Stirring The Pot

Author: HERA

Created by metal minds for metal minds join us for practical conversations that get to the nuts and bolts of the metals industry here in New Zealand. Connect with leaders & experts from across the globe who talk overcoming key industry challenges, and influencers who cast their eyes to the future. Perfect if youre time poor but want to keep your finger on the pulse. Prepare to be challenged, informed & inspired!
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What investors actually look for in startups?
Episode 134
Wednesday, 30 September, 2026

Getting a great idea out of the lab and into industrial-scale production takes more than good science. It takes capital, the right facility, and someone who's done it before.In this episode, Matt Rowe, Co-Founder, Executive Director, Outset Ventures walks through what it actually takes to scale a hard science or engineering company in New Zealand. He shares lessons from a decade as an early employee at a Kiwi-founded biotech that scaled to giant industrial facilities around the world, from co-founding several deep tech ventures in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), and from backing a world-first green steelmaking technology now heading to industrial trials at a New Zealand steelworks.He covers why property and infrastructure matter so much in a startup's early days, how venture funding works differently for industrialists than for software founders, the "test tube to tank to tanker" journey most deep tech companies face, and what he tells engineers and scientists who think they've found a breakthrough but haven't yet talked to a customer.If you liked what you heard today, you may be interested to come and see HERA's new Innovation Center at HERA House in Manukau. Built to give manufacturers, constructors, researchers and startups the space to develop, test and demonstrate what they're working on.Find Mat Rowe - https://outset.ventures/mat-roweResources and linksConnect with HERA team - https://hera.org.nz/about-us/our-people/hera-team/Learn more about HERA's Industry 4.0 rangahau: https://hera.org.nz/research/industry-x-0/Subscribe to our podcast: https://www.hera.org.nz/podcasts/For live updates, follow us on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/hera-innovationinmetals/📬 Got questions or feedback? Reach us at info@hera.org.nz