With an intrinsic love for backing those who are brave; 15 years of in-the-trenches go-to-market experience and a deep love for catalysing the right people and resources to achieve ambitious growth agendas, meet Doug…  

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Why venture capital? 

“Companies and founders must have a belief to raise VC funding; the belief they will build something great - it’s the people within those businesses that I enjoy surrounding myself with. Venture capital attracts brave, daring and determined people - being around startups and helping them is what makes me excited about being in VC…”

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More importantly, why GD1?

“GD1’s challenge to startups is to ‘Believe Bigger’. They believe that getting a foothold globally is an ambition New Zealand companies should be executing on early in their journey. GD1 doesn’t just say it, they provide companies access to real resources to give them a competitive edge in making that belief a reality. I’m thrilled to be part of the GD1 team executing on that vision.”

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What do you do at GD1, 9-5?

“My day is a success when I make a meaningful impact to healthy and sustainable revenue growth at GD1 portfolio companies. This means helping founders and portfolio companies make better decisions by providing best-in-class support. With 15 years of experience working in sales, marketing, and customer success, I think of myself as a consultant who provides in-the-trenches, functional Go-To-Market support. It’s my job to embed in the operational side of their business as ‘one of them’; earn their trust and help consult in both the design and being part of the executing team when it makes sense.”

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What makes a good Go-To-Market Principal? 

“In a word - curiosity. I challenge myself everyday not to act on assumptions, but listen carefully to understand context. What are the market dynamics? What are the learnings from the portfolio company team who are in the business everyday? If I combine insight from that curiosity with my experience, I have an opportunity to help portfolio companies and founders on their journey.”

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What’s your superpower?

“In my experience,  when you work with people in a respectful way; and have the right people around the table working together towards a common, aligned goal, you get a high-quality output. My superpower is knowing who we need at that table; and making sure we get those people together to create a cohesive, productive environment to optimise outcomes.”  

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What gets you up in the morning?

“Views (I do love Queenstown…). More seriously, I love working during the very early hours of the morning. My first cup of coffee and the stillness allows me to be super productive, with a clear head, before my kids get up.”

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If you won the lotto, what would you do? 

“I love what I do and wouldn’t change much. I would continue to travel; and would continue to do my best to support and uplift the global startup community.”

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What would you say to someone wanting a career in venture capital? ‍

“This really is a great place to get an accelerated view. Things happen fast in VC; and it’s a great place to get exposure. Importantly, it will challenge you to see things from a different perspective - from operating a company; through to investing in one. I love it; and it’s a great place to be…” 

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Reach out via LinkedIn - Doug Bohaboy