TechMates

From his daughter’s kitchen table tip about a new app called Snapchat to building a $300 billion venture empire—legendary VC Barry Eggers reveals how he spots the next big thing.In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Barry Eggers, founding partner of Lightspeed Venture Partners, one of the most iconic venture firms in Silicon Valley history. Barry takes us inside the legendary "Snapchat Moment" in 2012, where noticing his teenage daughter using a disappearing photo app led to Lightspeed becoming the first investor in Snap Inc.—a bet that turned $500k into billions.

We dive deep into the evolution of Silicon Valley from apricot orchards to the epicenter of AI, why Barry believes "concentration" is the new diversification, and his candid take on AI replacing white-collar jobs (including his own). Whether you're a founder looking to raise capital or an investor trying to spot the next unicorn, this conversation is packed with 28 years of wisdom from a VC who has seen it all.Key Topics:

👻 The Snapchat Story: How a kitchen table conversation led to a 2000x return.

🤖 AI & Jobs: Barry’s prediction on AI replacing venture capitalists and white-collar work.

💰 Investing Strategy: Why "price doesn't matter" when betting on winners.

🌉 Silicon Valley History: Growing up in the Valley before it was "Silicon Valley."

🌍 Global Ecosystems: Why New Zealand reminds him of early Israel.

📉 The Anti-Portfolio: The billion-dollar companies Barry passed on (and regrets).

Connect with Barry Eggers & Lightspeed:

Lightspeed Venture Partners: https://lsvp.com/

Barry’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-eggers-3b63692/

Connect with NZVC & Hosts:

🔗 Learn more about NZVC: 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 - Introduction

01:27 - Growing up in Silicon Valley (Orchards to Tech)

05:47 - Learning M&A at Cisco & becoming an investor

07:27 - Surviving the Dotcom Crash & starting Lightspeed

18:06 - The Legendary Snapchat Story

25:41 - Strategy Shift: Concentration vs. Diversification

31:06 - The AI Moment: Is it bigger than the Internet?

34:58 - Will AI replace VCs and white-collar jobs?

41:00 - The "Anti-Portfolio": Missed deals (Splunk, Yelp)

53:55 - Why Barry is bullish on New Zealand's ecosystem

1:00:46 - Advice to emerging fund managers

If you enjoyed these insights from a Silicon Valley legend, please hit the Like button, Comment with your biggest takeaway, and Subscribe for more conversations with world-class investors and founders!

#venturecapital, #startups, #SiliconValley, #investing, #Snapchat, #AI, #business, #entrepreneurship, #Lightspeed, #BarryEggers, #tech, #innovation, #finance, #NZVC, #TechMates, #founders, #futureofwork, #technology, #wealth

Harry Gestetner’s great-great-grandfather invented the photocopier and nail clippers—now Harry is reinventing how the world sleeps after selling his first startup for eight figures at 21.

In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Harry Gestetner, a serial entrepreneur who sold his creator economy startup, Fanfix, for tens of millions while still in college. Harry shares the incredible story of his family's deep legacy in hardware innovation (dating back to the 1880s) and how he turned a simple charity project during COVID into a business that scaled to $120M in revenue post-acquisition.

We dive deep into his new venture, Orion, a smart mattress topper designed to democratize sleep optimization and compete with the "Ferrari of sleep," Eight Sleep. Harry breaks down the brutal reality of hardware startups ("a month of software is easier than an hour of hardware" ), his controversial take on why founders are born and not made , and the "80/20 rule" for longevity that actually works. If you're interested in health tech, high-stakes exits, or the future of longevity, this conversation is packed with actionable insights.

