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?…
Continue reading →The good people at Callaghan Innovation have compiled a little list of New Zealand startups from various sources as part of the Scale Up NZ project. The list is rough, but it’s ready, and as they say, perfect is the enemy of good. I’m told it’s a temporary fixture, and can be distributed freely. If…
Continue reading →Starting up a business is hard. Being a founder can seem like a pan-galactic ultra marathon. Here is a list of things you can do to attain and maintain good mental health, including achieving a good overall attitude, maintaining focus, looking after yourself, making space for regeneration, dealing with uncertainty, getting help, and dealing with failure.
Continue reading →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:…
Continue reading →I was having office hours today with one of the startups I work with, and asked the founder how he was going on sales. He responded by saying that things were slow, as he was preparing thoroughly for the next phase. He quoted Abraham Lincoln: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and…
Continue reading →I had a nice interview with Simon Morton on Radio NZ this morning, talking about (inter alia) the development of the NZ Startup ecosystem, recycling capital, the Lean methodology, the scientific method, and its application to policy development. Listen to it here, … or jump over to the Radio New Zealand web site.
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 →Every once in awhile, you come across something so inspirational it sends shivers up your spine. While watching The Martian the other night with Mr 12, they included a snippet from John F Kennedy’s Rice Speech, which JFK delivered when I was two years old. I’d seen the quote before, but I’d never seen the…
Continue reading →I’ve just launched a new blog, NZ Startup of the Week. Every week, I’ll be featuring a Kiwi startup going global. Be sure to have a look.
Continue reading →Last weekend I was invited to be a panelist on Radio NZ’s “The Weekend” programme with Lynn Freeman, discussing what it takes for startups to thrive. You can hear the audio here: I took some notes before the panel, of all of the things that I wanted to say – but of course in these…
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