On Wednesday the 23 of April Kim Anderson from The Fetch Community Ambassador Team in Wellington went along to the Capital, Constraints and Crowdfunding event that was hosted by Buddle Findlay law firm.
Donning my best pair of ripped skinny jeans and a raggedy jumper, I headed to the offices of Buddle Findlay for a seminar focused on the New Zealand start-up scene. Finding myself among a small but decently sized audience of largely well-dressed professionals, I began to wonder if I was in over my head as a design student. Luckily my fears were abated as Sacha Judd carried out her presentation. Judd, a partner at Buddle Findlay, was engaging, to the point, and most importantly, plain speaking in her presentation.
As a lawyer and a regular advisor and investor in start-ups, Judd knows her stuff. Judd highlighted a number of points throughout the seminar. She emphasized initial priorities for start-up founders, tips for becoming investment ready, and tricks for negotiating the challenges of raising capital.
Running just below the hour mark, Judd packed in a hefty amount of advice and pointers for start-up founders to consider. In particular she mentioned the potential benefits of publicly listing your company to garner capital, wisely choosing the best time to widen your footprint in the US (and why doing so at the wrong time could cause unnecessary headaches!), as well as some of the legal side of doing business (contracts, fine print, and more contracts).
As a veritable newbie I was struck by how many things there are to consider in starting a company, and that’s just within the New Zealand tax and legal system, let alone the decision to expand overseas. If the opportunity arises, I would absolutely recommend this event for any budding or established start-up founder, if only to hear from a knowledgeable individual with a fresh perspective.
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About our Ambassador // This article was contributed by Community Ambassador Kim Anderson. Kim is a Design kid from Wellington who loves crazy ideas and gizmos and has a complicated relationship with the internet. Say hi on Twitter @_kim_anderson or on her blog.
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