From Orchard to SaaS: Navigating the Entrepreneurial Journey

Cameron Priest is the co-founder and former CEO of TradeGecko, an inventory and order management platform for e-commerce businesses that was acquired by Intuit in 2020 for around $100M. He’s now building AMP, a company that acquires, rolls up, and scales Shopify apps - and incubating new ventures at the intersection of AI and vertical SaaS.

In today's episode, we discuss:

* Cam’s journey from an NZ kiwifruit orchard to founding Trade Gecko, how they landed in Singapore.

* Scaling a B2B product, including specific growth tools, frameworks they used along the way - so much of which is still relevant today, and eventual $80M+ acquisition by Intuit.

* Building Amp and the strategy of acquiring "landing pad" businesses in the Shopify ecosystem, how - as acquirers - they assess, value, and execute an acquisition … including the use of debt, how to think about revenue multiples, etc.

* The vision for a platform allowing businesses to build customized niche software

* Reflections on ambition, the importance of a supportive ecosystem, and the potential for fostering innovation in New Zealand

Where to find Cam online:

* https://x.com/cameronpriest

* https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronpriest/

Listen on:

* Apple Podcasts

* Spotify

Subscribe for more expat stories every Friday!

Think of someone who would enjoy this episode? Hit share and send it to them- or send them our way!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.diaspora.nz