Where you start doesn't decide where you finish.
Jonny Shannon builds technology companies — and then explains, in plain language, what that technology is doing to the people who use it.
He co-founded Pushpay, which listed on the NZX and ASX and sold for over NZ$1.6 billion. He went on to found Gamify (featured on Shark Tank) and PostHarvest Technologies. He is an operator, not a commentator: what he says about AI and cyber security comes from work he is doing this quarter.
It did not start that way. Born in South Auckland with undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD, Jonny was bullied relentlessly and expelled at fifteen for fighting. A school counsellor who refused to give up on him changed the trajectory — through the New Zealand Army, into youth work, and eventually into technology.
Since 2013 he has delivered more than 3,300 presentations to over 250,000 people. For corporate audiences he speaks on practical AI adoption, the human side of cyber security, and resilience built through failure. For schools he covers online safety, mental health and resilience — work that made him Australian Youth Speaker of the Year.
Audiences book Jonny because he has actually done the thing he is talking about, and because he can hold a room — whether that room is a boardroom or six thousand people in a conference hall.
Talking Points
AI in the Real World: What's Actually Working
Jonny has founded three technology companies and uses AI daily across all of them. This session cuts past the hype to what teams are genuinely doing with AI right now — where it creates real leverage, where it quietly creates risk, and how to tell the difference. Live demonstrations, no jargon.AI in the Real World: What's Actually Working
Takeaways: a clear view of where AI fits your workflow, the three questions to ask before adopting any tool, and the governance traps to avoid.
Cyber Safe At Work
Most breaches don't start with code — they start with a person. A practical, story-driven session for staff and leadership teams covering the 8 ways employees get caught out online: oversharing, phishing, deepfakes, weak passwords, dodgy wifi and physical attacks. Humour and live demos keep non-technical teams with him.Cyber Safe At Work
Takeaways: staff who can name all 8 attack routes, a personal security routine that sticks, and habits that make the team and their families safer.
From Expelled to Exit: Grit, Resilience and Building Through Failure
Expelled at fifteen, Jonny co-founded a company that sold for over NZ$1.6 billion. This keynote is the honest version — the failures, the near-misses, and the PERMA-based framework he used to keep going. Suited to conferences, leadership offsites and teams under sustained pressure.From Expelled to Exit: Grit, Resilience and Building Through Failure
Takeaways: a practical model for team resilience, how to reframe setbacks without toxic positivity, and a method for setting vision when the path isn't clear.
Connected: Cyber Safety, Social Skills & Bullying
Using fun, memorable stories, Jonny helps students navigate the online world in positive, solutions-based ways. Covers respectful online communication, digital footprint, protecting personal information, scams and catfishing, cyberbullying and bystander strategies, screen and gaming addiction, and sexting laws for high school.Connected: Cyber Safety, Social Skills & Bullying
Takeaways: students can name the common online risks, know the three ways through bullying, and know exactly where to get help.
Mental Health: 5 Ways To Being Strong
With over 30% of young Australians experiencing a mental health issue, this session normalises the conversation and gives students practical tools. Jonny draws on personal experience to explore the link between thoughts, actions and emotions, how to recognise and manage anxiety and depression, and the role of healthy routines.Mental Health: 5 Ways To Being Strong
Takeaways: every student leaves with a personalised coping plan and knows where to seek help for themselves or a friend.
Grit & Resilience: 5 Steps To Moving Forward
From living in a caravan with undiagnosed learning disabilities to co-founding a billion-dollar company, Jonny shares how he moved from surviving to thriving using the PERMA model. Covers learned optimism, growth versus fixed mindset, turning disempowering thoughts around, and setting a clear vision with SMART goals.Grit & Resilience: 5 Steps To Moving Forward
Takeaways: students leave with a written goal, a reframing technique they can use immediately, and the belief that where they start doesn't decide where they finish.
Drugs, Alcohol, Vaping & Addiction
Moving beyond scare tactics, Jonny explores the real reasons young people turn to substances — acceptance, self-esteem, boredom and emotional pain — and addresses smoking, vaping, alcohol, marijuana and designer drugs through their physical, mental and social impacts.Drugs, Alcohol, Vaping & Addiction
Takeaways: students can name their own triggers, understand the real effects on a developing brain, and leave knowing they are not defined by their upbringing or their friends.
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Jonny Shannon
Jonny was only called on last minute, was extremely accommodating and adaptable, even knowing it was a very late request. Afterwards, he stuck around and engaged in photos, etc., which we ap ... keep reading Ipswich Community Youth Service Inc (ICYS)
95% of guests said your presentation helped them. That's the highest we are yet to receive in over 5 years. Wanted to say thank you for your work and energy.
Many parents said they felt like they were there during your presentation — the students recited everything you said from stage at home!
Engaging & Powerful. A mix of humour, facts and engaging the crowd. I have already booked you for next year.
Jonny did an anti-bullying presentation on the National Day of Action Against Bullying & Violence to over 7,000 students in a mixed in-person & live streaming event for us. We got him back to do our Teachers PD training to over 3,000 teachers. Both were amazing, both had great feedback. Will get him in again.
Your session was absolutely amazing and we can't thank you enough. The way you engaged over 6,000 people was impressive. We learnt a lot and have numerous people asking for the recordings. Will get you back next year!
