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Another FKA Friday ● 24 June 2022#21

24/6/2022


	24 June 2022 #21		818

Thank you, Jonty, for hosting our pitch nights at KPMG!

Tuesday was another great night!

Our best wishes go to Jo from Fuel50 and Lane from Chatterize who had to give their apologies due to sickness and accident. ?

Kylie from SeaLogs gave a great update and had to endure an in-depth Q&A session as the only presenter.

Patrick from ProfitWell has shared this great docu with early supporters. WATCH

So good—that Julian! He grabs the hot potato by the horns!? More HERE!

‘Focus or die’: lessons from New Zealand’s fastest-growing company. LEARN

Every year Suse and the crew at AANZ lay on an Angel Summit and every year we try to come up with a new promo gif. Be the early bird! The worm is hiding here!

Tim and his orange crew at Ambit have secured a US/NZ-VC since he first pitched in August last year. He has signed Australian and Canadian accounts, also NZ Post. ARR up at $1.7m from $1m during Covid.

Join the Investor briefing, Wed, 29 June, 16:00. RSVP

Turbulent times—runway challenges and more. Adapting to Endure, Sequoia

How nontraditional VCs are reacting to market headwinds! Pitchbook Report + XLS

5/ It starts from the top. Zuck showed up to work in Jan '09 wearing a tie, and he wore it every day for an entire year. His message to the company: “it's time to get serious about our business.” Every time we walked into a meeting with Mark, we were reminded things had changed

6/ Reset the team. In the middle of covid I addressed the exec team of a travel start-up whose revenue dropped to zero overnight. I encouraged them to re-evaluate their team. Some people step up in a crisis - they are your future leaders. Others will jump ship - good riddance

Full Twitter Threat

At our Tuesday pitch night, we had some crypto confessions. THIS clip is funny!

Also, on LinkedIn and over 2,000 FKA GIFs on GIPHY.

Another FKA Friday ● 17 June 2022#20

17/6/2022


	17 June 2022 #20		820

Jamming Angel Lawrence is also a Guardian Angel and has invested to save the dispersed Ukrainian team of Jammy Instruments. He is on the exec board of the MIDI Association and wants Jammy to survive and thrive. Gotta love Lawrence

Okay, the mid section is unique to each startup. But here are some great video tips on how to start and finish a startup pitch! Start Tip #1 • Start Tip t#2 • End Tip #1

Our June Pitch Night is next Tuesday, 18:30 at KPMG, Viaduct Harbour Ave, AKL.

The high rollers at Eight360 follow a top-down sales strategy for the Australian market. Where better to start than with the Minister of Communications. The Post

Debra has sharp opinions and a big heart for founders, which is why she was invited to attend the FoundX Dunedin panel this month. The Post
A Flying Kiwi Angel truly flying around the country and flying the FKA banner!

Wednesday, just gone, at NZ Hi-Tech Alumni. Rudi in splendid electric pants, the dangers of a #manel averted by Lance Wiggs making room for Shona Grundy. CCH advice: Lance, take a cat's hat to be taller when sitting down! The Post

Erotica by the Fire Fri 8 July 18:30 + Dinner. Everyone, angels, founders, or not! Grab tickets to this little play HERE if it tickles your fancy and/or join us for dinner afterwards. Please let us know if you want to join us for dinner HERE.

It is good to have a code of conduct! It is important to be mindful of unconscious bias. Important to fend off discrimination and harassment. The public initiative of Icehouse Ventures HERE seems to have backfired when looking at the comments.

Not Paul Adams on the horse but he has an EverEdgy piece on intellectual property and recent developments in Russia. READ

3) Growth can wait, survival cannot. Amzn’s stock price crossed $100 in '99 and bottomed at $6 in '01 (months from bankruptcy). We cut burn from >$1B to positive free cash flow by raising prices to stop the bleeding. Revenue growth slowed to 3% but we lived to fight another day.

4) Change the tone. Amzn did a small but symbolic RIF in 2000. Around that time, Jeff was presented with a team t-shirt - he threw the team out of his office and banned all company swag. We even removed aspirin from the break rooms, served coffee and water. Small acts set the tone

Full Twitter Threat

Also, on LinkedIn and over 2,000 FKA GIFs on GIPHY.

Another FKA Friday ● 10 June 2022#19

10/6/2022


	10 June 2022 #19		816

"Our Scale-Up NZ platform is undergoing a revamp designed to better serve our customers and fulfil our mission to connect New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem.? As a result, Scale-Up NZ’s online directory functionality will no longer be available as of 10 June 2022."

Save the night! Thursday, 28 July! It will be a night to remember.

