1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,120 Speaker 1: Government's going to be thrilled tonight. We've got some investment 2 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: heavyweights in the country at the moment. The Far Out 3 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,280 Speaker 1: Convoy brings together leading founders and international investors for a 4 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: road trip from Auckland to Queenstown. So what are they seeing? 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: What are the opportunities? Are we any sort of magnet 6 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: for money these days? Venture capitalist and co founder of 7 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: Shasta Benches, Rob Cody Bear is with us. Rob morning to. 8 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:20,280 Speaker 2: You, Hey, good morning. How are you. 9 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: I'm extremely well, You're an expert. I'm not. My sense 10 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:25,440 Speaker 1: of it in the world at the moment is if 11 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 1: you've got a good idea, there's bucket loads of money 12 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: out there for it. Is that fair or not? 13 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 2: No, I think that's exactly what it is. It's the 14 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 2: ideas and the talent. And right now we are on 15 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 2: the rooftop of the car park next to Sky Stadium 16 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 2: in Wellington. We have about seventy people together, about close 17 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:45,480 Speaker 2: to half of those are from Silicon Valley and other 18 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 2: tech networks outside of New Zealand, and we're waiting to 19 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 2: board the Inner Islander and head to the South Island 20 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 2: for the second set of legs of our convoy. 21 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: Do you know anything about the inter Islander Rob. 22 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 2: Well, maybe we're not going to talk about that. It 23 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 2: looks like the Kaitaki's in the harbor right now, and 24 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 2: it looks like a day without a lot of swells, 25 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 2: So I'm optimistic things will go well. 26 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: Good. The people you're with, did I know a lot 27 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: about New Zealand or not? 28 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 2: Well, about half the people do. Because we have some 29 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 2: of the leading entrepreneurs and investors and people in New Zealand, 30 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 2: and then we have about thirty five people that have 31 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 2: come from outside of New Zealand that are interested in 32 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 2: New Zealand, many of which haven't been in New Zealand, 33 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 2: but they're spending in the time in the cars each day. 34 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 2: There's no better way to get to know people better 35 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:34,559 Speaker 2: than being in a car with them for about four 36 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 2: hours as you drive around New Zealand and go on 37 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 2: four by four tracks. 38 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:40,320 Speaker 1: Are they all sick to specific in other words of 39 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: take or spice or whatever. It's just a whole lot 40 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: of them. 41 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 2: Well, most of them are from tech, but we also 42 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 2: have somebody along. His nickname is ACP. He was in 43 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 2: the first expedition to drive a wheeled vehicle to both 44 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 2: the North and the South poles. He just finished at 45 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 2: the South Pole, joined us in Wellington last night. And 46 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 2: at the same time, most of the people are from 47 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 2: the tech industry, a bunch of tech veterans, people that 48 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 2: run venture funds and have founded multi billion dollar companies 49 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 2: in the States. 50 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 1: What's the connection between driving somewhere and going, my word, 51 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: the west coast of the South Island's a beautiful part 52 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: of the world, and then reaching in your pocket and 53 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: handing out a few million dollars for some idea. 54 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 2: Well, there's a piece in between, which is the talent. 55 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 2: It's the people that build these businesses. And New Zealand, 56 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 2: believe it or not, has done a great job of 57 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:35,920 Speaker 2: attracting foreign talent. You see it with rocket Lab, you 58 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 2: see it with Zero, you see it with a series 59 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,399 Speaker 2: of things. The opportunity at this point is to bring 60 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 2: in people that help build businesses, to work side by 61 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,799 Speaker 2: side with Kiwis. There's a huge spillover effect and what 62 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,679 Speaker 2: we're finding is already after the first two days of 63 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 2: the convoys, some really deep bonds are being built. And 64 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 2: I think when we get to the mainland and we 65 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 2: get to the really remote places and we have car 66 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 2: loads of people, hopefully some mat happen. 67 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 1: You're bullish on this country in general. 68 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,079 Speaker 2: Of course, of course there's a lot of opportunity. And 69 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 2: if you go back to Sir Paul Callahan and the 70 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 2: speech that he gave in the past, he said, the 71 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 2: country has done a great job with timber and agriculture 72 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:17,959 Speaker 2: and real estate, but the way to move forward is 73 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 2: high tech. And at that time Zero and rocket Lab 74 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 2: hadn't emerged. But now that those have e merged, people 75 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 2: on the world stage in text see that you can 76 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 2: build great startups here and that's how you grow the 77 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 2: GDP for capita, and how you build the wealth of 78 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 2: the country so that we don't need to worry about 79 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 2: whether we can pay nurses and doctors what they're worth, 80 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 2: pay for education, pay for healthcare. If we grow the 81 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 2: wealth of the country and we grow the economy to 82 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 2: the benefit of all. 83 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: Well, save and have a good trip. Appreciate at Rob 84 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: County back got founder of Shasta Benches in the country 85 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: at the moment. 86 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Hosking Breakfast, listen live to 87 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 88 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.