Forget billionaires - these days the wonder is if trillionaires should exist

Wednesday, 15 April 2026

Robbie Paul is inspired by tennis champ Roger Federer, who is “authentic and kind despite his dominance”.

Robbie Paul is chief executive of Icehouse Ventures, New Zealand’s largest venture capital firm.

What was your most formative life experience?

Growing up with parents and sports coaches that were both supportive and set high standards. Having one without the other can create unintended consequences.

I will never forget the pre-match lectures by my tennis coach before we got off the bus. It went something like: “Yes, you are probably better than this team and you should be confident that you will win. However, you are also likely more privileged than them in many ways. Win all you like, but if you are disrespectful you are off the team forever.”

Who is your most inspirational figure, and why?

Roger Federer for being authentic and kind despite his dominance.

Paul moved to New Zealand in 2008 - here he is pictured after that flight with another Chapel Hill local, the late Sir Julian Robertson.

Ernest Shackleton for leading 28 shipwrecked men through a two-year struggle to survive in the Weddell Sea. (Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing tells the story).

Favourite book?

It depends on the focus. For fun I would pick A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. For function I would pick Endurance by Alfred Lansing, as above. For a kid’s bedtime I would pick anything by Julia Donaldson.

As a leader, how would you address a toxic work culture?

A toxic culture does not arrive suddenly. Generally most people are well intentioned and want to be happy and kind. So, if a toxic culture has manifested it is probably as a result of a small number of people acting poorly for a sustained period of time. This is only possible in absence of values and leadership. If I arrived one day to a toxic culture I would first blame myself and second drop everything else to try to fix it.

Hardest decision ever?

Try something new on the menu or just go with Chicken Tikka Masala.

Should billionaires exist?

These days I wonder more about the trillionaires.

Robbie Paul with Halter founder Craig Piggott. Icehouse Ventures owns about a 12% stake in the now multi-billion-dollar US-based company.

If I was a billionaire, I would…

Not tell my kids.
Keep working as hard as ever.
Import a Rivian R1T.

What is the one thing that could happen in New Zealand tomorrow that would make life better for the most people?

New Zealand will improve through a series of good decisions and the hard work of millions of Kiwis. There is no silver bullet, especially in a world that is evolving so quickly. The best thing we can do is foster belief in Kiwis that hard work, ambition, risk taking, long-term thinking, and integrity are important and rewarding.