In Founder Focus we introduce entrepreneurs and change-makers working on innovative startups, social enterprises and SME’s around Aotearoa New Zealand.


At a glance

Founders: Nar Singh and Braedyn Mackay

Business: Orderlink

Founded: 2023

HQ: Auckland


Can you tell us a bit about your business?

At Orderlink we have developed a software platform that is designed to automate inbound supply chain management for medium-large enterprises. Born out of our first hand experience in the industry, we noticed a significant gap in visibility buyers had over their incoming orders. Many companies are still managing complex supply chains via emails, PDFs, and spreadsheets. These outdated methods are prone to inaccuracies and are highly labour intensive.

At Orderlink, we’ve developed an all-in-one solution that streamlines purchase order management, enhances stakeholder communication, automates invoice processing, and eliminates all manual interventions. Our initial customer base are manufacturing companies who purchase a high number of raw materials from suppliers. While we see our solution as viable to many other customer types we believe this group suffers from the problem the most.

Our mission is to digitize New Zealand’s supply chain while making it a pleasant experience for stakeholders. Global trade is one of the oldest industries in the world. Due to this, the industry still operates with a high degree of old-fashioned processes making the overall experience frustrating. As founders who are passionate about the industry we want to make the global trade experience pleasant and simple for those involved. We believe we can achieve that with our innovative technology.

What’s the backstory for your business idea?

Nar and I (Braedyn) met at a large manufacturing company, collaborating closely in the supply chain and logistics team. With ten years of industry experience, Nar encountered the problem that Orderlink addresses early in his career. Fresh from university, I faced the same challenge, almost a decade after Nar did, igniting our shared determination to find a solution.

One weekend, we committed to researching existing solutions in the market that we may not have been aware of. We soon discovered that no existing viable solutions were available. Nar had spent the last 24 months learning to code in his free time. With Nar’s technical skills and our combined industry experience, we believed we were the right people to take on the challenge and haven’t looked back since.

What programmes, learning or mentoring, or resources have been of assistance so far?

  • Callaghan Innovation supported us with their Arohia evidence grant, this funding helped us to create a proof of concept and a demonstrable product for our early customers.
  • Business Mentors NZ connected us with an experienced mentor and business owner who was great at telling us when we were misguided and discussed different strategies for our company.
  • YCombinator videos and blogs we found had great contrarian advice for how to succeed as an early-stage technology startup.

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