"Ladies and gentlemen, electric cars... They are totally gay." WATCH IT HERE

A fun example, unlike anything we expect for our pitch night--21 June.?️

1) Raise capital when you can, not when you need it. Amzn tapped convert debt in Feb '00 - if we had waited another month we would not have survived. 9 years later at FB, we raised a 33% down-round despite having plenty of runway. Don’t wait until your back is up against the wall.

2) Cash is king. Forget about valuation, dilution, etc - if you run out of cash, none of it matters. Borders used its free cash flow to buy back stock for yrs, ignoring the internet. By the time a PE firm fired the board and asked me to join in ‘09, we had no runway for turnaround. Full Twitter Threat

Time to acknowledge Katheren and Debra who tirelessly review this newsletter before the public gets to see it. They keep it straight but not too narrow, and fix the grammar and spelling of the German. Their work is done in the early hours of Friday as the draft is only finished late Thursday night.

15+16 June, some MuTech? MusicTech to discover, K'rd in AKL, MORE HERE

Creative, business and technology innovators from leading music tech companies Serato, Melodics, InMusic and others for the inaugural perfect loudness by day, showcases, demonstrations, talks and networking.

Haha, a very unusual TechCrunch article: Coca-Cola’s attached bottle cap is rock bottom of hokey greenwashing.? READ IT HERE

Imagine you were going to buy a business today that you were required to sell next month, next quarter, or next year. How much would you pay? Given the substantial uncertainty currently dominating capital markets, your answer would be much less than you thought the business was actually worth. Follow this thought HERE!

Take a GLIMPSE! Interesting trends on the internet, made visible, such as the increased interest in non-alcoholic beer. Andy is a big fan!

Also, on LinkedIn and over 2,000 FKA GIFs on GIPHY.

Another FKA Friday ● 3 June 2022#18

3/6/2022


	3 June 2022 #18		818

We have completed DD on Dacreed and the DD team has given a positive investment recommendation. First commitments from Flying Kiwis have reached $250k and we have circulated our DD Report for syndication with other investors. That's how we fly!

Looks like, Garth crook with Covid sent his two daughters to clean the stables.? He put that time to good use and surfaced some interesting resources for founders on how to navigate a market downturn.

Sequoia’s lengthy, albeit incredibly insightful PDF, who survives a downturn like this, and how Airbnb handled the COVID-19 impact.

A16z’s framework HERE, reevaluating your valuation, controlling your burn, and best and worst-case scenario plans.

Y Combinator letter HERE, “Assuming expenses remain constant and revenue growth what it was over recent months, does the business make it to profitability on the money they have? Or to put it more dramatically, by default do they live or die?” Paul Graham.

Also this broader video on the topic WATCH.

Get well Garth! ? Ah, also Debra & Phil!

TEDx Auckland - 8 June, we have a discounted ticket link for you HERE! ?️

This claims to be bigger than Ben Hur. Our Chief Cat Herder got a FREE registration link, check it out and register. MORE HERE

NBR spin on its THE NBR "Rich" List. "...a much smaller proportion take on a niche pastime and act as ‘angel investors’ to direct funding to young high-growth companies. MORE HERE

Fundraising is tough, and fundraising in the US even more so. Silicon Valley Bank is running a virtual workshop for ANZ founders. MORE HERE?

Mates who got $300k in PledgeMe funding bought cars, holidays and booze... This is why you want a solid DD process and an investor rep! MORE HERE

Unbelievable but true! Lovina, the only social media voice of Movac, may have missed Easter with this post but she raises a pertinent point. READ ON

Like Lovina, Tim is not shy on social media!? He'll talk at the AI Insights Conference at the end of June. SEE MORE

Troy has been a regular at ADI.Clinic and brings a lot of trans-Tasman savvy to the table. He also combines tech and marketing with logistics know-how. SEE PRESS

Also, on LinkedIn and over 2,000 FKA GIFs on GIPHY.

Another FKA Friday ● 27 May 2022#17

27/5/2022


	27 May 2022 #17		819

Sadly, writer's block can befall everyone including angels toiling over a DD Report.

Thankfully, Arron and his team had no writer's block when they completed the DD Report for Dacreed this week. We will circulate it for syndication next week.

Also, Phil did not suffer from writer's block when we wrote his book "The Soaring Kiwi and the Sauerkraut". But he prefers his DD Reports to be brief!

FileInvite is moving into new bigger offices. That's calling for a party!

See also this NBR article from yesterday about the $7m raise.

The Venture Deals online course demystifies venture capital deals and early-stage financing to give both first-time and experienced entrepreneurs leg up to secure funding. Founders & Angels! This looks good. HERE!

Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley kingmaker, is advising its portfolio founders to “plan for the worst” as startups across the globe scramble to navigate a sharp reversal after a 13-year bull run. Read more!

An interesting look back at the double-dip recession in the early 80s.The economy was weak for three years at the start of the decade. But the latter half of that decade was one of the best economies in modern times. Read more!

