TINWire Tech News Roundup: 23 March 21

Kia ora koutou.

What an exciting, nail-biting, and euphoric past few weeks it has been in Aotearoa – and I’m not just talking about the sailing. Granted, we’ve been privileged to enjoy a ringside view of the America’s Cup from TIN HQ – and had the privilege of hosting TIN Members for race watching, networking, and an address by BNZ Chief Economist, Paul Conway.

Paul shared his perspective on how COVID-19 has laid bare the social inequality that exists in New Zealand, as well as the vital need to consider the environmental impact of the commercial decisions we make as the team of five million, as we collectively work towards achieving sustainable development goals. It was a thought-provoking view, which was appreciated by event attendees.

The past few weeks have also ushered in some unprecedented M&A in the tech sector, with two of our most successful and highest growth TIN200 companies being sold offshore. TIN member, and geological 3D modelling company, Seequent (TIN no.49), has been bought by Nasdaq-listed Bentley Systems, while retail software firm Vend (TIN no.61) was acquired by NYSE-listed Lightspeed.

Both deals are compelling evidence of a sea-change in approaches to growth that’s been taking place globally over the past 12 months. The overseas interest in our successful tech firms looks set to continue, with the recent takeovers likely a sign of things to come – and I offer some further reflections on them in a new blog post which you can click through to here.

As a segue to this, Raising Capital and Capital Planning is the theme of our first TIN member-only CEO Chat of 2021 to be held over Zoom, next Tuesday, 30 March. We’re keen to hear from official TIN members on what strategies they’re putting in place to attract capital both locally and overseas, which will help inform our tech sector analysis in 2021. Do consider becoming a TIN member if you’d like to be a part of it!

Ngā mihi

Greg & the TIN Team