NZ entrepreneur helps Kiwis break into US market

  • Breaking
  • 22/02/2015

One of New Zealand's most successful tech entrepreneurs says local companies aren't doing all they can to win business in the United States.

Claudia Batten co-founded and sold two start-ups in Silicon Valley. Now she is trying to help others crack the US market.

Ms Batten knows a thing or two about starting a successful company. She's done it more than once. She says if you are doing it for the money you've got it all wrong.

"Any drive you have towards money making you happy is just a really bad path for you to get on," says Ms Batten.

But if you love what you are doing you are on the right path, something she calls the "squiggly line".

"That's where people like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk have achieved such extraordinary outcomes, because they are following their passion."

Ms Batten is now the North American regional director for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and has joined the board of local software company Vend.

She says New Zealand produces world-class products, but marketing those products is where some companies are running into trouble.

"We are missing the mark in terms of how we talk about our products, how we talk about our services, how we talk about ourselves and how we utilise our networks to really broaden the awareness of our companies."

Ms Batten is not suggesting New Zealanders imitate the Americans or anyone else.

"The beautiful thing is the Kiwis are super authentic and it is a magnificent quality and it is really trending now; social media has certainly put authenticity front and centre."

She is often back in New Zealand and is supporting efforts to encourage more girls and boys to think of tech as a career.

"Coding is actually a super creative thing. You are basically problem-solving all day long."

Ms Batten would also like to see more parents realise the opportunities that are out there for their children in the tech world.

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source: newshub archive