Tiger Global, hit by $17B in hedge fund losses, has nearly depleted its latest VC fund. Big gains, big losses! Read more!

Just announced yesterday, the Startup Council and a $250m grant package for startups. More about it HERE. Watch the space!

Startup Dunedin will be showing off all the student ventures emerging from their recent programme.MORE HERE!

AANZ and NZ Private Capital, Wed, 1 June in Auckland.
Professional Development? VC lead gen!? More here!

Also, on LinkedIn and over 2,000 FKA GIFs on GIPHY.

Another FKA Friday ● 20 May 2022#16

20/5/2022


	20 May 2022 #16		816

Why has crypto been so disappointing? READ ON

If angel investing is like playing with fire you could do worse than talking to the water boys at Shearwater. They are co-investors in Fuel50 with FKA. Recent subscribers, they're pouring over this newsletter. Tim and Rudi caught up with them this week as they visited NZ—it was pouring with rain.

Arron and his team have just passed their positive DD report on Dacreed for final review to Charlie. Cornelius is on the Board and, of course, has recused himself from the DD progress. Give the DD report a good read when it comes out! Kami is EdTech, and so is Dacreed.

The Kara team have sent through this speechless video HERE. They have topped $750k in the current round and further discussions should take them past $1m. Wanna know more? Ask Ashley.Smout@fka.nz our investor rep.

Thank you to Katheren for organising dinner this month at Mekong Baby. Great food, drink and company at a table of 14. Full of food and drink several of the angels were grounded the following day.

It was a great opportunity to discuss some background on deals and exits that we normally don't have time or room for during pitch nights. We will climb trees, have food and drink, and talk some more next month.

Anna Kominik is a force of power in the world of wings. The former AsiaPac Director of the Boeing Google joint venture Wisk will take to the skies as Head of Partnerships at OneReg after the completion of the Seed Round. Chris Sattler is leading the DD team which is a collab of FKA and Angel HQ.

Tamsin from NZTE put together a great lineup for InvestHer this Tuesday. Heath and Rudi attended. Ngaio came out smelling of roses as the scent champion for Abel. It was great to see Grater Goods from ChCh again after we met them in June 2021 at ADI. We took away some Faken great vegan meat!

Hello Club has impressive traction in the tough space of club management. Daisy Lab can make milk without cows which sounds worth scaling! Banquer brings financial literacy to school kids. Again Again manages reusable food and drink containers. Cool Points Club is an alternative to carbon offsetting, block-chained.

Crypto Gaming is Broken. How Do We Fix It? Maybe games shouldn't cost $1,000 to play... Read ON

Philippe, a former Deloitte partner came to ADI.Clinic in July 2020 and again this week, all the way from Northland to pick our brains. Great to hear of his progress with TAO and great to see that he values our reflective advice.

Emails not everyone gets! My name is Laura Rollock and I’m the co-founder of IRLY (which stands for I Really Like You). At IRLY, we are going to change the way Gen-Z dates.

Rudi - I noticed you’ve invested early stage and I’m hoping I can provide you with another pre-seed/seed investment opportunity. MORE HERE

AANZ: 25 May 2022, 10:00-11:30 ⚖️ Legal DD Workshop, more HERE.

20 finalists! Who will win? Find out Thur 26 May, 18:00–20:00!
NOW at the Unleash Space, University of Auckland. Register HERE□

StretchSense & Kami in our portfolio first surfaced in the Innovation Challenge.

Also, on LinkedIn and over 2,000 FKA GIFs on GIPHY.

<<Previous

Another FKA Friday ● 24 June 2022#21

Thank you, Jonty, for hosting our pitch nights at KPMG!

Tuesday was another great night!

Full Twitter Threat

Another FKA Friday ● 17 June 2022#20

Full Twitter Threat

Another FKA Friday ● 10 June 2022#19

Save the night! Thursday, 28 July! It will be a night to remember.

Another FKA Friday ● 3 June 2022#18

Get well Garth! ? Ah, also Debra & Phil!

Another FKA Friday ● 27 May 2022#17

AANZ and NZ Private Capital, Wed, 1 June in Auckland.
Professional Development? VC lead gen!? More here!

Another FKA Friday ● 20 May 2022#16

Categories

Archives

Thank you, Jonty, for hosting our pitch nights at KPMG!

Tuesday was another great night!

Save the night! Thursday, 28 July! It will be a night to remember.

Get well Garth! ? Ah, also Debra & Phil!

AANZ and NZ Private Capital, Wed, 1 June in Auckland. Professional Development? VC lead gen!? More here!

Categories

Archives

AANZ and NZ Private Capital, Wed, 1 June in Auckland.
Professional Development? VC lead gen!? More here!