Hale Animal Health’s Leila de Koster on funding female founders

The Caffeine Podcast’s first series, ‘Seed to success: Building and backing Kiwi startups’, showcases Kiwi startups with high-growth potential across different sectors, giving insights into what it takes to build a successful company from New Zealand – and just how much of a slog it can be. 

Sponsored by New Zealand Growth Capital Partners (NZGCP), this episode features host Fiona Rotherham and guests Leila de Koster, CEO and founder of Hale Animal Health, and Marian Johnson, former CEO of Ministry of Awesome and chair of the Electrify Programme. 

The discussion revolves around the challenges and opportunities of being a startup founder, particularly for women in the industry.

Here’s an AI-generated overview of the podcast themes, or listen here. Find the video here.

De Koster begins with a discussion of her journey with Hale Animal Health, illustrating the unique challenges of developing animal pharmaceutical products, including regulatory hurdles, the need for clinical trials, and what it takes to overcome industry-specific challenges. 

She goes on to share her experience with fundraising, emphasising the importance of researching potential investors and aligning with those who understand and support your vision. Johnson adds that founders need to be ready for investment, with a clear value proposition and understanding of their target market.

Johnson then discusses the Electrify Accelerator and the Electrify Aotearoa Women’s Founder Conference – initiatives aimed at increasing the number of women founders and addressing the gender imbalance in venture capital funding. She emphasises the importance of role modelling, building capabilities, and creating a supportive community for women in the startup ecosystem.

Both Johnson and Rotherham highlight the need for more comprehensive data on women founders and their funding to better understand and address the challenges they face.