Peter Beck on shotguns, Starlink, and the state of NZ’s entrepreneurs

Peter Beck on shotguns, Starlink, and the state of NZ’s entrepreneurs
“I’ve learned the lesson to never rule out anything, so we decided that from day one we would design this vehicle so it could be certifiable."
Henry Burrell
Peter Beck this week led Rocket Lab, the company he founded in New Zealand in 2006, to a US$4.1 billion market valuation.His analogy for how he got to this point sounds like something from a first-person shooter video game. “I liken running a rocket company to running through the maze at night, and at every dead end there’s a guy with a shotgun,” the chief executive told BusinessDesk on the phone from Rocket Lab’s Auckland headquarters. “If you run down a dead end, you’re going to die, because you c...

More Editor's Picks

Xero’s Melio ‘leap of faith’
Markets Analysis

Xero’s Melio ‘leap of faith’

The NZ-founded company’s giant-killer dreams in the US hinge on this huge bet. 

Pattrick Smellie 01 Jul 2025
Facebook is no place for risky financial investment offers
Opinion

Maria Slade: Facebook is no place for risky financial investment offers

Misleading ads continue to be thrust in the faces of Mum and Dad investors.

Maria Slade 30 Jun 2025
'There are some firms in NZ I won’t touch'
Policy

'There are some firms in NZ I won’t touch'

Adam Feeley on the reluctance to call out poor performers in NZ infrastructure sector.

Oliver Lewis 30 Jun 2025