founder Hamish McKenzie on NZ business ambition, the future of media and how a kid from Alexandra made it in Silicon Valley
Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie reflects on his journey from New Zealand to Silicon Valley and his views on the future of media. The article highlights his transition from a journalist to a tech entrepreneur and his ongoing connection to his home country.
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From a childhood in Central Otago to the heights of Silicon Valley, Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie reflects on New Zealand’s untapped potential and a ‘secret advantage’, the future of media, and the devastating death of his 14-year-old brother.
Hamish McKenzie arrives at lunch fully armed. He is laden with a couple of whiskey bottles in wooden boxes – leading me to think this could be a long, convivial session, despite the restaurant’s strict non-BYO policy, and despite McKenzie hopping on a long-haul flight in a few hours. I pose what might seem a rhetorical question: “Shall we have a drink?”
Alas, the whiskey stays fully boxed for lunch – they have come from Auckland-based start-up firm Reactory – but he is most assuredly up for a tipple. “I’ll do a martini.”
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