Latest news with #InvestmentBoost
Scoop
15-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Cash(Flow) Is King And Bizzy Aims To Fix It!
Press Release – Bizzy NZs first small business lending hub launches to take the pain out of cashflow finance. A group of four seasoned tech and finance founders has launched Bizzy, New Zealand's first unified online marketplace for business lending aimed squarely at helping SMEs bridge cashflow gaps, fund expansion and navigate finance with confidence. The free-to-use platform enables small business owners to submit one simple application and compare multiple finance offers from a growing panel of trusted lenders (currently eight). The application process is fast, transparent and designed specifically for business use cases – from short-term working capital to long-term growth investment. 'Running a business is hard enough. Getting finance shouldn't be,' says co-founder Corinna Stukan, who has worked with hundreds of small businesses across New Zealand and previously built a cashflow insights tool launched through ASB in NZ and Commonwealth Bank in Australia for SMEs. 'What I kept hearing was: 'I don't know where to go, I don't understand the terms and I don't have time to fill out five different applications.' We built Bizzy to solve that,' she adds. Cashflow remains the biggest operational challenge for New Zealand's 530,000 small businesses. According to data from Centrix, business lending demand is up 6% (YoY March 2024 compared to March 2025), yet access remains a hurdle. According to the Global OECD Report on Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs, 23.90% of NZ small businesses sought external funding for survival. What's more, 43.5% of NZ small businesses sought funding for growth and many owners still dip into personal savings or face weeks of paperwork just to get a basic finance offer. 'Small businesses don't just need cash when things are tough – they need it to seize opportunities. Even the Government's Investment Boost policy, for example, requires working capital for the purchase of assets,' Stukan says. 'But traditional lending is still designed for big companies with time, teams and financial firepower.' The solution: one application, multiple offers, no hidden fees Bizzy connects SMEs with lenders such as FundTap, Line Capital, Lock Finance, Quadrent, Prospa and more to provide real-time offers that are easy to compare. The platform shows clear summaries of fees and terms, with no credit score impact for initial applications allowing business owners to see and compare their funding options before making a decision. Behind the platform are co-founders and directors Corinna Stukan, Tammy Crause, Nick O'Connor and Mike Burke who have deep combined experience across fintech, lending and SME strategy. This includes working with companies such as Westpac, ASB, CBA, digital business financial provider Emerge and Fox Group. 'We worked closely with lenders on how we display offers so there's no fine print and no surprises. You see what you're getting upfront and what you're paying for across a variety of scenarios and types of lending,' says Stukan. Built-in smarts for business owners Bizzy also includes intelligent filters to help business owners find the right type of funding – whether it's bridging a short-term gap, financing assets or unlocking working capital for expansion. 'It's about providing better transparency and choice. There are many great funding options and customer centric lenders in NZ that SMEs are often not aware of – our mission is to bring those together in one place,' explains Stukan. Bizzy has ambitious plans to become the go-to starting point for small business lending comparisons in New Zealand inspired by successful marketplaces seen in the UK, US and Asia. 'The goal is simple: use technology to take the stress and uncertainty out of small business finance. Cash(flow) really is king and with the right tech, we can give small business owners transparency, choice and a faster path to capital,' concludes Stukan.
Scoop
15-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Cash(Flow) Is King And Bizzy Aims To Fix It!