👴 A 150-year family legacy of invention (photocopiers & ballpoint pens)

💰 Selling a startup for 8 figures at 21 years old

📉 The reality of founder burnout & performance

🛌 Building Orion: The "Tesla of Sleep" vs. Eight Sleep

🧬 The 80/20 rule for longevity (and why you don't need to be Bryan Johnson)

🛠️ Why hardware & brand are the only moats left in an AI world

Connect with Harry Gestetner:Orion: https://www.orionsleep.comHarry’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-gestetner-802041a1/Connect with NZVC & Hosts:

🔗 Learn more about NZVC:

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 - Introduction

01:56 - The family legacy: Inventing the photocopier & nail clippers

09:41 - Are founders born or made?

15:13 - Launching Fanfix from a dorm room

18:58 - Selling for 8 figures at 21 years old

20:32 - Does he regret selling early?

28:32 - Founder burnout & discovering longevity

32:14 - Taking on Eight Sleep with Orion

36:06 - Why hardware is infinitely harder than software

42:30 - The 80/20 rule for longevity

44:39 - Co-founding with his dad

46:52 - Why hardware & brand are the only moats left

If you enjoyed this deep dive into startups, sleep science, and longevity, please hit the Like button, Comment with your thoughts on sleep tech, and Subscribe for more insights from world-class founders!

#startups, #business, #HarryGestetner, #Fanfix, #Orion, #sleeptech, #longevity, #healthtech, #entrepreneurship, #hardware, #founders, #venturecapital, #success, #motivation, #TechMates, #NZVC, #EightSleep, #biohacking

From challenging big banks with a $120M fintech to generating $2.2B in digital collectibles sales—this is how New Zealand founders are conquering the global stage.

In this power-packed panel from NZVC Portfolio Day, we sit down with three of New Zealand’s most successful modern founders: Leighton Roberts (Co-founder of Sharesies), David Yu (Co-founder of VeVe), and Penelope Barton (CEO of Crimson Global Academy).

They pull back the curtain on what it really takes to scale from "the edge of the world" to global dominance. David Yu reveals how VeVe secured partnerships with Disney and Marvel without a physical headquarters, while Leighton Roberts shares the bold branding strategy of "wearing pink and giving the middle finger" to the big blue banks. Penelope Barton discusses how Crimson turned the COVID-19 crisis into a massive tailwind for online education. From fundraising horror stories (like getting sued by your only investor) to the unique advantage of Kiwi "generalist" talent, this is a masterclass in global scaling.

🦄 Hyper-Growth: Scaling to 900k users and $2.2B in sales.

🏦 Fintech Disruption: How Sharesies democratized investing.🦸‍♂️ IP & NFTs: VeVe’s journey with Marvel, Disney, and DC.🦠 Crisis Management: Using the pandemic as a catalyst for growth.

💸 Fundraising Realities: The difference between NZ, US, and Asian capital.

🌏 Remote Culture: Building billion-dollar companies with decentralized teams.

Connect with the Guests:

Sharesies: https://www.sharesies.nz/

VeVe: https://www.veve.me/

Crimson Global Academy: https://www.cga.school/

Connect with NZVC & Hosts:

🔗 Learn more about NZVC: https://www.nzvc.co.nz

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

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

Timestamps:

00:37 - Introduction: Leighton Roberts & Sharesies

02:55 - David Yu: Building a $2.2B Business (VeVe)

04:19 - Penelope Barton: Scaling Crimson Global Academy

05:18 - The Biggest Challenges of Scaling from NZ

09:50 - Building a Fully Decentralized Company (No HQ)

13:49 - Turning the COVID Crisis into a Business Tailwind

17:11 - Founder Realities: Early Stage vs. Scale-Up

22:24 - Fundraising: From Getting Sued to Raising $120M

29:21 - Why US Investors View NZ Fintech Differently

36:44 - What’s Next: Launching NZ's First Online Charter School

40:52 - The Power of Community & Becoming an Industry Authority

43:20 - AI in Education: Replacing or Assisting Teachers?

45:23 - How to Build the Next Generation of Founders

47:39 - Sharesies' "Pink Middle Finger" Brand Strategy

If you enjoyed these insights on building global companies, please hit the Like button, Comment with your biggest takeaway, and Subscribe for more content from world-class founders!

