In Founder Focus we introduce entrepreneurs and innovators working on our next generation of new business startups, social enterprises and small businesses.
At a glance
Founders: Andrew Chambers, Ben Goldsmith, Chris Stevens & Stephane Mathieu
Business: Tella
Founded: March 2021
HQ: Auckland
Can you tell us a bit about your business?
We remove the pain of getting a home loan. Apply online, anywhere, anytime and let Tella manage the bank. Tella is an Auckland based FinTech with its own developer team working to change the way we get and manage home loans. Tella is on a mission to make the customer experience informative, transparent and painless and ensure that whoever you are, wherever you live and whatever your needs, you’re getting great advice.
What’s the backstory for your business idea?
Andrew came up with the concept in 2016, however it wasn’t until 2020 and the first Covid lockdown that he realised the real need for better financial technology in New Zealand. With a lack of comprehensive online application processes, client side tools to assess loan products options, document management, and communications, we decided the time was right to build our own technology for the job.
We launched our beta “business to consumer” webapp in July 2022 and have since received a lot of favourable attention from both consumers and the industry. Having ticked the proof of concept box, we’ve invested heavily in building both our tech and sales teams and look forward to rolling out some amazing technology and better home loan experiences in the years ahead.
What programmes, learning or mentoring have been of assistance so far?
- We’re very fortunate with the experience we have within our ownership and management team. Stephane is a successful entrepreneur having built and scaled a number of FinTech businesses in the past including Boursorama, one of the earliest online share information and trading sites in Europe.
- Andrew calls heavily on his experience in banking and education through programmes such as the Pacific Coast Banking School in Seattle, USA. He’s a big fan of Barry Posner’s Leadership Challenge principles.
- Ben has a career in retail travel and banking and brings customer centricity to the table every day. As a business we seek partners and investors where relationships and outcomes are mutually beneficial.
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