A group of four seasoned tech and finance founders has launched Bizzy, New Zealand's first unified online marketplace for business lending aimed squarely at helping SMEs bridge cashflow gaps, fund expansion and navigate finance with confidence. The free-to-use platform enables small business owners to submit one simple application and compare multiple finance offers from a growing panel of trusted lenders (currently eight). The application process is fast, transparent and designed specifically for business use cases - from short-term working capital to long-term growth investment. "Running a business is hard enough. Getting finance shouldn't be," says co-founder Corinna Stukan, who has worked with hundreds of small businesses across New Zealand and previously built a cashflow insights tool launched through ASB in NZ and Commonwealth Bank in Australia for SMEs. 'What I kept hearing was: 'I don't know where to go, I don't understand the terms and I don't have time to fill out five different applications.' We built Bizzy to solve that,' she adds. The problem: cashflow keeps businesses awake Cashflow remains the biggest operational challenge for New Zealand's 530,000 small businesses. According to data from Centrix, business lending demand is up 6% (YoY March 2024 compared to March 2025), yet access remains a hurdle. According to the Global OECD Report on Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs, 23.90% of NZ small businesses sought external funding for survival. What's more, 43.5% of NZ small businesses sought funding for growth and many owners still dip into personal savings or face weeks of paperwork just to get a basic finance offer. 'Small businesses don't just need cash when things are tough - they need it to seize opportunities. Even the Government's Investment Boost policy, for example, requires working capital for the purchase of assets,' Stukan says. 'But traditional lending is still designed for big companies with time, teams and financial firepower.' The solution: one application, multiple offers, no hidden fees Bizzy connects SMEs with lenders such as FundTap, Line Capital, Lock Finance, Quadrent, Prospa and more to provide real-time offers that are easy to compare. The platform shows clear summaries of fees and terms, with no credit score impact for initial applications allowing business owners to see and compare their funding options before making a decision. Behind the platform are co-founders and directors Corinna Stukan, Tammy Crause, Nick O'Connor and Mike Burke who have deep combined experience across fintech, lending and SME strategy. This includes working with companies such as Westpac, ASB, CBA, digital business financial provider Emerge and Fox Group. 'We worked closely with lenders on how we display offers so there's no fine print and no surprises. You see what you're getting upfront and what you're paying for across a variety of scenarios and types of lending," says Stukan. Built-in smarts for business owners Bizzy also includes intelligent filters to help business owners find the right type of funding - whether it's bridging a short-term gap, financing assets or unlocking working capital for expansion. 'It's about providing better transparency and choice. There are many great funding options and customer centric lenders in NZ that SMEs are often not aware of - our mission is to bring those together in one place,' explains Stukan. Bizzy has ambitious plans to become the go-to starting point for small business lending comparisons in New Zealand inspired by successful marketplaces seen in the UK, US and Asia. 'The goal is simple: use technology to take the stress and uncertainty out of small business finance. Cash(flow) really is king and with the right tech, we can give small business owners transparency, choice and a faster path to capital,' concludes Stukan.
Techday NZ
15-07-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Bizzy launches NZ platform to simplify SME lending comparisons
Bizzy has launched an online marketplace that allows small businesses in New Zealand to compare multiple lending options through a single application. Addressing SME finance needs The new platform aims to support the country's more than 530,000 small and medium-sized businesses, targeting key challenges related to cashflow and access to funding. Bizzy is designed as a free-to-use tool where business owners submit one application and receive offers from a panel of eight established lenders. The process is intended to be swift, transparent, and specifically tailored to business finance requirements, allowing applications for both short-term working capital and long-term investment needs. Co-founder Corinna Stukan, who has significant experience working with small businesses in New Zealand and has previously developed business finance tools for banks, outlined the motivation behind Bizzy's creation. "Running a business is hard enough. Getting finance shouldn't be. What I kept hearing was: 'I don't know where to go, I don't understand the terms and I don't have time to fill out five different applications.' We built Bizzy to solve that," she stated. Ongoing challenges for small enterprises Recent data from Centrix indicates business lending demand in New Zealand increased by 6% year-on-year as of March 2025. However, access to funding remains a persistent issue. The Global OECD Report on Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs highlights that 23.90% of small businesses in the country sought external finance for survival. At the same time, 43.5% actively sought funding for growth, with many owners resorting to personal savings or going through lengthy application processes to secure finance. Commenting on these trends, Stukan said, "Small businesses don't just need cash when things are tough - they need it to seize opportunities. Even the Government's Investment Boost policy, for example, requires working capital for the purchase of assets," Stukan added, "But traditional lending is still designed for big companies with time, teams and financial firepower." Marketplace solution and transparency Bizzy connects small businesses with lenders including FundTap, Line Capital, Lock Finance, Quadrent, and Prospa, providing real-time, easily comparable funding offers. The platform sets out clear summaries of fees and terms, with no impact on the applicant's credit score for initial offers, giving owners the opportunity to assess their choices before proceeding. The company's four co-founders - Corinna Stukan, Tammy Crause, Nick O'Connor and Mike Burke - bring backgrounds in fintech, lending, and small business strategy, with experience spanning financial institutions such as Westpac, ASB, CBA, Emerge and Fox Group. Stukan emphasised Bizzy's focus on clarity and customer experience. "We worked closely with lenders on how we display offers so there's no fine print and no surprises. You see what you're getting upfront and what you're paying for across a variety of scenarios and types of lending," she said. Tools for funding decisions The platform features intelligent filters, helping business owners identify the most suitable funding product for their particular context, whether for bridging short-term shortfalls, asset financing, or unlocking capital for growth. Stukan explained, "It's about providing better transparency and choice. There are many great funding options and customer centric lenders in NZ that SMEs are often not aware of - our mission is to bring those together in one place," she said. Bizzy is aiming to replicate the success of lending marketplaces seen internationally, positioning itself as a starting point for small business lending comparisons in New Zealand. Stukan described the company's overall ambition, saying, "The goal is simple: use technology to take the stress and uncertainty out of small business finance. Cash(flow) really is king and with the right tech, we can give small business owners transparency, choice and a faster path to capital," she concluded.
