Publons, a company that came out of Wellington’s Lightning Lab accelerator in 2013, and of which I was the first investor and (until 31 May) Chairman of the Board, has been acquired by Clarivate Analytics. Publons provides a platform that gives academics credit for the peer review work they do, and whose mission is to…
Continue reading →What are the foundations of a great national entrepreneurial community? After the Startup Weekend NZ National Hui in 2015, I drafted a plan based on feedback from the hui’s unconference. It included: Vision: Every New Zealander has the ability, tools, and networks to become an entrepreneur Mission: To provide access to the community, experiences, and…
Continue reading →OMG this is the Klezmer Equivalent to being on the cover of the Rolling Stone. The Forward is a publication that’s been going since 1897, and at one stage its circulation outstripped the New York Times. Go The Klezmer Rebs!
Continue reading →I recently took on the role of Entrepreneur in Residence at the Kiwibank Fintech Accelerator, powered by Lightning Lab. Consider me the “Mentor-in-Chief” – as well as advising the ventures and helping them make great connections and destroy roadblocks, my main job is curating the relationships between the ventures and their mentors, and later in…
Continue reading →Very early this year, one of my closest friends, Julian Carver, died. This post told the story of his death from my perspective, along with my learnings from the experience. Sadly, one of Julian’s surviving family members has asked me to remove this post, as “it’s too soon”. In respect to them, I have removed…
Continue reading →I just love this photo.
Continue reading →For the sin of silence, For the sin of indifference, For the secret complicity of the neutral, For the closing of borders, For the washing of hands, For the crime of indifference, For the sin of silence, For the closing of borders, For all that was done, For all that was not done, Let there…
Continue reading →From time to time, I get asked to perform technical due diligence on investment opportunities. I have a checklist, and I thought I’d share it with others in the hope that it might be useful. If you have anything you think I’ve missed or got wrong, please let me know in the comments, and I’ll…
Continue reading →I’m a member of the Long Now Foundation, whose mission it is to “…provide a counterpoint to today’s accelerating culture and help make long-term thinking more common. We hope to foster responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years.” One of their main activities is producing Seminars about Long Term Thinking, which are available…
Continue reading →