Exit at 27: Chasing Bigger Horizons 💳 #fintech
From 15 clinics and 105,000 patients to a fintech rebrand and a tax ruling with IRD—this New Zealand founder turned “HealthNow” into Extraordinary, a benefits-payments platform winning banks, telcos, and airlines.Steve is a New Zealand tech entrepreneur who scaled an allied-health group to ~$12M revenue at 17–24% EBITDA before exiting at 27, then founded HealthNow—a healthcare BNPL/savings/employer-aid play that evolved into Extraordinary, a modular platform that lets companies control where benefits dollars get spent (travel, meals, gifting, health, more). This episode is a masterclass in ruthless iteration: kill the feature that doesn’t work, follow customer pull, then reprice and reframe until it clicks.What’s wild (and useful): how investor pushback killed the double-sided marketplace, why “breakage” beats “load fees,” and how a binding IRD ruling unlocked pre-tax public transport benefits—turning a compliance headache (FBT/PAYE) into a business moat. We also get candid about the emotional cost of a pivot, Darwinism for founders (“adapt or die”), and going enterprise (yes, sometimes… wear the suit).Key Topics🩺 From clinics to fintech: scaling 15 sites, 120 staff, 105k patients—then exiting to build software.💳 Why BNPL for healthcare didn’t pencil out—and the pivot to employer-funded benefits.🧩 Modular platform & pricing psychology: per-employee + fixed “breakage,” not “card fees.”🧾 Compliance moat: controlling spend categories, FBT vs PAYE, and audit-friendly rails.🚌 IRD binding ruling: pre-tax public transport for employees (and why that matters).🏢 Enterprise sales: telcos, banks, an airline—why credibility (and suits) count.🔁 Founder mindset: grief of a pivot, “persist more than resist,” and 10-15 year time horizons.Connect with the GuestSteve — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-zinsli-💳-aa813184Company (Extraordinary): https://www.extraordinarypay.comLearn more about NZVC & Hosts NZVC: https://www.nzvc.co.nzMark Pavlyukovskyy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlyukovskyy/Hendrik Remigereau: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-remigereau-09a03067/Timestamps:00:00 – Intro01:14 – Steve’s upbringing in Auckland04:13 – Childhood experiences shaping healthcare passion06:19 – Early lessons about healthcare costs07:17 – School years and university path10:26 – First steps in healthcare and scaling clinics13:28 – Building a multi-clinic business15:14 – Growing revenue and why Steve exited17:14 – Shift from clinics to fintech in healthcare26:45 – First concept of HealthNow28:23 – Buy Now, Pay Later for healthcare30:28 – Health savings accounts & employer aid34:56 – Core problem: healthcare affordability37:31 – Pivoting from healthcare to broader benefits42:00 – Advice for founders facing pivots45:39 – Startup persistence and survival48:29 – Birth of Extraordinary from customer demand50:01 – Modularizing the platform & pricing learnings53:03 – Breakage and gift card economics55:23 – Public transport benefit opportunity58:41 – Outlook: next 1–5 years for Extraordinary1:02:03 – Market size, competition, and growth potential1:04:34 – Role models and inspiration1:05:31 – Advice for founders in New Zealand1:06:59 – Closing remarksIf this sharpened your startup/business brain, hit 👍, drop your questions for Steve below, and subscribe for more New Zealand founder deep-dives.#startups, #business, #NewZealand, #fintech, #payments, #employeebenefits, #HRtech, #compliance, #FBT, #publictransport, #BNPL, #founderstory, #productmarketfit, #SaaS, #pricing, #B2B, #enterprise, #NZTech, #TechMates, #podcast
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