Otago Daily Times
13-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Investment confidence boosted
Canterbury businesses are already lining up commercial buildings and buying other big-ticket items on the back of the government's Investment Boost scheme. The scheme has opened the way for businesses to consider tax incentives for upgrading, improving or increasing business assets such as transport, machinery and other investments. In the new tax deduction, businesses can claim 20% of the cost of new assets bought from May 22 as an expense, then claim depreciation as usual on the remaining 80%. The incentive is being credited in part for a boost in vehicle sales in June. A total of 11,862 vehicles including commercial vehicles were registered, up just over 25% on 9415 vehicles for the same month a year ago. Business Canterbury, formerly the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce, held a session for about 40 members on the new scheme with Deloitte specialists providing advice on which investments qualified. Chief executive Leeann Watson said there was strong interest among business at this early stage to be part of the scheme. She said the scheme was giving businesses confidence to bring forward investment. "For example, one of our members is overseas buying a piece of machinery and they had that on the radar, but have brought forward that investment sooner than later because it frees up some cashflow. We talked to another quite big business looking at some commercial buildings and they will use that as a way to help with their cashflow." Further feedback from another large business was the scheme had not changed its appetite to invest, but it believed the cashflow benefit would free up capital allowing the business to use the depreciation to redirect it into other investments, she said. Most depreciable assets could be bought including plant and equipment, commercial buildings, improvements to existing assets and second-hand assets sourced from outside New Zealand such as imported vehicles. Excluded from the scheme are land purchases, residential dwellings, some fixed-life items such as software licenses and patents and petroleum and mining permits. The government expects the Investment Boost will lift GDP by 1% and wages by 1.5% over the next 20 years. Ms Watson said businesses were pleased commercial buildings were included as they were not initially expected. "In Canterbury there is still quite a strong pipeline of commercial buildings going up in and around the commercial city and that is a significant opportunity for those businesses because you are talking ... in the millions of dollars." Demand for commercial property could rise as a result, she said. "We are seeing that consumer demand is still quite slow and what this will do is help stimulate the economy and get people to make those investment decisions sooner rather than wait until things are more certain." Inland Revenue is expected to release more guidelines either later this month or in August.
Otago Daily Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Businesses lining up commercial buildings
Canterbury businesses are already lining up commercial buildings and buying other big-ticket items on the back of the Government's Investment Boost scheme. The scheme has opened the way for businesses to consider tax incentives for upgrading, improving or increasing business assets such as transport, machinery and other investments. In the new tax deduction, businesses can claim 20% of the cost of new assets bought from May 22 as an expense, then claim depreciation as usual on the remaining 80%. The incentive is being credited in part for a boost in vehicle sales in June. A total of 11,862 vehicles, including commercial vehicles, were registered, up just over 25% on 9415 vehicles for the same month a year ago. Business Canterbury, formerly the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce, held a session for about 40 members on the new scheme with Deloitte experts providing advice on which investments qualified. Business Canterbury chief executive Leeann Watson said there was strong interest among business at this early stage to be part of the scheme. She said the scheme was giving businesses confidence to bring forward investment. ''For example, one of our members is overseas buying a piece of machinery and they had that on the radar, but have brought forward that investment sooner than later because it frees up some cashflow. We talked to another quite big business looking at some commercial buildings and they will use that as a way to help with their cashflow.'' Further feedback from another large business was the scheme had not changed its appetite to invest, but believed the cashflow benefit would free up capital and use the depreciation to redirect it into other investments, she said, Most depreciable assets could be purchased including plant and equipment, commercial buildings, improvements to existing assets and second-hand assets sourced from outside New Zealand such as imported vehicles. Excluded from the scheme are land purchases, residential dwellings, some fixed-life items such as software licenses and patents and petroleum and mining permits. The government expects the Investment Boost will lift GDP by 1% and wages by 1.5% over the next 20 years. Ms Watson said businesses were pleased commercial buildings were included as they were not initially expected. ''In Canterbury there is still quite a strong pipeline of commercial buildings going up in and around the commercial city and that is a significant opportunity for those businesses because you are talking ... in the millions of dollars.'' Demand for commercial property could rise as a result, she said. ''We are seeing that consumer demand is still quite slow and what this will do is help stimulate the economy and get people to make those investment decisions sooner rather than wait until things are more certain.'' Increased vehicle registrations were probably a good indication the scheme was being applied as vehicle fleets needed to be upgraded. A flow on effect of the economy being stimulated was more jobs created, she said Inland Revenue is expected to release more guidelines either later this month or August.
