Supporting Founders: How Derek Roth-Biester is a Legal Champion for Startups
Lawyer Derek Roth-Biester is excited to support the ecosystem that Startup Queenstown Lakes have created. He recently went out on his own, starting a new boutique law firm based in Queenstown, Criterion Law, so he can focus on venture capital and the startup space, which is what he’s passionate about.
Working with SQL since moving to the region in 2019 has allowed him to meet and assist many founders, letting them know what to expect and talking through legal issues that you need to think of when starting out.
Picture: Derek (centered) on the Judging Panel at Startup Booster 2024 Pitch Night.
SQL: Describe your job and how long have you been supporting the Queenstown Lakes district?
Derek: I’ve been coming to Queenstown for almost 20 years. I’m a lawyer by profession and when I was living in Hong Kong my wife, who is Kiwi, recommended that we come down to Queenstown for a ski holiday. We went down with her family and I fell in love with the place instantly and so we decided to buy a place down here.
I moved to Auckland in 2014 and then to Queenstown full time in 2019, so that’s how I ended up here. My practice over the years has focused primarily on private equity and venture capital work in New Zealand and overseas, particularly in the tech space – I’m passionate about that part of my practice. I was really keen to see how the startup ecosystem down in Queenstown was working. It’s been the focus of my practice for a while and I was pleased to see the tech and VC scene blossoming down here.
SQL: How did you get involved with Startup Queenstown Lakes?
Derek: My practice involves either advising funds or angels investing in Kiwi companies, or advising Kiwi founders who are looking to raise capital outside of their friends and family. One of the first things I did when I moved to Queenstown full time in April 2019 was get in touch with Startup Queenstown Lakes because they were right at the heart of the ecosystem here in Queenstown. I’ve worked with a few different members of the team over the years, now Marco, Jinene and Monette have taken over and I’ve really enjoyed working closely with them.
SQL have a bunch of different programmes where they encourage founders and small business owners here in Queenstown to develop the skills to help them push out into new markets and new product lines. I’ve really leaned into that space to work with the founders coming through the SQL programmes, hopefully guiding them through some of the legal issues relevant to their businesses.
Picture: Event cover for Derek’s Startup Legals Workshop hosted by SQL.
SQL: How has supporting SQL programs and workshops impacted your role?
Derek: One of the things that I absolutely love doing is working with founders to help them bring their vision, their dream, to fruition and take their ideas to the world. Being involved in Startup Queenstown Lakes programmes enables me to get exposure to all these people and their amazing ideas. There are a lot of very talented and very smart people in this part of the world and because of the referrals I get from SQL I often get to hear about them before everyone else!
So yes, I think that SQL definitely has a role to fulfil and I’m there to support them with the good work that they’re doing.
SQL: What impact do you think you have supporting SQL and its founders?
Derek: I’d like to think that I demystify the law for some of these founders, many of whom probably have never used a lawyer before, or if they have it’s for buying a house or setting up a will. My skillset is quite specific – there really aren’t that many lawyers in this part of the country who do what I do, and so that skillset is probably the biggest impact, that’s what I bring to the table.
I do a ‘Legal Issues’ presentation to their founder cohorts two or three times a year, where I talk about relevant legal issues that they’re probably already thinking about – how do they protect their brand or register a trade mark? Do they need a patent? How do they raise capital? What about data privacy issues or the use of AI in their business? I also offer each founder a free consultation over a coffee to talk through issues specific to their business in more detail and get them on the right track.
Some of the founders have actually gone on to do multiple things – a couple of companies have come out of the SQL programmes and they’ve gone on to do big capital raises, which has been fantastic to see.
SQL: How would you describe SQL in one word?
Derek: Dynamic.
Story written by Startup Queenstown Lakes