Angel Assn Welcomes Government’s Startup Support

ngel Association New Zealand has welcomed the Government’s announcement establishing a Startup Advisory Council and $250m of new grant funding for startups.

Acknowledging the establishment of the Startup Advisory Council, AANZ Executive Chair, Suse Reynolds said Aotearoa New Zealand is producing a cohort of startups capable of leading the world when it comes to solving some of its big problems.

“The Government has clearly articulated a vision for a more productive, sustainable, equitable economy; one which will socially and environmentally transform Aotearoa. The Startup Advisory Council will ensure startups are at the forefront of executing on this vision and being fully leveraged to create outsized impact and value,” said Reynolds.

Noting that startups also create most of any economy’s net new job growth and that those jobs are future-proofed and resilient, Reynolds welcomed the announcement of new grant funding.

“In the same way it takes a village to raise a child; it takes a whole country to raise a startup. This includes the government, private investors, corporate New Zealand, academia and professional service providers. We all have a part to play in supporting our incredible entrepreneurs and founders achieve their dreams. It’s great to see the Government stepping up in such a practical way to play their part,” she said.

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For more information, please contact:

Suse Reynolds, AANZ Executive Chair
mob: 021 490 974 or email: [email protected]

Startup Advisory Council Membership

The Council will be chaired by Phil McCaw, founding partner at venture capital fund, Movac and former chair of the Angel Association New Zealand.
The members of the Council include:

• Suse Reynolds, Chair of the Angel Association New Zealand
• Marian Johnson, Chief Executive of Ministry of Awesome
• Grant Straker (Ngāti Raukawa), co-founder of the A.I. language translation platform Straker Translations
• Mike Carden, founder of a number of start-ups including Sonar6 and Joyous
• Imche Fourie, co-founder and Chief Executive of Auckland-based Outset Ventures
• Carl Jones, Managing Partner of WNT Ventures.

The Angel Association New Zealand

The Angel Association is an organisation that aims to increase the quantity, quality and success of angel investments in New Zealand and in doing so create a greater pool of capital for innovative start-up companies. It was established in 2008 to bring together New Zealand angels and early-stage funds. AANZ currently has 50 members representing over 800 individual angels associated with New Zealand’s key angel networks and funds. AANZ works closely with NZTE and Callaghan Innovation and a number of private sector partners including Jarden, PWC, Avid Legal, KiwiNet, Uniservices, Amazon Web Services, BNZ and NZX. For more, please visit: www.angelassociation.co.nz