Did you hear about the globally scaling company that was founded in a coworking space on Everage Street? It’s not what you’d typically expect from Moonee Ponds—and we love seeing this kind of world-class innovation happen right here in our neighbourhood!

Where Local Connection Sparks Global Ideas

Chris Daglis has spent decades in the automotive parts recycling industry. Eddie Baliviera builds cutting-edge AI tools. They met at CoRize, a boutique, family-owned coworking space located right in the heart of Moonee Ponds, where they were next-door neighbours in adjoining private offices.

“We worked side by side for maybe a month or two before we really had a proper chat in the kitchen,” Eddie recalls. “That’s where we had our first productive conversation.”

What began as casual subcontract work quickly evolved into something far bigger: Ari, an AI voice agent now described as a foundational piece of the global automotive recycling industry. Today, Ari operates across the US, Canada, Australia, and is rapidly expanding into the UK markets.

Solving Real-World Industry Problems From Moonee Ponds

The core insight behind the business was straightforward: customers were already calling auto recyclers, but their calls simply weren’t being answered. Ari fixed that—operating seamlessly after hours, on Saturdays, and even on major holidays like Thanksgiving.

“One of our biggest days for leads last year was Thanksgiving in the US,” Chris says. “Everyone’s out doing their Thanksgiving thing—but people are looking for parts and no one’s there.”

For Team Ari, global expansion is well under way. A new buying tool to help auto recyclers compete effectively at auction is already in deep development, with a full suite of AI products to follow. The ultimate goal is giving smaller operators the competitive edge that was previously entirely out of reach for them.

Supported by the Moonee Ponds Business Community

Ari is just the beginning of what can happen when local business minds collaborate. Proving that you don’t need to be in Silicon Valley to scale globally, Chris and Eddie are still proud, active members at CoRize right here in Moonee Ponds.

Whether you are an independent freelancer, a growing startup, or an established business looking for a vibrant local space to collaborate, your next big breakthrough might just start in the shared kitchen at CoRize.

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