The Sir Paul Callaghan 100 report

Be persistent

I think that one of the key things is persistence. It takes a lot of persistence to be successful. See the company through the ups and downs, because a lot of it is just being able to persist long enough in order to be successful. It does come right in the end, make sure you hang in there and see it through.

- Also mentioned by Easy Crypto’s Janine Grainger, Miriana Stephens of Wakatū, Rockit Global’s Mark O’Donnell, Futureverse’s Aaron McDonald

Be authentic

Make sure that you’re being really authentic in what you want, what you’re trying to do and what you’re trying to build. Focus on solving a real-world problem.

Use your values

Fundamentally, you come back to values, and they’re not just sitting up on the wall; you’re actually practising those values. I think that that’s really important in knowing your purpose or your why.

Think big

Think big! In 10 years’ time, I think every investment is going to have a climate focus. So you need to think big, and your tech needs to be scalable beyond New Zealand.

- Also mentioned by Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck

You can’t do it alone

No one can do significant things all by themselves. It’s always a collaborative process. Learn what resources are out there that can help you — the tools, the people who can support you in your community are so important. Reach out to them.

- Also mentioned by Formus Lab’s Ju Zhang, LanzaTech’s James Daniell, Fabrum’s Christopher Boyle

New Zealand is unique in many ways; use this

Because we’re a smaller country and we’re somewhat isolated, we have a different mentality when it comes to working together. In the Valley, it’s a very cutthroat American winner-takes-all culture. But in New Zealand, we’re a lot more collaborative, and I don’t think we could have started this company anywhere else because of that difference.

Know yourself

Find your differentiator, stick with it and work out a compelling way to tell that story. And ideally in a New Zealand way.

Be brave, and get things going

Don’t be afraid of areas that you don’t know anything about because you can actually become an expert in something in a relatively short amount of time. I founded the company with my brother, Alan. He had no prior coding experience — he taught himself how to code, and built Easy Crypto.

- Also mentioned by Miriana Stephens of Wakatū

Go global

Engage internationally as soon as possible. You need market pull offshore, so you’ve got to travel.

- Also mentioned by Formus Lab’s Ju Zhang, Rockit Global’s Mark O’Donnell, Miriana Stephens of Wakatū

Be willing to change how you execute, not what

If the core truth is there, the core problem you’re trying to solve is a real problem; how you solve it might change over time, but be really persistent around what that core truth is.

Focus on problems that really matter

By focusing on problems that truly matter, addressing unmet clinical needs that are both significant and costly, health technologies can deliver tangible benefits to patients while alleviating the strain on healthcare resources.

Use your networks

It's really good to notice and recognize that the power of networks is huge, particularly in a small country like New Zealand. Take advantage of that, but also pay it forward and help other people and other business founders where you can.

People and culture are paramount

We talk about being like Hotel California. We've had so many people come back or stay with us in different ways. Some join our board. Some come back and work on particular projects. We're able to attract really good people who are aligned with what we're doing.