#startups, #business, #NewZealand, #fintech, #edtech, #NFTs, #VeVe, #Sharesies, #CrimsonEducation, #entrepreneurship, #scaling, #venturecapital, #growthhacking, #investing, #founderstories, #tech, #innovation, #globalbusiness, #NZVC, #TechMates

From early days at Rocket Lab to running global marketing for Les Mills, these founders reveal exactly how to build world-class startups from the edge of the world.

In this "Born Global" panel from NZVC Portfolio Day, we explore what it takes to launch a company in New Zealand that is designed to dominate international markets from Day One.

We are joined by Jamie France (Founder of Newton Space & early Rocket Lab engineer), Anna Henwood (CEO of Stickybeak & former Les Mills CMO), and Steph Kennard (Co-founder of Bonnet).The conversation cuts through the noise of startup advice, offering real-world truths about fundraising across borders (and why US VCs "divide everything by two"), the scrappy advantage of Kiwi talent, and the surprising reality of balancing a high-growth startup with family life. Whether you are building deep tech, a consumer app, or B2B SaaS, this panel proves that geography is no longer a barrier to building a unicorn.

🌍 Global Day 1 Strategy: Why Stickybeak and Bonnet looked offshore immediately.

🚀 Deep Tech Fundraising: The reality of raising capital for space tech in NZ vs. the US.

💰 The "Divide by Two" Rule: How US investors view Kiwi startup projections.

🧠 The Talent Advantage: Why New Zealand’s "scrappy" generalist culture wins.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parenting & Startups: How having kids can actually make you more ambitious.

Connect with the Guests:

Anna Henwood (Stickybeak): https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-henwood/

Steph Kennard (Bonnet): https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-kennard/

Jamie France (Newton Space): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiefrance/

Connect with NZVC & Hosts:

🔗 Learn more about NZVC:

Website: 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 - Introduction

01:01 - Meet the Founders: Stickybeak, Bonnet, Newton

03:07 - Strategy: Going Global from Day One

04:26 - Navigating Global Regulations in Auto Tech

06:40 - Fundraising for Deep Tech: NZ vs. US

07:58 - The "Divide by Two" Rule for American VCs

10:51 - Silicon Valley's Perception of NZ Startups

13:40 - Hiring Talent: The "Roll Up Your Sleeves" Culture

15:16 - Culture Lessons from Rocket Lab & Les Mills

19:12 - Pros & Cons: Moving to the US vs. Building Remotely

20:35 - Balancing Kids, Family, and Ambition

25:29 - Advice to Early-Stage Founders

If you enjoyed these insights on building global companies, please hit the Like button, Comment with your biggest takeaway, and Subscribe for more content from world-class founders!

#startups, #NewZealand, #globalbusiness, #entrepreneurship, #deeptech, #SaaS, #marketing, #automotive, #spaceindustry, #venturecapital, #fundraising, #founderstories, #womenintech, #RocketLab, #LesMills, #Stickybeak, #Bonnet, #NewtonSpace, #NZVC, #innovation

Harrison Crowe-Maxwell turned a flooded street on his way to work into a robotics startup that just raised seed funding from Sequoia’s Peak XV.

In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Harrison Crowe-Maxwell, co-founder of Puralink, a robotics company building "ferrets" to inspect and repair critical pipe infrastructure from the inside. Harrison takes us from his early days building soccer-playing robots in high school to identifying a massive global problem: 30% of the world's drinking water is lost to leaks.

He reveals the engineering secrets behind building robots that can crawl vertically up pipes, the "Apple ecosystem" vision for underground infrastructure, and how he went from bootstrapping with his co-founder to securing backing from top-tier VCs like Peak XV (formerly Sequoia India & SEA).

If you're into hard tech, robotics, or just want to know how to turn a real-world frustration into a venture-backed startup, this episode is a must-watch.

