At the moment Angels rather support existing portfolio companies than new ideas. That makes it tough for founders who are looking for their first seed round, tough but not impossible as Hivemind and Chnnl show.

Andy is no scrounger and cuts his margin to give all readers a rocking 10% discount until 12 May, just use FKArocks at the checkout!  His wife Lizzie produced this COVID-19 track which is why there will be a little delay with the TWL jingle.

□□□ TheWineList.co.nz 

New app connects doctors and patients across 'bubbles'

Hands-On Flying Kiwi David

"G.E.M = Get Ecommerce Movement = help Kiwi SME’s achieve rapid digital transformation = starting with an initial batch of 500 free eCommerce sites."

David's LinkedIn post & Zeald’s major pivot 

Strong IP is good for startups and investors!

1. Bilaminar Membrane - A smart bilaminar membrane for guided bone regeneration as a next-generation barrier membrane device. Funding to Date: Up to $40K
2. Self-fixing sling - Self-fixing minimally invasive non-mesh sling for stress urinary incontinence. Funding to Date: Up to $40K
3. Space Commercialisation with High Temperature Superconductors - Applications of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) technology for satellites and space shuttles. Funding to Date: Up to $40K

Chris, Martin, Ralf M, Ralf W, Steffen and Uli too have retained their German candour. Isabel her Spanish spunk!

Alternative cover image. Happy Easter Everyone

Before we will circulate this co-investment opportunity you might like to refresh your memory of what Dr Elisabeth Berryman is setting out to do.

Pitch Video or Seven Sharp TV 31 March 2020

Garth and team have also completed the positive DD Report for Hivemind. "Honey, honey for Easter!" We will circulate this co-investment opportunity but see the pitch video first. 

The FKA portfolio is pretty healthy given the COVID-19 Startup-Killer-Threat. With chnnl & Formus it has even some real health focus.

SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, a passionate supporter of WeWork, now predicts that 15 of the companies in its $100 billion Vision Fund will go bankrupt. Read more.

Read it to believe it!

Eric Idle singing... hear it again here!

There has been a lot of doom and gloom recently but there is also light in the tunnel. The flashlight is on James Sampson and the team at FileInvite - they have been nominated as finalists in the Hi-Tech Start-Up Company of the Year category for the NZ Hi-Tech Awards.

FileInvite is following in the footsteps of other companies in FKA's portfolio such as StretchSense, Kami and Moxion. Awesome, James & Garth!

In the meantime, Garth is compiling a runway matrix of FKA's portfolio companies with the help of investor reps. COVID-19 brings good and bad across the portfolio. Also, Chnnl DD has picked up pace as the current environment is driving demand. Andy is leading this.

Several Angels and founders attended the Corum webinar two weeks ago. Some great insights, worth checking this one out - 10 April!

Rob already in jandals! British-born and soon to be New Zealand-based venture capitalist Rob Vickery has gone ahead with setting up a new venture capital fund in this county despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vickery, who was a co-founder of Los Angeles-based Stage Venture Partners, has had the first close of what he hopes will be a $35m-$40m venture capital fund, after securing two anchor limited partners in the US. He won’t reveal who they are publicly but one is an experienced Silicon Valley tech investor.  Hear or read the full NBR interview!

Peter Wren-Hilton shines a bright light on Kiwi AgriTech. ‍

More at The Economist Espresso 

"The psychology of venture capital doesn’t work the way most people think. That’s because it is an industry based on failure: most startups — the vast majority — fail. That means most VC investment decisions are wrong."   Best read the article!