The nature of startup business is a constant cycle of defining yourself, identifying problems that you want to solve, finding product market fit, finding your audience, iterating, growing, scaling, pivoting and repeating. Like our residents, the Kiwi Landing Pad has to change and adapt to the needs of our audience - New Zealand businesses going global and the entrepreneurs that back them.
When we visited NZ recently, reconnecting with the Kiwi startup ecosystem, we met with over a hundred people. In two weeks we engaged with government departments, investors, incubators, founders, startups and business support networks (like KEA, the ICEhouse & Kiwi Connect). Our blossoming startup scene is an exciting space to be in, New Zealand is on it’s way to becoming a world-class place to build a business from and also exist in.
While we found this community supportive of our work in San Francisco, many were unsure of our exact offering. This is an explanation of what the Kiwi Landing Pad is, what we aim to do and how you can plug-in.
The Kiwi Landing Pad is a soft landing for New Zealand technology companies coming to land and expand into the United States. You can literally jump straight off the plane, arrive at the Landing Pad, grab a desk, some wifi and hit the ground running. It enables you to be functional from day one, and minimises wasted time and other pain points associated with expanding offshore.
While the US has many efficient and innovative systems, some things remain extremely complicated and backwards. San Francisco is a progressive and technology driven city, where things like transportation (Uber) and food (Sprig & Postmates) are at your fingertips and near-instant. It seems counterintuitive that banking is a painfully drawn out process, cheques are a common form of payment and red tape and bureaucratic processes run rampant. Most kiwis haven’t used a cheque book in years and have to google how to do so!
The Kiwi Landing Pad is a community of people who have all been there before. We can guide you through the process, make the transition easy and allow you to concentrate on what you do best - growing your business.
Success to us is a new resident arriving, most commonly teams of one or two people and over the next 6-12 months, expanding their business and their team enough to move into their own office space - essentially, taking flight.
Aside from offering a soft landing and a starting point, we’re able to add immense value to our residents. Not only do we offer an amazing central location, and a functional and collaborative office, we also maintain an extensive network of people with expertise in a multitude of areas. We’re also very active and social, hosting regular events and keeping our residents up to date with important and informative content.
This year we are striving to be relevant, useful and aware. We understand that every company, founder and team is different, and we can cater to you accordingly. The more we understand you, the better we are able to help you succeed in this market and grow your business. Who do you need to know? Where do you need to be? What resources do you need to achieve your goals both professionally and personally?
Our core values can be summed up in three C’s. Credibility. Connections. Confidence.
Credibility - In our fourth year of business, we have traction and plenty of momentum. We are proudly sponsored by the NZ government and private high-profile technology investors - a unique public/private partnership. We balance people’s desires and wants with real business needs. There is a fine line between wanting to do more, be a little bit flashier, whilst still keeping our grassroots and doing what we set out to do - be the platform for NZ businesses heading offshore. The stepping stone to get your foot in the door and be connected from day one.
Connections - The strength of a business community should not be underestimated. The Kiwi Landing Pad community is not just a kiwi one - it spans many states and countries, including all kinds of entrepreneurs, experts and people in different stages of business and life. Most importantly, we have people who love giving back. Those who contribute to our network get out as much as they put in and sometimes even more than that. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out, or have been doing this for a long time and have achieved levels of success that many only aspire to, there is truly something for everyone.
Confidence - New Zealand is a small place and many of the startups going offshore touch somewhere in our community some way or another, being a focal point of this is confidence in itself. In connecting with the Landing Pad, you join a cohort of other entrepreneurs and teams who are all solving problems and working together, across multiple industries and verticals. Our community isn’t limited to our residents, even if you’re not present in the Landing Pad, you can have the confidence that you will run into these entrepreneurs on a regular basis at events and be part of the informal support network that is rapidly developing.
To summarise, in the last 6 months we have taken a step back and defined what we actually do well and the areas we should hone our focus on. While over time we will add value and programs in many areas the core of what we do is in having an initial place to land for 6 - 12 months and a place to get connected and plugged in. Instead of us trying to explain what the value of X is in this scenario we went out to our community and decided to get them to share their stories, in the coming weeks and months, a thought leader series will follow with residents and alumni’s describing where the value is for them.
Post by Sian Simpson – Community Manager – Kiwi Landing Pad