How I Made It ‘The napkin came across the table’: How software giant Xero was born
5 snips
Sep 28, 2025 
Rod Drury, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Xero, shares his inspiring journey from a high school computing enthusiast to leading a $28 billion tech company. He discusses the pivotal moment when a napkin deal sparked the creation of Xero, his early entrepreneurial ventures, and why he planned for Xero to be public from day one. Rod reflects on the challenges of entering new markets, why he stepped down as CEO, and his focus on impactful projects in his post-CEO life. His story is a blend of passion, strategy, and a bit of luck.
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High School Sparked His Career
- Rod Drury learned programming on an Apple II in high school which sparked his lifelong interest in computing.
- He credits a computer teacher and an accounting teacher for steering him towards accounting software decades later.
Prototype, Then Exit Funded The Next Bet
- Rod built a prototype accounting engine on Active Server Pages before focusing on Aftermail.
- He sold Aftermail to Quest Software and received a large check that funded his next venture.
Use Public Markets To Fund Scale
- Do consider listing publicly when you need large, steady capital to scale a subscription business.
- Public markets can provide repeated capital through placements to fund multi-year product builds.