A significant milestone in our organisation’s journey has taken place with Bill Murphy, Chair of the Board, stepping down from his position to focus on Purpose Capital.
Bill Murphy launched Enterprise Angels in 2008, originally named the Western Bay of Plenty Investors’ Forum. Reflecting on the founding, Bill stated, “I originally started Enterprise Angels to provide an avenue for startups to successfully raise capital and get more than just money. Back in the day, founders came to me due to my involvement with the local EDA. I realised we had to get a better system in place; the only early-stage capital at the time was contacting the local rich guy… We’ve certainly come a long way. The growth path of a startup can be affected dramatically by having successful business angels as investors. They connect founders to potential clients, other investors, future staff, and more. They help guide founders in areas that they have experience in either informally or as a director, and sometimes they just provide moral support.”
Growth of the portfolio
Since formation we have facilitated the investment of over $70 million in more than 110 startups across a variety of industries, supporting over 1,600 jobs. Enterprise Angels also manages several funds to support startups and entrepreneurs, including the recently launched EA Fund 4. It focuses on angel/seed stage high-growth private companies across various sectors. The fund leverages Enterprise Angels’ expertise, learnings from 15 years of investment, and cherry-picking from the current portfolio.
The existing portfolio is impressive, with the majority of companies in high growth mode. Notable portfolio companies include Datagate Innovation, Dawn Aerospace, FileInvite, Emerge, Foundry Lab, Fuel50, Lawvu, Parrot Analytics, Rockit Global and UBCO, with many gaining international recognition and attracting significant investment from both New Zealand and international venture capital and private equity firms.
Leadership Transition
In 2019, Bill stepped down from his executive role with Enterprise Angels to lead the Purpose Capital Impact Fund, and Nina Le Lievre became the country’s first female angel network Chief Executive. Nina had been working alongside Bill at Enterprise Angels for six years prior to this. Since then, Bill has continued to support Enterprise Angels in a part-time capacity as Chair.
“Bill has been a great mentor over the years, and I’ve learnt a lot from him, particularly as we navigated the Covid years and the ensuing recessionary environment” Nina says.
Bill expressed his gratitude to the Enterprise Angels community, highlighting the importance of member involvement with startups to help the businesses realise their full potential. He also acknowledged the contributions of the Enterprise Angels team and the board members for their unwavering commitment and collaboration.
New Chair
The new Chair, Carolyn Culliney, has been a board member since 2020 and also sits on the EA Nominee board, a custodian entity through which investments are made. Carolyn brings a deep understanding of the investment landscape from her involvement with Enterprise Angels and her day job as a senior member of the Corporate & Commercial team at Cooney Lees Morgan.
Carolyn looks forward to taking on the reins as Chair “Enterprise Angels has had great success in facilitating its members to use their skills, abilities and capital to help start-up companies achieve their goals. Along with the Board, my intention is to continue to guide the organisation to provide valuable support for founders and early stage companies.”
As he steps away from the organisation Bill is confident of it’s continued success and growth. “Fresh leadership is an exciting time for an organisation, and I’m assured that Enterprise Angels is in good hands with Carolyn and Nina leading it.”
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