Kōrerorero – interview with NZGCP

New Zealand Growth Capital Partners (NZGCP), the NZ Government-backed early stage investment fund, ran an interview with me today on their Kōrerorero blog, discussing general approaches to angel investment. I answer questions like: As an Angel investor, what do you look for before investing? What are your top tips for Kiwi companies with high-growth potential?…

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Capital Gains Tax

Sir Michael Cullen’s Tax Working Group report came out yesterday. I was asked by Chris Keall to comment for an article in the New Zealand Herald in which I was positive about the recommendations.  The key points are (noting I’m not a tax expert): The Capital Gains Tax (CGT) looks fair. If you earn a dollar,…

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My week on @AotearoaPeople

Last week I was the curator of the @AotearoaPeople Twitter account.  I covered a lot of areas of interest to me. The tweet stream follows. I hope you enjoy it! Jump to: Monday: Intro, my whanau, and our charitable trust Tuesday: Lexicography and words Wednesday: Tech, startups, and investment Thursday: The future of government Friday:…

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Early stage investment tradeoffs

I was asked recently by one of the companies I’m working with that is post-prototype, but pre-revenue: How can I make this deal sweet enough for early stage investors without jeapordising future investment or diluting founders further? That is the dilemma. As a founder, you need to get cash into the company to grow, often…

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The New Christchurch – You Beauty!

There’s only one thing I want to say today: Christchurch, you beauty! When people ask me what I’m about, I tell them I’m building the future I want to live in. We’re all doing that today, here at Lightning Lab Christchurch Demo Day. Look around you. The New Christchurch is filled with diversity and entrepreneurial…

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Parenthood, business, and investment

I was recently interviewed by Sarah Spear at The Parentalist, a new blog featuring parents who are “making an impact on the world, in business and in their local communities”. You listen to (or download) the audio: Or watch the video: On a related note, today I added the job “Parent at My Family” to…

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My advice to budding entrepreneurs

A couple of months ago, the great people from MyFirstCompany.co.nz interviewed me to collect my sage advice for budding entrepreneurs. Here is what I told them: What is WebFund all about? What’s the difference between a good idea and a good business idea? What should I think about before approaching an investor? How important is…

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