Expanding to the US is a major step for any Kiwi startup. Many of our portfolio companies have taken the leap - some have succeeded, and all have learned valuable (and sometimes expensive) lessons.

Expanding to the US is a major step for any Kiwi startup. Many of our portfolio companies have taken the leap - some have succeeded, and all have learned valuable (and sometimes expensive) lessons.

Expanding to the US is a major step for any Kiwi startup. Many of our portfolio companies have taken the leap—some have succeeded, and all have learned valuable (and sometimes expensive) lessons.

To help the next generation of founders navigate this journey, I set out to interview six of our portfolio companies about their experiences expanding into the US. While there are common themes, each story offers its own unique insights.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing anonymised stories from these companies, sharing real-world lessons on strategy, hiring, market validation, and execution. At the end of the series, I’ll post a summary capturing the most common learnings and pitfalls founders should be aware of when entering the US market.

So we’re all on the same page—company values are the fundamental beliefs and core principles that shape a company’s actions, decision-making, company culture, and brand identity.

Despite some of the doomsday commentary about both the NZ economy and VC investing habits in 2024 compared to 2021, there is plenty of capital looking for high-quality investment opportunities.

It’s said that more companies die of indigestion than starvation—meaning they get distracted by shiny new opportunities, spreading focus too thin to be effective.

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Allbirds founder and former All White, Tim Brown, has joined Icehouse Ventures. Read Icehouse Ventures CEO, Robbie Paul's perspectives that informed Tim's appointment.

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