What motivates New Zealand investors to invest

Reynolds says every investor is different, but most will prioritise these three needs:

• A super compelling founder and team. A founder who has a chip on their shoulder, an itch they absolutely have to scratch and who can answer the question ‘why them?’ and the response sparkles from their eyes and generates energy that comes from their absolute core. They are smart, driven, and great listeners who respond quickly to enquiries and are highly empathetic. They fervently believe they can have an creative, social and financial impact in a way that gives them, their customers, stakeholders and investors a unique opportunity to be part of that belief and exponential value creation.

A really exciting, potentially disruptive idea for a product or service with a really meaningful market. A market that will utterly love the product or service. And a market which contains a mega ton of people willing to pay for that product or service and which is big enough to generate exponential returns for investors and acquirers, not just financially but for people and the planet too. This is the product/market fit component and answers the question ‘why this?’

The founder understands why this is the perfect time to be bringing this product or service to the world. This is the answer to the ‘why now?’ question. It’s all about understanding what is going on in markets, value chains, consumer preferences to make the timing right for this company to fire. Where does what you’re building land on the relevant Gartner Hype Curve?