🤖 From LEGO Mindstorms to industrial robotics

💧 Solving the global water crisis with robots

🛠️ The "Best Part is No Part" engineering philosophy

🚀 Raising capital from Sequoia's Peak XV

🔮 The future of humanoid robots & AI in the physical world

🇦🇺 Building deep tech startups in Australia

Connect with Harrison Crowe-Maxwell

Puralink: https://www.puralink.com.au

Harrison’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrison-crowe-maxwell/

Connect with NZVC & Hosts:

🔗 Learn more about NZVC: 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 - Introduction

02:00 - Early obsession with robotics & competitions

08:51 - Engineering philosophy: "The Best Part is No Part"

10:53 - Is there an "LLM moment" for robotics?

18:51 - Meeting co-founder Shion at AWS

20:52 - The "Flooded Street" moment that started PureLink

25:52 - Understanding the complex world of pipe infrastructure

36:57 - Engineering a robot that climbs vertical pipes

44:14 - From prototype to first commercial traction

46:33 - The StartMate experience & raising from Peak XV

52:13 - The "App Store" vision for underground robotics

59:09 - Robots that repair pipes autonomously

1:05:54 - The future of humanoid robots in daily life

If you enjoyed this deep dive into the future of robotics and infrastructure, please hit the Like button, Comment with your thoughts on autonomous repair robots, and Subscribe for more insights from world-class founders!

#robotics, #startups, #deeptech, #HarrisonCroweMaxwell, #Puralink, #infrastructure, #engineering, #AI, #venturecapital, #Sequoia, #PeakXV, #StartMate, #Australia, #tech, #watercrisis, #innovation, #hardware, #entrepreneurship, #futuretech, #TechMates

What happens when you put a crypto veteran, a Xero co-founder, and a high-stakes lawyer on stage with a robot dog to debate the future of AI?

In this special panel from NZVC Portfolio Day, we dive into the "Agentic Future" with three experts operating at very different layers of the AI stack. We are joined by Bradley So (Principal at QCL), who is disrupting the legal billable hour; Philip Fierlinger (Co-founder of Xero and Upstock), who is automating supply chains; and Lane Rettig (Core Dev at NEAR Foundation), who is building the decentralized infrastructure to power it all.

From the "Minder, Finder, Grinder" theory of legal work to the 30-year journey of "AI Agents" starting at General Magic in 1992, this conversation cuts through the hype. The panelists debate whether AI is a job-killer or a productivity multiplier, the critical need for community-governed data sovereignty, and why New Zealand’s "scrappy" generalist mindset might be its biggest superpower in the AI era.

🤖 Robot Dogs & Real Tech: Kicking off with live robotics on stage

⚖️ Legal Disruption: Moving from "time billing" to "value billing" with AI

🛒 Supply Chain Agents: Turning messy emails into structured orders in one click

⛓️ Crypto x AI: Why we need community-governed AI infrastructure

📉 Job Market Myths: Why radiologists (and lawyers) are earning more with AI

🥝 The Kiwi Advantage: Why New Zealand is perfectly positioned for the AI revolution

Connect with the Guests:

Philip Fierlinger (Upstock): https://www.linkedin.com/in/fierlinger/

Lane Rettig (NEAR Foundation): https://www.linkedin.com/in/lane-rettig-32904b227/

Bradley So (QCL): https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-so-11042424/

Connect with NZVC & Hosts:

🔗Website: 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 - Introduction

01:48 - Bradley So: AI Disrupting the Legal Industry

07:23 - Philip Fierlinger: From General Magic to Upstock

09:12 - Lane Rettig: NEAR Protocol & AI Infrastructure

14:13 - Is the Future Utopian or Dystopian?

18:14 - Will Lawyers Lose Their Jobs? (Minder, Finder, Grinder)

22:31 - How Upstock Uses AI for Supply Chain 2

7:27 - How Far Away Are True Autonomous Agents?

32:12 - Are Startups Hiring Less Because of AI?

If you enjoyed this deep dive into the future of AI and business, please hit the Like button, Comment with your thoughts on AI agents, and Subscribe for more insights from world-class founders!

