Icehouse Ventures

Congratulations to friends of IV, Jonny Hendriksen & Craig Piggott, who were winners at this year’s NZ’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards! 🏆 Jonny, Founder and CEO of Shuttlerock, was recognised as the Master category winner and overall EY Entrepreneur of the Year. Craig, Founder and CEO of Halter, was the Tech and Emerging Industries Entrepreneur winner. Judge Cecilia Robinson remarked on Jonny's overall win: "What impressed us most was how he exemplifies a masterful entrepreneur, staying grounded in his New Zealand roots while excelling on a global stage." Winners of the Young, Product, and Services Entrepreneur categories were: ▪️ Miria Flavell, Founder and CEO of HINE COLLECTION — Product Entrepreneur winner ▪️ Michael Walker, Co-founder of fintech company BlackBull Markets — Young Entrepreneur of the Year ▪️ Sam Bridgewater and Maia Royal, Founders of The Pure Food Co — Services Entrepreneur winner And a special shout out to Ehsan Vaghefi of Toku Eyes who judges awarded Highly Commended. “Our group of finalists showed the diversity of the entrepreneurial industry in New Zealand. While they all work in different industries, the winners share characteristics of determination, extreme focus and a drive to succeed,” Jason Macgregor, Director of EY Entrepreneur of the Year – New Zealand. We couldn't agree more—a big congratulations to all! Read the full story on Jonny here: https://lnkd.in/gQatXtTd and more on each of the finalists here: https://lnkd.in/g7y95t7Z

Congratulations to Jamie Beaton and the team at Crimson Education on their $68 million Series D raise, achieving unicorn status with a $1 billion valuation! 🦄🚀 Crimson Education is an ecosystem of online education products that support students worldwide in their journey to become world-class leaders. What began a decade ago as an admissions consultancy for Kiwi students aiming for top global universities has evolved into an ecosystem of online education, offering services spanning from pre-primary to postgraduate levels. In 2020, they launched Crimson Global Academy, an internationally accredited, online high school providing university-recognised qualifications through accelerated courses. This raise will not only support Crimson Education's growth but also further fuel the expansion of Crimson Global Academy, explore global charter schooling opportunities, invest in Revision Village (their International Baccalaureate diploma study resource), and develop AI-powered marking and tutoring tools for both teachers and students. “Jamie called in 2015 after raising $1.4m from Icehouse Ventures and Julian Robertson. I was expecting him to say he was dropping out of Harvard - where he was doing a double degree in three years, magna cum laude) to focus on Crimson. Instead he was calling about a project he was working on at a hedge fund [Robertson’s Tiger Management]. This pattern of XXL output has continued ever since.” - Robbie Paul. See Jamie on the front page of The Wall Street Journal here: https://lnkd.in/g8M2nqSi And read more in the NZ Herald story here: https://lnkd.in/gnciKj-W

Introducing our latest Startup Blueprint featuring Hanie Y., Chief Commercial Officer and Chief of Staff at Alimetry! Hanie is a leader in the HealthTech space with 23 years of international experience spanning the commercialisation of biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. Four years ago, she joined Alimetry, a MedTech startup on a mission to make gut health accessible to everyone, as COO and one of their first employees—a return to the startup world after over two decades in clinical research, roles at major U.S.-based multinationals, a decade at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, and board positions with organisations dedicated to bridging the gap between science and commercialisation in New Zealand. We sat down with Hanie to chat about: ▪️ Her transition from corporate to startup: what led to the shift, how two decades of corporate experience laid a foundation, and what does (or doesn’t) translate to an early-stage MedTech company ▪️ Building a go-to-market (GTM) strategy that leverages the company’s core strengths and overcomes common hurdles to early traction ▪️ Their approach to entering offshore markets and insights into their U.S. operations ▪️ The challenges and opportunities that are top of mind following Alimetry’s recent US$18m raise and next chapter of growth ▪️ The role Kiwi startups can play in shaping the global future of healthcare Check out the interview via the link in the comments 👇

Find your dream job in New Zealand’s thriving startup ecosystem 🚀 From Electronics Engineers in Auckland to Customer Success in Austin and Product Managers in Sydney, there are more than 170 roles on our platform at Kiwi startups across various industries, specialisations, and locations. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the open roles: ▪️Appetise are hiring a Data Engineer - Insights - based in Christchurch, NZ ▪️Fuel50 are hiring an Engineering Manager, remote ▪️Onside are hiring a Senior Account Manager, based in Christchurch, NZ ▪️Eight360 are hiring a Software Engineer, based in Wellington, NZ ▪️Hnry are hiring an Finance Specialist, based in Wellington, NZ ▪️Komodo are hiring a Senior Software Developer, based in Christchurch, NZ Link to our platform in the comments 👇

