Media Insider The Kiwi who founded Facebook Marketplace and his powerful message for NZ business
Aug 6, 2025
Bowen Pan, a Kiwi tech entrepreneur who founded Facebook Marketplace, discusses his return to New Zealand after a 13-year hiatus. He shares insights on the evolving tech landscape and offers a call to action for local founders to attract talent. Bowen highlights the importance of data and digital transformation at NZME, emphasizing a user-focused approach. He reflects on his time at Facebook, the rapid pace of tech disruption, and the potential for AI in media. With an eye on the future, he encourages leveraging New Zealand's unique tech opportunities.
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NZ Tech Funding Has Caught Up
- New Zealand's startup scene transformed from sparse to well-funded, especially at Seed to Series A stages.
- Bowen credits the government Elevate Fund and a growing VC ecosystem for bootstrapping local capital.
Ecosystem Flywheel Is Underway
- Multiple generations of startups and founders are creating a flywheel that accelerates new company formation and capability.
- Alumni from Rocket Lab, university incubators and other startups now spawn more world-class ventures.
Build From What Users Already Do
- Do study actual user behaviour rather than imposing top-down strategies when exploring new product opportunities.
- Solve the real motivations behind actions to crystallize product-market fit and drive adoption.
