What you missed last week in startups + last chance to have your say
Welcome to a new week and a quick look back at the last.
Today’s edition shares the most important news you might’ve missed from the past seven days.
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The CAFFEINE team
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Why the 'curse of knowledge' might be tripping you up as a founder.
Taxi wins law change to support lending model and passes $100m in funding: Fintech startup Taxi, founded in 2021 by Josh and Nicola Taylor, has secured a legislative clarification that cements its lending model. Taxi allows small businesses to borrow against provisional tax deposits and has now facilitated $107.8 million in funding across 1246 active users. A recent law change confirms that using provisional tax as security will not affect imputation credits unless a borrower defaults. The clarification followed a submission by Taxi and was backed by Inland Revenue. Taxi is expanding beyond its SME base, recently signing its first two corporate clients. The company also received investment from Simplicity last year and has been recognised with multiple business awards. More from Chris Keall here.
Event: Growth Jam Kicks off in Wellington May 22: Wellington Caffeinators, it's time to JAM. There’s an impressively stacked lineup of tech leaders ready to share their best growth stories in the capital so get along if you’re around.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from some of the best in the business as they unpack the power of competitive advantage and how it’s fuelled the rise of some of New Zealand’s most successful tech companies. Join to hear from:
🎤 Emma Procter - Research Manager at PikPok
🎤 John Mitchell - Founder of Arlo Training Management Software
🎤 Alliv Samson -Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer at Kami
🎤 Shane Bartle - CEO at Storbie
🎤 Alex Burke - CEO at Optimal
🎤 Sarah Berkowski - CRO at Timescapes (ex Tradify)
Get your ticket here.
Georgia Rippin on breaking into Hollywood and leading a new era of mid-form video: On the latest episode of Diaspora.nz, Georgia Rippin shares how she hustled her way into the film industry by delivering Whittaker’s chocolate with her CV to studio mailrooms. Now the founder and CEO of Kold Open, she is building a platform around mid-form video content that sits between TikTok and Netflix. She discusses the future of storytelling, challenges with IP rights in the age of AI, and why free ad-supported streaming is making a comeback. Rippin offers a sharp perspective on where the media industry is heading and how ambitious creatives can shape it.
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