#startups, #AI, #NewZealand, #artificialintelligence, #business, #tech, #legaltech, #crypto, #NEARProtocol, #Xero, #Upstock, #entrepreneurship, #futureofwork, #venturecapital, #NZVC, #innovation, #SaaS, #blockchain, #technology, #TechMates

Emily Blythe skipped university to launch a quad-bike accessory business, spent years trying to clear airport fog with drones, and eventually pivoted to solve aviation’s biggest headache through data.

In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Emily Blythe, the New Zealand tech entrepreneur and CEO of Pyper Vision. Coming from four generations of pilots, Emily seemed destined for aviation—but instead of flying planes, she’s saving them from being grounded.

She shares the incredible story of her first startup "Flatpak," the brutal reality of deep tech R&D, and the gut-wrenching decision to pivot Pyper Vision from fog dispersal (using chemicals and drones) to fog forecasting after discovering a flaw in the fundamental science.This is a masterclass in resilience, "missionary" founder mindsets, and how to build a global deep tech monopoly from New Zealand. If you are interested in aviation, hard pivot stories, or the reality of building hardware and software for high-stakes industries, this episode is for you.

✈️ A 4-generation legacy in aviation

🚜 Skipping uni to build "Flatpak" (her first exit)

🌫️ The "Fog Factory" myth & early experiments

🚁 Trying to clear fog with drones & chemicals

📉 The painful pivot: When the science doesn't work

🔮 How Pyper Vision now predicts fog with 84% accuracy

Connect with Emily Blythe:

Pyper Vision: https://www.pypervision.com/

Emily’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-blythe-2b4125156/

Connect with NZVC & Hosts:

🔗 Learn more about NZVC: 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 - Introduction

01:55 - Emily's deep aviation family history

08:49 - Launching "Flatpak" & skipping university

15:36 - Lessons from bootstrapping a hardware business

20:39 - The "Fog Factory" lie & discovering weather modification

29:15 - How airports & pilots actually handle low visibility

46:37 - Early experiments: Fog chambers & modified leaf blowers

53:14 - Testing drones in Australia during COVID

55:09 - The Big Pivot: Why dispersal didn't work

1:00:19 - Shifting to high-accuracy forecasting

1:10:18 - Advice for New Zealand founders going global

If you found value in this story of resilience and innovation, please hit the like button, leave a comment with your thoughts on deep tech pivots, and subscribe for more conversations with world-class founders!

#startups, #business, #NewZealand, #aviation, #deeptech, #entrepreneurship, #EmilyBlythe, #PyperVision, #founders, #pivot, #tech, #innovation, #airlines, #flightdelays, #weathertech, #NZVC, #venturecapital, #success, #motivation, #techmates

Jamie Beaton managed a hedge fund portfolio at Tiger Management while simultaneously taking maximum course loads at Harvard and building a startup that now generates over $300M in revenue.

In this episode of TechMates, we sit down with Jamie Beaton, the New Zealand tech entrepreneur and CEO of Crimson Education. Jamie’s story is nothing short of relentless; he breaks down the massive cultural shift from New Zealand’s "tall poppy syndrome" to the "capitalism cubed" ambition of Manhattan. He reveals how he turned a dorm-room consulting hustle into a global education empire, all while working under legendary investor Julian Robertson.

We dive deep into the mechanics of scaling a service business to 20+ countries, the controversial truths about elite college admissions, and Jamie's bold take on the future of schooling in the age of AI. Whether you are interested in EdTech, high-stakes investing, or just want to know what it takes to build a unicorn from a corner of the world, this conversation is packed with actionable insights.

