Young Kiwi declined Harvard to pursue start-up dream

LazyAz is a New Zealand company looking to revolutionise retail with its on-demand delivery service app.

Founder Aryaman Taore was just 17 years old when he developed the first version of the LazyAz mobile app. Now 18, Taore came up with the idea when he was craving a fast-food burger - but neither he nor the restaurant had transport.

This craving launched a sequence of events that resulted in him developing his first mobile app with $1000 in savings and an additional $750 from his parents.

Taore then decided to join forces with Toss Grumley, director of Wolf and Fox. Grumley became the company's first investor and provided seed investment for LazyAz as well as mentoring and resources to grow the business.

"I was intrigued by what I read about Aryaman," he says.

"But after our first meeting I was blown away, his vision, passion and preparedness isn't something you see in a 17 year old very often. Eleven months on Aryaman is every bit the definition of entrepreneur.

Taore recently turned down a place at Harvard University to instead launch his start-up while studying Engineering at Auckland University.

"The company's evolution hasn't just been by growth, but also our direction and business model," he says.

"After starting operations, we moved quickly to get past delivery as a standalone service, it was only the starting point for our overall business plan.

The growth of the company's business model is driven through their mobile app and online platform that's currently being built.

"We are so much more than a delivery service. We are creating a platform that local Kiwi stores can use to sell and consumers can use to buy," says Taore.

"Our courier fleet simply acts as a medium to get products to the customer's door, our business case goes far beyond that. Our model allows us to assist with retail sales in just about any industry while delivering additional revenue through advertising, commissions and fees.".

"We recently ran a successful investor evening and were able to raise almost $40,000 in committed investments on the night," adds Toss.

Investments begin at $200 for asset class, ordinary shares and the first closing date is the 10th of November.