The TradeMe Origin Story: How Rowan Simpson Turned a $10k Investment into a $750 Million Exit

Audio

Description

In this episode, we sit down with one of New Zealand’s most quietly influential tech investors and founders: Rowan Simpson.As employee #3 at TradeMe and an early investor in Xero, Rowan helped build two of NZ’s biggest startup success stories. But his story goes far deeper than money. He shares how he went from near-bankruptcy to the $750M TradeMe exit, his role in backing Kiwi founders, his philosophies on parenting, time, failure, AI—and why ‘business is like a rollercoaster’ metaphor is bullshit.🧠 Topics include:– The TradeMe origin story (and the nightmare before the sale)– Why “fail fast” is bad advice– Lessons from Xero, Vend, and a year of world travel– How to pitch to investors (and how not to)– Saying no, picking your 3 things, and building a life of purpose– Sport, family, AI, and the future of New Zealand tech📍 Watch, listen, and subscribe on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.This episode is brought to you by the TAB. Got a hunch? Download the new app today and get your bet on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcription

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.

0 upvotes

🗳️ Sign in to Upvote

Popular episodes get transcribed faster

Between Two Beers Podcast

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other episodes from Between Two Beers Podcast

Surprise… Seamus Had a Baby! Why He’s Kept It a Secret

Reflecting on 2025 & Looking Ahead to 2026: Did Seamus Hit His Goals?

Sign in to Audioscrape

Share this moment