Free, verified startup directories and guides for New Zealand founders.
Grants, accelerators, investors, legal templates, and startup perks. Nobody pays to be listed, and nothing here is promotion.
New Zealand has thousands of startups and no single place that tells you, without an agenda, which accelerator takes what equity, which government grants you actually qualify for, or which lawyer has done this before. Founders lose months and real money to that gap. What Founders Want closes it: verified directories and guides written by people who have done the thing.
Start with what you’re working on
Click a category to see what’s on offer:
Deadlines & Events
Government & Grants
Deep Tech
Getting Started
Legal & Governance
Consumer Brands
Funding
Accelerators & Providers
Selling Overseas
Expert Editions
A dozen guides and counting. NZ’s experts answer the questions founders can’t Google.
A new edition every month. Read all 12 here.
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Changed Recently
- 18 Sep - HackAotearoa Wellington opens. Free co-working day, every second Friday. Auckland is up and running. CHCH and Queenstown are next.
- 1 Sep - WFW Monthly, September. Every grant, programme and deadline open to you right now.
- Aug- How to Run a Seed Round in New Zealand. Every step of a raise, 12 months out to money in the bank, by Michael Batko, who wrote 228 first cheques at Startmate and doesn't think you need a deck.
- Aug- Startup Funding in New Zealand. All of the NZ VCs and angel networks, Aussies investing in Kiwi startups, and which debt lenders won’t look at you under $10M.
- Aug - The DIY RDTI, with Cormac Denton. Claim the R&D credit yourself instead of paying a consultant.
- Aug - Government Support Directory reverified. 27 programmes rechecked after the Callaghan changes.
In Person
Free co-working days. Auckland running, Wellington from 18 September. Eyes open for Queenstown and CHCH. Vote for the next city.
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Where's Serge? Operating Partner at Movac and one of NZ’s most active angel investors runs thirteen NZ startup events between now and December, with registration links.
What Founders Want Directories
Free, verified directories covering funding, government support, accelerators, and everything else NZ founders need. Nobody pays to be listed.
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WFW MonthlyExpert EditionsWhat Founders Want DirectoriesVC Teardowns | How NZ VCs Evaluate StartupsKiwi Startup Case StudiesNZ Startup Super-Connectors
Where's Serge?
What Founders Want × HackAotearoa About What Founders Want
What Founders Want builds founder-first infrastructure for New Zealand's startup ecosystem.
We create directories, templates, and resources that answer the questions founders actually search for.
If something reduces wasted time, lowers risk, or improves decision-making for founders, it belongs here.
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