Operational experience is our strength.
The diversity and operational experience of the Movac team is our key strength – our ages, backgrounds, skills, styles and perspectives vary considerably. We each have hands-on experience of establishing successful businesses in New Zealand.
Our executive team.
Our executive team are responsible for evaluating the businesses we invest in, negotiating terms and then managing our on-going involvement. Our executive team comprises:
Phil McCaw
Phil is the Managing Partner of MOVAC and a cornerstone investor in all the MOVAC Funds. He was a founding partner of MOVAC, and one of the first investors in Trade Me. He has at times been director, chairman and chief executive of different MOVAC-backed ventures, and is currently Chair of Kaynemaile, ReelClever and Minimonos and a director of Mesynthes and Crema Capital. Phil is also the current Chair of the Angel Association New Zealand. Prior to MOVAC, he served a 10 year apprenticeship with Deloitte Consulting in New Zealand and the United States. He was awarded a Senior Scholarship from Massey University and has a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Accounting & Finance and Information Systems.
David Beard
David is a MOVAC Fund 2 and 3 Partner. He joined MOVAC in early 2006 as a partner in Fund 2 and over the last 5 years has reviewed over 500 businesses and taken eight through to investment. David is currently a director of the following MOVAC portfolio companies: PowerbyProxi, Kiwi Semiconductor, and Migco Pharmaceuticals. David has significant experience in business strategy, science commercialisation and ICT / Web.
Prior to joining MOVAC, David was an entrepreneur and spent 5 years running his own businesses in New Zealand and the UK. David’s earlier career was as a management consultant for Deloitte and IT program director for large corporations.
David strongly beliefs “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” (Winston Churchill) and that entrepreneurs and businesses that solve “pain” are businesses that will go on to achieve greatness.
David was born in Australia and has also lived in Egypt, Thailand, Iraq, Qatar and England prior to settling in New Zealand in 1990.
Mark Vivian
Mark is a MOVAC Fund 3 partner. He has created and grown successful businesses in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Along the way, he has experienced two highly successful IPOs on the NASDAQ and London Stock Exchange. Mark has also founded an award-winning venture to harness New Zealand’s expat community and worked with 150+ New Zealand businesses to access global markets through this network. He has held senior management positions with an iconic New Zealand business, managing commercial contracts worth more than $US500 million. Mark is currently Chair of MOVAC Fund 2 portfolio company Zeosoft.
Mark Stuart
Mark is a MOVAC Fund 3 Partner. Prior to joining MOVAC Mark had a background in building technology-based businesses. Mark has broad general management and governance expertise combining entrepreneurial and public sector experience with a strong focus on innovation. Mark was previously Chief Executive of WaikatoLink and during his time there he launched over a dozen start-up companies, made four exits and executed a multitude of licensing deals. Mark currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research and KiwiNet.
Dion Mortensen
Dion is a MOVAC Fund 2 Partner. Dion is a proven entrepreneur having lived and prospered through a management buyout, leading several start-ups and a successful exit. He currently serves on the Boards of five organisations including a not-for-profit. Dion has been with Movac since 2006 and prior to that was the Chief Executive of Movac’s first business now known as Maven Consulting.
Over his career Dion has held a variety of management and leadership roles contributing to a unique perspective on business and entrepreneurs.
Our investors
We draw on our investor pool for their specific domain knowledge and expertise as Directors in Growth Companies. Our founding investors include: Richard Abbott, Mark Richter, Sharon Weaver, Ian Miller, Martin Kay, Phil McCaw, David Beard, Dion Mortensen
