♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ The ecosystem
Everything a founder needs, one table.
Free to browse, always: monthly deadlines, funding and accelerator directories, co-founder matching, free co-working, pitch teardowns, super-connectors, events, mentors and playbooks. When you want it done rather than found, the engine room matches you.
♠ How it works
Reference layer is free. The engine room deals.
Anyone can use the ecosystem pages to find their own way. Growth Dealers earns when you ask us to make the match: founders to investors, VCs to deal flow, Brands to advisors and providers.
♠ Monthly hand
What’s open this month, with deadlines.
Grants, accelerators, pitch competitions and programmes open to NZ founders, sorted by closing date. Refreshed on the 1st. Save money, raise money, make money.
| Closes | Opportunity | Type | For | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling | Callaghan / NZTE R&D and growth support Co-funding, R&D tax incentive, capability vouchers | Non-dilutive | NZ companies with R&D spend | Site → |
| Rolling | Icehouse Ventures programmes Angel and early-stage investment, founder programmes | Equity | Pre-seed to Series A | Site → |
| Cohort dates vary | Startmate accelerator (ANZ) 12-week programme with upfront capital for equity | Equity | Pre-seed, ANZ | Site → |
| Cohort dates vary | Antler Australia Residency and investment for pre-team founders | Equity | Idea stage, ANZ | Site → |
| Rolling | Growth Dealers investor showcase Quarterly table where matched founders pitch our investor seats | Invitation | Investor-ready Brands | Apply → |
Starter entries. Deadlines and terms change; confirm on the programme’s own site before applying. The full monthly hand goes out by email on the 1st.
♥ Events
On the table next.
Conferences, summits, pitch nights, founder breakfasts and our own table, one calendar instead of six Luma links. Past events stay on the record with who sponsored and who spoke.
| When | Event | What it is | Where | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly · 1st Thu | Growth Dealers: The Table GD event | Founders, investors, advisors and providers in one room. Ten-minute pitches, open matching. | Princes Wharf, Auckland | Request a seat → |
Community events shown here are curated, not sponsored. Organisers can list free; sponsors sit at the top. Past events →
♦ Free co-working
Open Table Fridays.
One full day, every second Friday, building your own thing in a room full of other founders. Free. No pitches, no speakers, no equity, no application. Investors, lawyers and operators welcome as members of the room, not sponsors.
Princes Wharf. Up to 30 founders. Sponsored venue wanted for the CBD waterfront.
Venue partner wanted. Same format, same Fridays, so founders can drop into either city.
Next cities chosen by vote. Tell us where you’d turn up and who could host.
Vote for your city →Three ways to help: run a chapter (we provide the format and templates), co-host a session, or offer a venue for around 30 founders at no cost every second Friday.
♣ Find a co-founder
Every startup needs the right hand.
Some have one co-founder, some have four. Projects state what they’re building, their stage, the skills they’re missing and the time commitment they need; people state capabilities, interests and hours. Same questions both sides, so the gaps line up.
Pair Up: the Growth Dealers matching engine
Our own co-founder matching AI. Projects and people answer the same questions: what you’re building, stage, the skills missing, hours and equity appetite. The engine scores the gaps that line up and deals you a hand: a Pair for two co-founders, Three of a Kind for three, Four of a Kind for four or more. Matches are sealed in the room at Open Table Fridays and The Table events.
Dealt co-founder search
When a founder-led Brand needs a technical, commercial or finance co-founder fast, we run a targeted search through Pair Up, the Dealer network and our mentors, and introduce three candidates. Events do the rest: founders meet their match in the room, not the inbox.
Ask the dealer →Some startups have one co-founder, some have four. Pair Up matches on complementary skills, stage and commitment, then books the first meeting at a table event.
♠ Super-connectors
The people who share the opportunities first.
Funding deadlines and programmes rarely sit in one place; they surface in people’s public posts. Super-connectors are the operators, investors, community builders and media who share them publicly. Listed alphabetically, unranked, no paid spots. Nominations open.
What each listing shows
Sector · who it’s for (Māori, women, students where relevant) · what a founder can get (VC, angel, crowdfunding, programmes & hubs, community, media, coaching, international) · location · LinkedIn.
How people get on the list
Visible public contribution, not job title or seniority. Reviewed in rounds from nominations plus our own research. Not an endorsement list.
