Hi guys, Sam here.
Since 2016, I've spent 8 years in the startup industry, building over 20+ products.
Some of them have successfully raised capital, and others have even received M&A offers—it's been a crazy ride.
During these 8 years, I noticed something: I always loved talking to founders and offering help when needed, especially to first-time startup founders.
In 2022, I casually started meeting with founders worldwide who were struggling to start their startups at different stages, all through Zoom calls.
From 9 am until 10 pm, I’d catch up with founders online, listening to their ideas, and working with them to take those ideas to the next level. I realized this was something I could do for the rest of my life.
It was so exciting to hear new ideas and see firsthand how creative and crazy people can get—like vegetables that taste like meat.
Growing up in New Zealand and being involved in the NZ startup industry for over 8 years, I've noticed there's been no real progress in helping startup founders here.
NZ investors and industry leaders always talk about how NZ has huge potential for founders to go global on LinkedIn, but I always thought, really?
All we have in NZ are fireside chats to get people motivated lol.
But everyone knows that motivation doesn’t mean shit unless you actually start.
This really pissed me off—a country that dreams big but hasn’t seen any real improvement from 2017 to 2024.
After being accepted into and graduating from a 6-week program in San Francisco, backed by YC and a16z, I knew I needed to create my own version of this for startup founders.
In 2024, I’m stoked to be launching Zerobase Season 2—the go-to place for first-time startup founders.
Here are some interesting facts about Zerobase:
In 2023, during Season One, we helped 30 founders across five countries.
In 2024, for Season Two, currently we have quadrupled last years applications.
Students who applied come from over 7 countries (Australia, the United States, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines, and more).
During the six weeks, students are required to attend live weekly lectures, submit assignments every week, and in the final week, they’ll present their ideas at Demo Day in front of investors, giving them real-life experience in pitching and a chance to raise their first pre-seed/seed capital.
We are on a mission to build the world’s biggest startup school for first-time founders, where we teach a bunch of cool and useful shit. So even after they graduate from Zerobase, they know exactly what steps to take for their next exciting ventures.
This is our dream—giving back to the startup community.
Sam