What Founders Want: Infrastructure for Founders, Built by Founders
Written by Lane Litz, Founder & Managing Partner, Founder VC
PART 1 — From Global Operator to Local Beginner
At VIPKID, I was employee #6. We scaled to a $3B valuation, grew 30% MoM for five years, and built the most valuable online education company in the world. But none of that prepared me for being a first-time founder in New Zealand.
I landed here as an outsider. I had no network, no local playbook, and no clear roadmap. Through a local incubator (Creative HQ) and two first believers (Dave Moskovitz, Jacky Laverty) I found early signals. But I still had to hunt for every resource: grants, templates, accelerators, legal documents, investor lists.
I was labeled “sophisticated.” But I felt very in the dark.
PART 2 — A $1K Mistake That Could’ve Been Avoided
When I launched my first NZ-based startup, we had just $30,000 NZD in the bank. As CEO and co-founder, I made an early strategic call: I spent $1,000 on Microsoft cloud credits so we could get moving fast.
A week later, I learned — completely by accident — that we could’ve gotten those credits for free through Microsoft’s startup program.
I cried. Alone.
Not because of the money itself, but because I had tried to do exactly what founders are supposed to do: act, build, and move fast. But I didn’t have access to the information that would’ve saved us time and capital. That $1,000 shortened our runway.
The number one job of a startup CEO is to extend runway. I had broken the cardinal rule — I burned 1/30th of it on something we could’ve gotten for free.
This is why What Founders Want exists.
What Founders Want is the definitive source for New Zealand startup founders to save money, make money, and raise money.
PART 3 — You Can’t Google This
Founders in New Zealand aren’t failing because they’re not talented. They’re failing quietly — and often unnecessarily — because they can’t find what’s already out there.
They Google:
“Startup grants NZ 2024”
“IRD/GST/Xero checklist”
“Free NZ legal templates”
“Accelerators that give money”
But traditional search and even generative AI tools miss the mark, with accuracy rates as low as 50%. Founders don’t want blog posts or playbooks. They want legitimacy, clarity, and access.
That’s what What Founders Want delivers:
Not advice. Not opinions. Just direct access to trusted tools, templates, and resources — all in one place.
PART 4 — What We Built
What Founders Want is a founder-first infrastructure layer designed for New Zealand’s startup ecosystem. It’s not a publication. It’s not an accelerator. It’s not a service.
It’s a neutral access platform that gives founders visibility over what already exists — across funding, compliance, go-to-market, hiring, and sales.
It helps founders:
- Raise money — Find grants, accelerators, and capital connections
- Save money — Claim perks, download templates, and avoid costly mistakes
- Make money — Unlock sales tools, hiring systems, and GTM assets
All in one place. Free for founders, forever.
PART 5 — What We’re Not
We’re not here to give founders more advice. We’re here to connect them with the advice, tools, and support that already exist — but often remain siloed, buried, or invisible.
New Zealand’s startup ecosystem is tight-knit, generous, and deeply values-driven. It’s been built on the backs of passionate founders, funders, mentors, and supporters — many of whom have donated thousands of unpaid hours to make this a better place to build.
What Founders Want is not a replacement for that work — it’s a signal booster. A visibility layer. A connector.
We’re proud to stand on the shoulders of giants- the community that came before us- and deeply committed to serving it with humility.
PART 6 — Why Founder VC Built This
As a fund, we meet hundreds of founders every year. Many aren’t ready for capital — yet. But that doesn’t mean they should stop building.Still, until now, we had nowhere to send them. And that broke our hearts.
What Founders Want is our answer — not a funnel, but an infrastructure layer that supports all founders, not just the VC-fundable few.
And yes, it’s also part of Founder VC’s long-term M&A infrastructure model:
- It tracks founder activity and intent
- It unblocks GTM momentum
- It creates a signal layer for acquisition readiness
But first and foremost, it’s here to help founders take their next best step — with confidence and clarity.
Closing Words
I’m an EdTech builder at heart. I know what it means to build inside the problem. The founders we serve — whether in Invercargill, Hamilton, or Ponsonby — are doing the hardest work of their lives.
Startups are expensive. Financially. Emotionally. Reputationally. If we can save them $1,000, or 10 hours, or a dead-end search that ends in frustration, we’ve done our job.
So if you’re advising a founder, and you have to say no to their pitch — send them to www.whatfounderswant.com. Not as a consolation prize, but as a next step.
Because what founders want is to keep building. And now, they can do it with the infrastructure they deserve.
What Founders Want is Live
The most valuable thing you can do to move What Founders Want forward is simple: share it.
If you know a founder who’s building in the dark — send them to www.whatfounderswant.com.
It’s free, it’s fast, and it’s built to be the first stop for every NZ startup.
The more founders who use it, the stronger the whole ecosystem becomes.
----------------------------------
Lane Litz is a proven startup founder, operator, and venture capitalist with a track record of building, scaling, and investing in high-potential startups. As employee #6 at VIPKID, she helped grow the company to a $3B valuation. Later, as the CEO and Co-founder of Speakia, she navigated challenging market conditions to lead the startup to acquisition. Her time in venture capital gave her a front-row seat to the systemic flaws in traditional VC, inspiring her to found Founder VC. Now, Lane is reshaping the venture landscape with a founder-first approach, focusing on sustainable investments that deliver measurable value for both founders and investors.