We're thrilled to announce that Pie Funds has invested $10m into Growth Fund II, our late-stage venture fund offering exposure to 20 established NZ technology companies. Their investment brings the fund’s total to $98m of the $100m target. Pie’s KiwiSaver Growth Fund’s move into venture capital enables thousands more Kiwis to gain exposure to—and participate in the journey of—some of New Zealand’s exceptional tech companies. “Mike Taylor, Ana-Marie Lockyer and the Pie Funds team have spent more than a decade studying, investing in, and championing great Kiwi companies. Their investment speaks volumes of the quality of the entrepreneurs we are supporting.” - Robbie Paul. Read Robbie’s perspective on why this investment supports the case for the next global tech giant to emerge from Aotearoa here: https://lnkd.in/g-cHkZfE Find the news article covering the partnership here: https://lnkd.in/gZjakydj And learn more about Growth Fund II and how to get involved here: https://lnkd.in/guhMnKJk

After epic turnouts in Tāmaki Makaurau and Ōtautahi, we couldn’t skip the capital, home to early NZ startup successes like Xero and Trade Me… Join us on Friday, November 8th, for the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, Startup Block Party! An event for those who start, build, and support Aotearoa's startup ecosystem. Reconnect with old friends, meet new faces, and listen to a fireside chat with Brooke Roberts, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Sharesies. It’s a casual gathering with food, drinks, and no cost to attend. 4:30pm till late 🕺 RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/ghHQVznj

An event invite for sales leaders within the Kiwi startup ecosystem! Join us for our Startup Leaders Meetup: Sales Edition, where Guy Horrocks and Keith Davison host a fireside chat with two special guests: ▪️ Melanie Spencer - CEO of Thompson Spencer Group, one of Aotearoa's leading creative agencies. With two decades of experience, Mel excels at the intersection of marketing and sales, managing client relationships across various industries. ▪️ Dan Houghton - A seasoned leader with experience at tech giants like Google and Xero, high-growth startups, and as a management consultant. Dan specialises in solving complex challenges through first-principle thinking. Details: 🗓️ Tuesday, 5th November ⏰ 8am - 9:30am 📍 Parnell, Auckland ☕️ Coffee and breakfast on us This is a great opportunity to connect with those in the ecosystem and learn what it takes to be an impactful sales leader. RSVP here to secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/g3t3BZED

A massive congratulations to the Alimetry team on their US$18m (NZ$29.9m) Series A raise! Alimetry is changing the way we diagnose and manage gastric disorders. With nearly one in 10 people suffering from chronic gut symptoms, their non-invasive, wearable device speeds up diagnosis by measuring the pattern and intensity of electrical waves in the stomach. “It gives clinicians the tools they need to quickly and correctly diagnose patients so that we can move from trial and error - and guesswork - into clarity of care and personalised medicine.” — Co-Founder and CEO, Greg O'Grady. Alimetry's flagship product is used in more than 30 US hospitals, as well as three public hospitals and two private clinics here in Aotearoa. This funding will enable them to scale their vision of providing millions of patients worldwide with crucial insights into their care pathways. Read more here (paywall): https://lnkd.in/giZDtS4Y

After epic turnouts in Tāmaki Makaurau and Ōtautahi, we couldn’t skip the capital, home to early NZ startup successes like Xero and Trade Me… Join us on Friday, November 8th, for the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, Startup Block Party! An event for those who start, build, and support Aotearoa's startup ecosystem. Reconnect with old friends, meet new faces, and listen to a fireside chat with Brooke Roberts, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Sharesies. It’s a casual gathering with food, drinks, and no cost to attend. 4:30pm till late 🕺 RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/ghHQVznj

Thank you to the 140+ members of the First Cut community who came to this months First Cut Meetup, with special guest, Simran Kaur! Simran, founder of Girls That Invest, shared her journey from UOA Optometry student to creating one of the world's top investing communities, empowering thousands globally along the way. If you’ve followed her entrepreneurial journey to-date, you’ll know it spans building an engaged community of millions, launching an investing education platform, and authoring a best-selling book, all within the last five years. It was a full conversation, so we’ve done our best to summarise the key takeaways Simran shared on the night. Check them out below, along with snaps of the First Cut community out in force. A very big thank you to Simran for joining us. Link to join the community and hear about future events in the comments👇