New Zealand's startup scene is characterised by active angel investors but companies tend to look outside the country when they reach expansion stage, Banga explained.

New Zealand has a vibrant startup sector, particularly considering the country’s size, but local corporates have been slow to take advantage, Franceska Banga, chief executive of New Zealand state-backed fund manager New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF), told Global Corporate Venturing.

Despite its four million-strong population, New Zealand-based startup companies managed to pull in NZ$50m ($38.3m) of funding over the past year. NZVIF, which was incorporated in 2002,provides funding for local startups through a NZ$160m ($122m) venture capital fund of…