Built a tech startup, but can’t buy a house?
Plus: What's coming up next week on Caffeine
Good morning Caffeinators,
Read on to take a sneak peek at what’s coming from Caffeine in the coming week for our subscribers + how our partners at BNZ want to help make getting a house work for founders.
If you’ve got a story, press release, interview to pitch or just want to tell me I’m wrong about something - send it over to finn@caffeinedaily.co
If you’re interested in working with Caffeine as a partner, flick Georgia an email on: georgia@caffeinedaily.co
Have a great weekend, look after each other and we’ll see you next week.
Finn and the CAFFEINE team
We’re excited to partner with BNZ. As New Zealand's largest business bank, BNZ shares our mission to support the next wave of founders and operators. Over the coming months, we’ll be working together to share insights, tools, and stories that help you grow smarter and faster.
Built a tech startup, but can’t buy a house?
When I started my banking career 10 years ago, the most rewarding part of those early roles was helping people buy their first home. Our Technology Industries team has spoken to so many founders over the years who’ve scaled great businesses but still couldn’t get a home loan. Not because they weren’t financially responsible or the business wasn’t viable – but because traditional lending criteria wasn’t designed for high-growth tech startups.
So we built something new.
Founder Housing is a home loan solution designed specifically for startup founders. We assess business viability and future potential, taking a far more realistic view of what success looks like in tech. We also take away the negative impact of cash burn for growth on a founder’s ability to seek a home loan.
One of the first people to utilise BNZ’s Founder Housing was Emily Blythe, CEO of Pyper Vision. Before talking to BNZ, she was turned down by eight banks, despite running a well-backed, high-performing company, with a solid salary. What made the difference? We took our understanding of the investment it takes for tech companies to grow and operate, and applied it to how we assess personal lending.
Founder Housing is now available through all BNZ channels. If you’re a founder and this is a hurdle you’re facing, feel free to get in touch at Tech_Business_Hub@bnz.co.nz. We’re always happy to talk.
All home loans are subject to BNZ lending criteria (including minimum equity requirements), terms, and fees.
This article is solely for information purposes. It’s not financial or other professional advice. For help, please contact BNZ or your professional adviser. No party, including BNZ, is liable for direct or indirect loss or damage resulting from the content of this article.
Coming up on Caffeine:
Interview with Basis Co-Founder Danny Purcell: Energy management startup Basis is rolling out its Smart Panel across Aotearoa recently, with over 7500 contracted at a value of $25m, with a goal of installing 50,000 panels globally in the next 24 months.
You guys know what an absolute nerd I am about energy so it was a pleasure to catch up with Danny and hear how the problems Basis solve for can scale up and start addressing some broader and important pain points across energy infrastructure.
Editorial: Scribbles from the startup frontlines - You know him, you (hopefully) love him, the latest Caffeine editorial from Resident scribbler Serge Van Dam will hit your inbox Wednesday next week.
See a snippet below:
A Tsunami of Uncertainty (ramblings about AI)
TLDR: The only way to be ready for our AI-fuelled future is to do your part in creating it.
Not another war analogy!
It may surprise you to discover that I read books.
In the opening scene of Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman - which I am currently reading - the narrative begins in the summer of 1942, amidst a tense and uncertain atmosphere as Nazi Germany prepares for its advance deeper into the Soviet Union. The story opens not on the battlefield, but with an intimate focus on the Shaposhnikov family in Moscow, offering a purely human lens on the looming crisis.
The characters have a strong sense of foreboding and unease and “anything could happen”, and have very different perspectives on what they should or could do next.
It reminds me of the broad range of conversations I am having with people about AI. No one, and I mean no one, has any idea how it is all going to evolve / revolve.
What to do?
How Kami Keeps Its Global Team Aligned, Playful and Growing using Notion: Talking about one of my favourite tools with one of my favourite teams is an easy day at the office for me. Was great to catch up with Kami and hear about how they use Notion to fuel their surging success as they scale up.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Want to get in touch with a news tip, bit of feedback or just to chat? Email hello@caffeinedaily.co. Look after yourselves this weekend and we’ll see you Monday.