Five New Zealand–linked founders drop hard-won truths!

This highlight episode brings together five New Zealand tech entrepreneurs at very different stages—Shaun Quincey, Liam Kampshof, Nick Damiano, Steven Zinsli, and Anna Henwood. It’s a punchy reel of what actually moves the needle in startups: selling into enterprise, building brutally simple products, and staying alive long enough for the compounding to kick in.

You’ll hear why enterprise sales is a “dark art” that starts by finding the real buyer, the founder mindset of “stop what’s not working and don’t die,” the moment a recap turns an engineer into a founder, and why loving uncertainty can keep you in the game for 15 years.

🕸️ Enterprise infiltration: map budget cycles, find the true decision-maker, ask for money early.

🧰 Prototype grit: shower tests, mastitis milk samples, and a raincoat-and-laptop cowshed setup.

🔁 Pivot discipline: “stop doing the wrong thing,” survive, and let time create trust.

🧠 Founder trigger: when a recap pushes a product-first engineer to build their own company.

🎢 Roller-coaster reality: loving uncertainty, community, and autonomy in startups.

🤖 AI & robotics: software-first medtech, simple sensors over dashboards, and pragmatic adoption.

💼 Go-to-market: from field demos to enterprise programs that actually close.

Connect with the Guests:

Shaun Quincey — https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-quincey-53548132

Nick Damiano — https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickdamiano

Liam Kampshof — https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-kampshof

Steven Zinsli — https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-zinsli-💳-aa813184

Anna Henwood — https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-henwoodLearn more about NZVC & HostsNZVC: https://www.nzvc.co.nz

Mark Pavlyukovskyy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlyukovskyy/

Hendrik Remigereau: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-remigereau-09a03067/

Timestamps:

00:00 — Intro00:30 — Shaun on “enterprise infiltration” and finding the buyer

03:31 — Liam’s prototypes and cowshed data

04:32 — Steven: stop what’s wrong, don’t die, play the long game

06:26 — Nick: a recap, a product plan, and the founder decision

08:00 — Anna: the roller coaster, autonomy, and loving uncertaintyIf this sharpened your startup/business brain, hit 👍, drop your questions for the founders below, and subscribe for more New Zealand founder deep-dives.

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