You won’t get it if you don’t ask

Having a great idea is only one piece of the startup puzzle. Caffeine talks to three Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) Alumni Awards 2023 winners and finalists about what helped them grow and succeed as young founders.

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‍Finn Ross 

CarbonZ founder and YES Alumni Awards 2023 Environmental Leader winner

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Finn Ross doesn’t wait for opportunities to land in his lap. 

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The environmental entrepreneur founded his first business in 2015, Let Them Fish – a charity delivering second-hand fishing gear to impoverished communities in the Pacific. In 2021, he founded his current business, CarbonZ – the first fully traceable, native New Zealand carbon credit platform. He also manages the conservation, biodiversity and carbon budget at Lake Hāwea Station. 

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Ross is a go-getter: He finished high school early to spend time in Fiji with local communities to expand Let Them Fish, and emailed “every large NGO in the world in the marine conservation space to see if they wanted to partner and help accelerate our impact”.

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He urges entrepreneurs to ‘get stuck in’: “It’s about being prepared to make mistakes and realising that your first idea might not be the one that’s the multimillion dollar idea. It’s going to take time.”

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Startup support programmes have boosted CarbonZ’s journey, specifically the Food, Fibre and Agritech Supernode Challenge, where it won the Enterprise category, and the Sprout Agritech Challenge. 

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“The Sprout Agritech Challenge was intensive. They put me in front of a bunch of venture capitalists, helped us to refine our pitch, and provided us with really valuable industry connections and business mentors.”

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Sprout Agritech Challenge mentors Dean Tilyard and Sarah Adams have been instrumental, says Ross. 

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“They had a really valuable lens in that they weren’t carbon market experts. I can be guilty of going deep into the science and the technicalities of the industry, but they helped translate it [the science] into a layperson's perspective, and to think about how it would work as a business at scale and in traditional agritech marketplaces.”

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Social media is also a great way to keep tabs on the startup space, says Ross. 

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“Being active on LinkedIn and Instagram by following venture capital companies’ [accounts] is a really good way to see where the opportunities are popping up. Both of these channels have been really important tools for me in building my career as a young professional.”

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Abby Green 

Co-founder Abalro Health and YES Alumni Awards 2023 One to Watch finalist 

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Abalro Health co-founder Abby Green is a newcomer to the startup scene, but it’s not holding her back.

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Green and Alex Livingstone co-founded their first business in 2020, Abalro Health, which uses natural products that harness the power of barberries to treat acne. The startup was a co-winner of the Global Kaitiakitanga project, jointly run through New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and YES, and travelled to Dubai as youth ambassadors for innovation.

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Startup support initiatives are key to the now University of Otago Entrepreneurship students’ journey, who are currently doing a Startup Dunedin incubator programme. 

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“They’re providing consistent mentorship to make sure that we’re on the right track,” says Green. 

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Abalro Health also received $15,000 in seed funding through the Prince’s Trust Aotearoa – part of the trust’s annual annual $2 million in He Kākano seed funding for Kiwi businesses –  that it has used to boost its marketing.

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Approach local innovation HQs about their entrepreneurship programmes, advises Green. “You feel a lot safer when you’ve got people backing you up,” she says.

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Mentors Rod Bannister and Bridget Galvin through the Prince’s Trust, and Pete Lead through Startup Dunedin have helped the young entrepreneurs to master their ‘cheeky ask’. 

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“Reach out to people. You won’t get it if you don’t ask.”

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“One of the most important things I’ve learned [from mentors] is that you’re not making a product, you’re solving a problem. Each decision we make, we consider whether it’s going to provide any real value for the consumer,” says Green. 

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Rachel Taulelei 

Oho co-founder and YES Alumni Awards 2023 Distinguished and Supreme Alumni winner

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Seasoned entrepreneur Rachel Taulelei knows that being able to work the room is a door opener for startups. 

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In 2006, Taulelei founded her first business, Yellow Brick Road – specialising in direct seafood supply into restaurants throughout New Zealand. Taulelei’s held multiple governance roles – she chairs Moana NZ, the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust, and the Fonterra Sustainability Panel – and is currently the founder of business design and brand strategy firm Oho. 

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Taulelei says making the right connections is crucial for entrepreneurs, having tapped into her own networks to found Yellow Brick Road. “I knew two or three chefs here in New Zealand and they knew two or three hundred.” Oho co-founder brand strategist Tabitha Harris is also a connection through a mutual friend. 

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But if you don’t have friends in the right places? Get out there. 

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“In Wellington, for example, we’ve got Business Central. They’re really great at running [networking] events, and I wholeheartedly suggest people attend those.”

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“NZTE, equally, has fantastic networks, both domestically and internationally, that they can assist businesses with.”

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The key is to learn how to network effectively, says Taulelei. “Rather than just asking for a business card, understand the person you’re engaging with and the value you can give them and vice versa.”

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“Between the governance work that I’ve had, and then through Oho, one business opportunity often leads you to the next.”

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‘Champions’ who “put you in positions they know you can nail” even if you’re not sure you can are also a huge asset, says Taulelei.

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Fran Wilde, business leader and former CEO of NZTE, was one of Taulelei’s champions, helping her become an NZTE Trade Commissioner at the age of 25. She’s gone on to use the networking skills she learned in this role as an entrepreneur. 

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Taulelei also recommends startups establish an advisory board early to help fill any skills gaps, and provide guidance. And don’t be afraid to cast your net wide. 

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“There’s almost no one you can’t reach in this country. Again, it comes back to your ability to network effectively, and to have the knack of being able to push yourself into uncomfortable places.”

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