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A founder-first directory of legal, financial, and professional services that actually understand startups — with a shared trust marker for the ecosystem.
What Founders Want is building a public directory of startup-ready service providers in New Zealand.
This directory exists for a simple reason:
founders spend too much time trying to work out who to trust when decisions are expensive, time-critical, and hard to reverse.
Too often, founders rely on:
- word-of-mouth
- outdated lists
- private networks
- or sales-led directories
This page exists to change that.
Why this directory exists
Early-stage founders face a specific set of constraints:
- limited time and capital
- one-off, high-stakes decisions
- little margin for clean-up later
- advisors who don’t always understand startup realities
New Zealand has excellent service providers — but the information founders need is often:
- scattered across firm websites
- buried in marketing copy
- inaccessible without insider access
- difficult to compare or validate
This directory creates a single, navigable source of truth, so founders can quickly answer:
“Who should I talk to — and when?”
What this directory is (and isn’t)
This is:
- A factual, founder-oriented directory
- Focused on when a founder should engage a provider
- Built for early-stage, bootstrapped, and VC-backed startups
- Public and open-access
This is not:
- A paid listing or sponsorship page
- A lead-generation marketplace
- A ranking or endorsement system
- A marketing showcase
Listings are neutral, practical, and designed to help founders make better decisions faster.
The WFW Directory Badge
Service providers accepted into the directory receive a WFW Directory Badge.
The badge is designed to act as a public, third-party trust marker across New Zealand’s startup ecosystem.
What the badge represents
The WFW badge signals that a provider has been:
- Reviewed for relevance to early-stage founders
- Assessed for startup-appropriate fit
- Included in a founder-first, neutral directory
- Listed based on usefulness, not payment or promotion
It is not a guarantee of outcomes or performance.
It is a signal of ecosystem alignment and startup relevance.
How the badge can be used
Accepted providers may:
- Share the badge on LinkedIn
- Display it on their website
- Reference their inclusion in the WFW directory
The purpose is to:
- Reduce trust friction for founders
- Create visible, shared ecosystem standards
- Make startup-ready providers easier to identify at a glance
WFW reserves the right to revoke badge use if a listing becomes outdated, misleading, or no longer aligned with founder needs.
Who this directory is for (founders)
This directory is used by:
- Early-stage startup founders
- Bootstrapped founders and owner-operators
- Students and future founders learning how the system works
- SMEs navigating capital, governance, or growth transitions
Founders use this directory when decisions matter — company setup, hiring, fundraising, governance, IP, scaling, or exit planning.
Who should submit (service providers)
We welcome submissions from service providers who:
- Regularly work with startups or early-stage companies
- Understand founder constraints (time, capital, uncertainty)
- Offer startup-appropriate engagement models
- Serve New Zealand–incorporated companies
Relevant categories include:
- Legal (startup, employment, IP, capital raising)
- Accounting & tax (including R&D tax credits)
- Corporate finance & M&A
- Banking, payments, and financial infrastructure
- IP, patents, and trademarks
- Fractional CFO / COO / HR services
- Startup-focused recruitment or people advisory
How inclusion works
- All submissions are reviewed
- Inclusion is not guaranteed
- Listings are factual and non-promotional
- WFW may edit submissions for clarity and consistency
- Listings may be removed if information becomes outdated or misleading
The priority is founder usefulness — not provider visibility.
Submit your service
If you believe your service would genuinely help New Zealand founders make better decisions faster, you can submit your details here:
Startup Service Provider Directory – Submission Form
About What Founders Want
What Founders Want is founder-first infrastructure for New Zealand’s startup ecosystem.
We build directories, templates, and resources that answer the questions founders actually search for — in one place, without sales bias or unnecessary noise.
If it reduces wasted time, lowers risk, or improves decision-making for founders, it belongs here.