Founder Resources
There are multitudes of resources available to support founders. We have created this page as a central point of reference.
Click on the subject matter below to take you directly to related resources.
Building Capability
- Startup NZ Entrepreneurs Program – Startup NZ is for all Kiwis who want to learn about starting a business. 12 online lessons with each lesson requiring 1-2 hours commitment taken in your own time as often as you want for up to 12 months. The first 3 lessons are free and fees are $287.50 for the full programme.
- Management Capability Development Funding helps business owners or managers with up to 50% subsidy towards business training.
Capital Raising and Pitching Advice
- The Capital Raising Process – what’s involved – an insight into the preparation and steps required to raise capital through Angel Investing.
- Key tips for Founders starting on their journey – advice from tips Jake Hoffart our Investment Associate
- Elements of an efficient capital raise – a summary of the key components that enables us to achieve a six week turn around on a recent capital raise with Square One.
- Capital Education Workshop – a free 90 minute workshop run by Callaghan Innovation to learn how to raise capital and find investors for your innovative early-stage business.
- InvestEd– a flexible free learning resource from NZTE for businesses looking to capital raise.
- Pitch example– Airbnb’s orginal pitch deck is noted for the extremely clear communication of their goal and the potential of their innovative business. Even though it’s more than 10 years old it’s a great example template from which to create your own pitch deck.
- Dropsheet Template – a proposal framework showing the information that needs to be included when submitting your business proposition.
- Beginners guide to raising capital with Angels – the benefits of raising with Enterprise Angels.
- Benefits of hiring a Virtual CFO when raising capital– Findex explain how employing a Virtual CFO can help prepare your business for valuation and attract the right investors
- Funding sources for raising capital – NZTE share the different funding types available for businesses looking for investment to fund growth. Each has pros and cons and suits different stages of the business lifecycle.
- AANZ Capital Strategy Template
Compliance and Finance
- 10 Step guide to starting a business – provided by Business.govt.nz
- Governance Resource Centre – Free governance resources for growing your organisation and adopting good governance practises from Boardpro.
- How to get your Board onboard and aligned – Boardpro share strategy for creating and sustaining an engaged and motivated board.
- Everything you need to know about strategic planning at a board level – A strategic planning guide and checklist provided by Boardpro.
- Findex vCFO Services – an overview on how outsourcing your CFO services to Findex can be a game-changer for your business.
- Research and Development Tax Credit Scheme – Findex explain how businesses undertaking research and development (R&D) activities may be eligible to receive a tax credit for their R&D expenditure.
- Free one-to-one session to get practical financial guidance – provided by NZTE you can talk to an experienced former CFO and CEO who can help with scenario planning, cash flow forecasting, capital raising or simply provide straightforward answers to your financial questions.
- Project Scale Up, Revenue Based Financing, Contracted Receivables Financing – financing options for NZ Tech businesses from the BNZ.
Digital Skills
- Digital Boost – Free government funded ourses all about doing business online provided by MBIE and MindLab
- How To Optimise Your Online Presence – Three part series from NZ Entrepreneur
- Hubspot for startups program – Education resources and tailored training, professional software and integrated platforms for startups at startup pricing.
- AWS Activate – As a startup in the Enterprise Angels portfolio, you are eligible for the following AWS (Amazon Web Services) benefits:
- USD $5,000 in AWS Promotional Credit valid for 2 years.
- 24×7 access to AWS Cloud Support Engineers up to 1 year (USD $1,500)
- 80 credits for Self-Paced Labs ($80 value)
Employment Matters
- Employment rights and rules – free online training for employers and employees to understand your rights and responsibilities.
- Hiring and managing people – step by step guide and checklists from business.govt.nz
- Managing health and safety – Resources from Worksafe to help people comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
Exporting
- Exporting with NZTE – Export guides, tools, training and support from NZTE.
Funding and Grants
- Callaghan Innovation – New to R&D Grant – Funding and support to help you successfully develop your capability for long-term R&D
- Callaghan R&D Experience Grants – giving you the opportunity to take on students for an internship and bring new skills into your business, whether you’re looking to explore blue-sky R&D concepts or advance existing projects
- R&D Tax Incentive – a 15% tax credit on the money you invest in eligible research and development (R&D) in New Zealand.
- Flexi-wage for self-employment– payments from Work and Income NZ (WINZ) designed to support people who are starting up a new business or needing help to become self-sufficient in an existing business.
- Self-employment startup payment– WINZ assistance for essential start up costs, eg furniture or the first lot of stock, legal fees etc.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Free counselling services for NZ startup founders – A range of services available to support founder wellbeing through Callaghan Innovation.
- Tips for maintaining your wellbeing – a link to a NZ Kiwifruit Growers podcast with Enterprise Angel member Ian Greaves around stress and resilience.
- Founder mental health and wellbeing hacks – Dave Moskovitz shares a list of things you can do to attain and maintain good mental health.
- Founder Wellness – a 3 minute video on the importance of maintaining mental wellness through exercise, sleep and nutrition
- Xero Assistance Programme – all Xero starter, standard and premium plan subscribers are able to get free access to counselling through the Xero Assistance Programme (XAP).
- Abroad Founder Catalysts™ – Abroad’s founder coaching programs are based on our landmark global study of how the mindsets of 1,300 visionary founders impact their performance, decision-making, and team culture.
Reducing risk and exposure
- What businesses need to know about IP – James and Wells have put together this handy guide to help you get to grips with Intellectual Property (IP) and how it can be leveraged to create value in your business.
- How to impress sharks, dragons, and angels (and maybe become a unicorn) – A short article from James and Wells on how a company looking to raise capital should tailored itself and IP to be attractive to a particular class of investors.