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The Story
Rod Drury founded Xero in 2006 to simplify accounting for small businesses. Just one year later it went public on the New Zealand Stock Exchange with a NZ$15 million IPO. Fast forward 19 years and this New Zealand-born legend is now used in 180 countries with 4.4 million global subscribers helping business owners spend more time on the fun parts of their job instead of wrestling with money counting.
The Numbers
$2.1 billion operating revenue - the highest revenue of any New Zealand technology company
4,610 global employees
4.4 million subscribers across 180 countries
From NZ$15 million IPO to global accounting empire
Plot Twist
They're not just doing accounting – Xero is an AI-native SaaS business helping customers supercharge their operations with smart automation, strategic insights, and expert support. It's the world's most trusted and insightful platform for small business success.
The Good Stuff
They make software that helps business owners (like a local toy store or bakery owner) with all the tricky money counting, so they have more time for the fun parts of their job – like inventing new cupcake flavours! Because let's be honest, most people would rather be creating amazing products than wrestling with spreadsheets and receipts.
Know someone still using pen and paper or Excel to run their business? These legends have the cure for spreadsheet nightmares.