🇳🇿 New Zealand vs. USA: Ambition & Mindset

🎓 Building a $300M business from a Harvard dorm

🐯 Lessons from Tiger Management & Julian Robertson

📈 Global expansion strategies & hiring "unicorns"

🤖 The role of AI in the future of education

🏫 Launching New Zealand’s first online charter school

Connect with Jamie Beaton:

Jamie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiebeaton/

Crimson Education: https://www.crimsoneducation.org/

Connect with NZVC & Hosts:

🔗 Learn more about NZVC: 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 - Introduction

01:37 - Growing up in a "hustle" household

07:11 - The train ride that changed his life

12:12 - Arriving at Harvard: "Capitalism on Steroids"

17:10 - New Zealand vs. Manhattan Mindset

20:37 - Launching Crimson from a dorm room

23:51 - Doing $300k revenue in Year 1

32:45 - Raising capital from Julian Robertson

37:57 - Working at Tiger Management while studying

46:58 - The formula for Ivy League admissions

51:44 - How to launch a business in 20+ countries

54:29 - Reaching $300M in sales

58:25 - New Zealand’s Online Charter School

01:06:00 - Alpha School, AI, and the future of learning

01:23:24 - Will AI destroy white-collar jobs?Support the Channel: If you enjoyed this episode, please hit the like button, leave a comment with your thoughts on the future of education, and subscribe for more deep dives with world-class founders!

#startups, #business, #NewZealand, #JamieBeaton, #CrimsonEducation, #Harvard, #entrepreneurship, #investing, #TigerManagement, #EdTech, #scaling, #growth, #founders, #venturecapital, #education, #success, #motivation, #techmates, #NZVC, #economy

In this live NZVC Portfolio Day panel, Jovan Pavlicevic (Emerge & SquareOne), Dermot Butterfield (Wych), and Steven Zinsli (Extraordinary) join hosts Mark Pavlyukovskyy and Hendrik Remigereau to show what it actually looks like to build fintech in New Zealand.

They talk candidly about lobbying for access to ESAS and Payments NZ, designing products around tax law to make public transport salary-sacrifice eligible, and navigating an industry where four Aussie banks still control the vast majority of the market. Along the way you’ll hear very human origin stories—firefighting, Intel R&D, healthcare reform—and why they still think New Zealand is one of the best places on earth to build fintech startups if you’re willing to play the long, regulated game.

🔗 Learn more about NZVC:

https://www.nzvc.co.nz

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

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

00:00 – Intro: why NZ’s fintech scene is bigger than people think.

00:37 – Jovan on SquareOne & Emerge: kids’ banking, business accounts, and launching personal accounts.02:00 – From 6–7 months to 6–7 minutes: fixing business onboarding.

03:15 – Dermot on Wych: “plug and socket” for data and payments.

04:25 – Steven on Extraordinary: 34k active cards and making public transport tax-free.

05:49 – Are regulators friends or enemies for fintech?

07:49 – When regulators ask for your “recipe” and why that’s risky.

09:14 – Lobbying to build New Zealand’s first digital challenger bank.

12:42 – Why it’s so hard to start a new bank in New Zealand.

14:14 – Designing NZ’s only pre-tax public transport benefit.

17:29 – Unique access to MPs and policy writers in New Zealand.

20:15 – Fighting “toll booths” on open banking and unfair pricing.

23:29 – Getting bank-grade licenses with a team of one-and-a-half people.

25:02 – Why Emerge is focused on New Zealand first, not “world by next week.”

27:08 – Founder origin stories: firefighter, Intel engineer, healthcare operator.

31:59 – Financial inclusion, socially capitalistic fintech, and lived experience.

36:05 – Why SquareOne and Emerge went card-first; prepaid vs debit vs credit.

40:09 – How each startup would handle another GFC-style shock.

44:39 – What transaction data says about NZ’s real economy.

47:17 – Sponsor plans, $4.99 subs, and cost-of-living pressure.

49:32 – Closing reflections and applause.

If this gave you a new lens on fintech, regulation, and startups in New Zealand, hit 👍, drop your questions or takeaways in the comments, and subscribe for more founder and investor deep-dives from the NZVC ecosystem.

