What’s at stake: EcoPortal has expanded its health and safety risk management software platform into the UK while bootstrapping the business rather than taking on external investment.
Background: The company, started by a bunch of Auckland University students, pivoted from environmental risk to health and safety after legislative changes in 2016. Manuel Seidel and his wife Helene Seidel-Sterzik later bought out the other founders to avoid venture capital investment.
Key players: EcoPortal, Manuel Seidel, Helene Seidel-Sterzik, University of Auckland.
EcoPortal CEO Manuel Siedel says he and his COO wife Helene Seidel-Sterzik have become “masters in cash flow management”.
"Being a bootstrapped company, we’ve had to do that, and the fact we get an annual upfront payment from customers means we can invest ahead of the curve,” Seidel
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Key points
What’s at stake: EcoPortal has expanded its health and safety risk management software platform into the UK while bootstrapping the business rather than taking on external investment.
Background: The company, started by a bunch of Auckland University students, pivoted from environmental risk to health and safety after legislative changes in 2016. Manuel Seidel and his wife Helene Seidel-Sterzik later bought out the other founders to avoid venture capital investment.
Key players: EcoPortal, Manuel Seidel, Helene Seidel-Sterzik, University of Auckland.