Advisory for the people who shape founder outcomes
Founder VC works with founders, investors and governments on the decisions that decide whether a startup grows, raises well, or runs out of money.
Who we work with
Founders and startups
For founders facing a decision that is expensive to get wrong.
- Go-to-market: who buys, who signs, which channels pay back, and where to expand next
- Fundraising decisions: whether to raise, how much, and from whom, or whether to build toward an exit instead
- Exit readiness: preparing a company to be acquired, and fixing what a buyer will find
- EdTech and Asia: market entry, tutor and teacher marketplaces, and scaling in education
Investors
For VC and PE firms that want to reach the right founders earlier, and be the investor founders call first.
- Founder programmes that get used: office hours, content, resources and events built around what founders need, not what is easiest to run
- Pipeline: founder-facing initiatives that bring the right founders to you before they start fundraising
- Portfolio resources: tools and support your portfolio companies will use
- Programme reviews: what your current founder initiatives cost, who uses them, and what they produce
Governments and ecosystem builders
For governments, agencies and organisations funding founder support.
- Founder support that gets used: designing programmes and resources around what founders actually search for and need
- Founder platforms: building a version of What Founders Want for your ecosystem, run on the same rules: free for founders, no paid placement
- Ecosystem reviews: where founders are getting stuck, and what is missing
How we work
- Defined scope. Each engagement has a clear question, a set timeframe, and a written outcome you keep.
- Project fees only. No introduction fees, success fees or commission for connecting anyone to capital or buyers.
- One side per deal. We never advise a founder and an investor or acquirer on the same transaction.
- Neutral. No paid work from service providers listed on What Founders Want.
- Global. Based in New Zealand, working with clients around the world.
Why Founder VC
We've sat on every side of the table: operator, founder, investor and ecosystem builder. We know what each side needs from a decision, and where their interests pull apart.
Get in touch
Tell us the decision in front of you and when it needs to be made. We'll read it properly and come back to you with whether we can help, how, and what it would involve.
If we're not the right fit, we'll say so, and point you to someone who is.