Banqer Takes Webstock BNZ Start-up Alley 2015

Banqer Press Release 22/02/2015

Banqer Takes Webstock BNZ Start-up Alley 2015

Banqer has won a coveted NZ start-up award, taking out Webstock BNZ Start-up Alley 2015.

Up against FactorFree, Moxiee, Rave Build, Syngency and Trailblazer, Banqer was picked as one of six finalists to take part in the well known and respected web-tech based start up competition.

Held as part of the annual Webstock conference (a playground for all those who love the web), BNZ Start-up Alley offers a lucrative winners package including $20,000 in cash (que the oversized cheque), a return trip for two to the USA to further the business, as well as programme places at both the Kiwi Landing Pad (which has seen many a kiwi success story pass through its halls) and the well known incubator, Icehouse.

Finalists were invited to present their business to a panel of judges including Lance Wiggs, founder of Punakaiki Fund, Derek Sivers, founder of CD baby, Anna Guenther, co-founder and CEO of Pledgeme and Harry Ferreira, Head of Small Business at BNZ. Asked to pitch their business models to this overly experienced, dauntingly talented bunch, Banqer, like the rest, put together a pitch and took to the stage at the St James Theatre on Thursday (February 19th) evening.

Co-founder Kendall Flutey, made the stage her own as she worked through the slides, pitching Banqer to not only the impressive judging table, but a room full of Webstock onlookers. Post pitch judges were able to ask questions digging deeper into the Banqer model, at which time Banqer’s David Glover joined Kendall, helping to navigate the round of questions that followed. Both Kendall and David satisfied the judges questions and even shared a laugh about some of the judges’ dubious behaviour when given access to their very own judges Banqer account. Lance commenting “I set up a very deserved automatic payment of $100,000, only to have Anna come in and delete it!"

Kendall said that she found the experience “a privilege to be a part of”, and that she was “ecstatic” with the win. Continuing “We’re really proud of our cause and our social underpinnings. It’s a pleasure to do business like we do and fantastic to have others fully supporting this."

Where to from here you may ask, Kendall suggests that the next move for Banqer is to solidify the domestic growth they’ve experienced since launch day three weeks ago, before looking toward an international expansion. All of which will now be a lot easier thanks to the financial boost, and specialist support provided by BNZ’s Start-up Alley.

Lastly, as the only female founder presenting at Start-up Alley, she would love to encourage more women to build and follow your own path, “if you can’t find the perfect job, create it”. “Women have so much to bring to the world of startups.

The conversation about correcting the currently skewed statistics has well and truly begun, but we still have a lot to do in this space. I consider it part of my quest as a female founder to leave these stats in a better shape than how I found them."

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