Connectors who deal
Any super-connector can also hold a Q♥ seat. Then we don’t just follow their posts; we route matched Brands to them.
How seats work →♥ Mentors, accelerators & venture studios
Who accelerates the people coming to the table.
Incubators, hubs, venture studios and mentor networks across NZ, with who they’re for, what they offer and what it costs.
| Organisation | Type | For | What you get | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth Dealers mentor bench | Mentors | Matched Brands | Operators, CFOs, exited founders and investors from the Dealer network, assigned per brief | Via engine room |
| Icehouse | Programmes · hub | Founders & owner-managers | Growth programmes, founder community, investment pathway | Mixed |
| GridAKL (Auckland Unlimited) | Hub · co-working | Auckland founders | Innovation precinct, events, community | Membership |
| Creative HQ | Accelerator · venture studio | Wellington & NZ-wide | Accelerators, corporate innovation, GovTech | Mixed |
| Ministry of Awesome | Hub · incubator | Christchurch founders | Founder Catalyst, community, investor connections | Free / mixed |
| Venture studios | Studio | Idea-stage | Co-build model: studio supplies team and capital for equity | Equity |
Starter entries from public sources; to be verified with each organisation before go-live.
♦ Funding directory
Who writes cheques for NZ founders.
Angel networks, NZ and Australian VCs, family offices, equity crowdfunding, revenue-based finance and venture debt, by stage and focus, with success fees flagged. Browse free; ask the dealer for the introduction.
| Capital type | Examples | Stage | Fees to founder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angel networks (NZ) | Icehouse Ventures, Angel HQ, Enterprise Angels, Flying Kiwi Angels, MIG Angels, Mainland Angels, Angel Investors Marlborough (AANZ members) | Pre-seed · seed | Some charge success fees |
| Venture capital (NZ) | Movac, Blackbird NZ, GD1, Nuance Connected Capital, Hillfarrance, Punakaiki, Altered, Matū, Motion, Pacific Channel, Maker Capital | Seed · Series A/B | None |
| Venture capital (AU, invests in NZ) | Blackbird, Square Peg, AirTree, Folklore | Seed · growth | None |
| Family offices | Private; introduced via the A♦ seat | Growth · co-invest | None |
| Equity crowdfunding & secondaries | Snowball Effect, PledgeMe, Catalist | Seed · growth | Platform fees |
| Venture debt & revenue-based | Bank growth facilities, RBF providers | Post-revenue | Interest / revenue share |
Representative names only, from public sources; the directory grows as investors take an A♦ seat (free for solo HNW and exited founders, tiered for angels, VCs, PE and family offices; success fee 1–10% agreed per deal). Nothing here is financial advice.
♣ Accelerators
Cash, equity, sector: compared.
Fixed-term programmes of 8 to 16 weeks realistically open to NZ founders wherever they’re headquartered. Some put cash in for equity; most don’t.
| Programme | HQ | Cash in | Equity | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Startmate | AU | Yes | Yes | Generalist |
| Antler | AU | Yes | Yes | Generalist, pre-team |
| Sprout | NZ | Yes | Yes | AgTech / FoodTech |
| Creative HQ accelerators | NZ | Varies | Varies | GovTech, climate, generalist |
| Tupu / Kōkiri | NZ | No | No | Māori founders |
| Founder Institute | ANZ virtual | No | Warrant | Generalist |
Terms change by cohort; confirm current cash and equity on each programme’s site. Growth Dealers can prep your application and investor materials through the engine room.
♠ Government & grants
Non-dilutive money, step by step.
R&D tax incentive, co-funding, capability vouchers, export support and immigration pathways. The money nobody has to give equity for, and the paperwork most founders get wrong.
R&D Tax Incentive
15% credit on eligible R&D spend. Eligibility, record-keeping and the in-year payment option explained by a CFO who has claimed it.
IRD →NZTE & regional business partners
Capability vouchers, export coaching, international market support and the regional adviser network.
NZTE →Done-for-you applications
Our Q♥ finance dealers (XLCFO and peers) prepare RDTI claims, grant applications and investor-ready financials.
Ask the dealer →♥ Pitch teardowns
See exactly how an investor reads your deck.
An investor from our A♦ seats reads a cold pitch section by section: the email, the problem, the market, the team, the ask. What earns a meeting, what gets a pass, and why. Not pitch coaching; the real read.
Yes to a meeting
Anonymised pitch, investor verdict and the three lines that earned the meeting.
