts for funds, founders and operators. If you want a show built around your brand, let's talk.