#startups, #NewZealand, #business, #fintech, #openbanking, #payments, #regulation, #banking, #SaaS, #NZTech, #futureofmoney, #financialinclusion, #employeebenefits, #cards, #venturecapital, #founders, #australasia, #startupstory, #TechMates, #podcast

Four founders: tackling milk without cows, carbon-free composites, AI farming, and plant-grown proteins—only in New Zealand could this panel exist.

This special Portfolio Day panel brings together four New Zealand innovators building companies that literally couldn’t have been born anywhere else: Nicole Freed (Daisy Lab, precision-fermented dairy proteins), Ben Scales (KiwiFibre, high-performance Harakeke composites), Jeremy Bryant (Aimer Farming, AI pasture insights), and Amos Palfreyman (Miruku, plant-based molecular farming).

Hosted by Mark Pavlyukovskyy and Hendrik Remigereau of NZVC, the conversation dives deep into why New Zealand’s agricultural legacy, dairy infrastructure, talent pools, native plants, and high-trust ecosystem create uniquely fertile ground for breakthrough agtech and bio-innovation. From barbecued plastic prototypes to growing milk proteins in yeast and plants, this episode shows exactly how Kiwi founders go from grassroots to global.

🥛 Dairy without cows — precision fermentation (Daisy Lab).

🌿 Harakeke → carbon-free composites — KiwiFibre’s indigenous-led materials.

🤖 AI for pasture — Aimer’s farm-scale measurement & insights engine.

🌱 Molecular farming in plants — Miruku’s dairy proteins grown via photosynthesis.🇳🇿 Why NZ is uniquely suited for agtech — dairy infrastructure, native plants, talent.

🔬 Deep-tech with no shortcuts — labs, pilots, and long R&D cycles.

🧪 Origin stories — barbecue prototyping, student-lab MVPs, and prophetic patents.

🌍 Global scale — UK/Ireland rollouts, EU materials demand, talent pipelines.

🧭 Founder resilience — near-empty payrolls, naivete as superpower, and obsession with the mission.

Connect with the Guests:

Ben Scales (KiwiFibre): https://www.linkedin.com/in/benscales

Nicole Freed (Daisy Lab): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-nikki-freed-phd-86b63630

Jeremy Bryant (Aimer Farming): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-bryant

Amos Palfreyman (Miruku): https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-palfreyman-58841579

Learn more about NZVC & Hosts:

🔗 NZVC: 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 — Intro

01:10 — Nicole (Daisy Lab): precision-fermented dairy proteins.

02:38 — Ben (KiwiFibre): Harakeke composites & NZ’s first industry.

04:20 — Amos (Miruku): molecular farming—proteins grown in plants.

06:17 — Jeremy (Aimer): AI pasture insights for farmers.

07:50 — Why NZ dairy roots shape founder journeys.

09:54 — How traditional dairy is reacting to deep-tech.

11:31 — Leveraging NZ’s dairy infrastructure for new proteins.

13:30 — KiwiFibre: building a new materials industry from zero.

15:26 — Talent challenges: wet labs, molecular biology, bioprocessing.

17:11 — Attracting overseas scientists to NZ.

19:05 — Daisy Lab on using NZ dairy experts in precision fermentation.

20:04 — Government subsidies & why tech must stand alone.

22:07 — Selling to farmers; NZ reputation abroad.

24:47 — KiwiFibre’s stolen snowboard story (Munich).

28:01 — Origin stories: barbecues, student labs, prophetic patents.

34:11 — Aimer: replacing 8-hour farm walks with AI & camera vision.

36:24 — Miruku: founding during COVID & pitching with zero cash.

38:10 — Founder resilience: pay-run courage & obsession.

40:42 — KiwiFibre: beer experiments, byproduct uses, cultural roots.

42:16 — Policy change & gene-tech reform in NZ.

43:00 — Closing: Kiwi innovation from soil to global scale.

If this expanded your view of what New Zealand startups can build, hit 👍, drop your questions for the founders below, and subscribe for more deep-tech conversations.

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