Maybe, if the data is real
Where unsourced numbers cost the founder the room.
No
Market built from a giant industry figure, no answer on who pays.
Pitches are anonymised and published with the founder’s consent. Verdicts are one investor’s view, not a rulebook.
♦ Service providers
Build. Protect. Grow.
Lawyers, accountants, fractional executives, recruiters, IP and immigration specialists, product teams, PR and banks that understand startups, grouped by what you need right now.
Venture studios · product · fractional execs · recruiting · immigration
Who helps you make the thing and hire the people.
Browse →Accounting & tax · legal & M&A · IP · insurance · cyber
Who keeps you compliant, funded and defensible.
Browse →Every provider listing shows founder types served, when to engage, engagement model, price range and reach. Sponsors sit at the top of the deck; nobody else pays for position.
♣ Perks & credits
What you can get free or cheap right now.
Cloud credits, AI compute, developer tools, productivity, analytics, CRM, banking and fundraising platforms, with NZ eligibility and whether you need venture backing to unlock the top tier.
| Category | Typical offers | Gate |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud infrastructure | AWS Activate, Google for Startups Cloud, Microsoft for Startups | Top tiers need VC, accelerator or partner referral |
| AI & compute | Model provider credits, GPU programmes | Company email and NZBN; some paused or indicative |
| Banking & fundraising | Startup bank accounts that unlock perk bundles, cap-table tools | New-customer only; one offer per company |
| Sales, CRM & productivity | CRM, support, collaboration and analytics discounts | Stage or funding caps; credits expire |
| Growth Dealers sponsor perks | Offers from J♣ sponsors, exclusive to seat-holders and matched Brands | Via the table |
The headline figure is rarely what you receive; credits expire and some can’t be stacked. Confirm each offer on the provider’s site.
♠ Templates
Free legal & financial templates.
Company setup, hiring, capital raising and governance documents, with NZ-specific versions distinguished from global templates that need local review.
Company & founders
Constitution, founder agreement, IP assignment, contractor agreement.
ComingRaising
SAFE / convertible note, term sheet checklist, cap table model, data-room index.
ComingBoard & investors
Board pack, monthly investor update, shareholders’ agreement checklist.
ComingSeven documents a NZ round closes on
Term Sheet, Subscription Agreement, Subscription Joinder, Shareholders’ Agreement, Constitutions (ordinary and Series seed preference) and the FMCA Safe Harbour Certificate, each with a dealer’s note on when it comes out and how it fits the others. Drafted to current NZ market practice, so investors and their lawyers recognise every clause. Plus current deal data: NZGCP Young Company Finance Report (Autumn 2026) and the Catalist Angel Market Report.
Open the pack in the members’ deck →Templates are general information, not legal advice. Have a Q♥ legal dealer review before you sign anything.
♥ Playbooks
Execution, not theory.
Tactical guides written by dealers who’ve done it, refreshed monthly. Funding, operator and trailblazer tracks.
How to run a seed round in NZ · What VCs want · Founder’s guide to VC · From science to seed
ComingUnlock government support · Launch and fund a consumer brand · Get a startup off the ground · Selling SaaS overseas
ComingStartup legal · Governance · Insurance · DIY RDTI · The CFO’s first 90 days
Coming♦ Case studies
Hands we’ve played.
What worked, what failed and what it cost: global scalers, consumer brands and the deals Growth Dealers closed.
NZ to the world
Timing, capital, distribution and the personal cost of scaling offshore.
ComingFrom kitchen table to shelf
How NZ consumer brands start, fund and grow, with the numbers.
ComingThe first full house
Founder, advisor, provider and investor matched through the table. Published when the deal closes.
Coming♣ Ecosystem partners
We don’t rebuild what already works.
Independent, founder-first resources we point to and would like to work with. Growth Dealers adds the engine room: matching, introductions and closing.
Founder reference sites
Free NZ founder directories, monthly deadline newsletters and expert guides already exist. We cite them in the engine room rather than sending you off-site.
Community co-working
Independent fortnightly build days run in Auckland and other cities. Open Table Fridays is our own version, timed so founders can do both.
Partnership desk
Hubs, accelerators, universities and community groups that want a seat at the table: cross-list events, co-host Open Table Fridays, share deal flow.
Partner with us →No outbound links on this page by design: every reference is served inside the Growth Dealers ecosystem, with the source named when you ask the dealer.