From Lab Tech in an accelerator to CEO of an accelerator company in 6 months, Carlos Chambers’ founder journey started off with a bang.
Over the years, he learned a lot about leadership and went on to create and lead CarbonInvoice, the global leader in Xero’s app store within the sustainability category, based on user reviews. Carlos is a pillar in the startup community in Wellington for both his holistic view of business and community welfare, and his deep sense of giving back to the community. We sat down with Carlos to help us tell his founder’s journey story.
Early steps
Carlos Chambers’ journey into startups began in 2013, just a year after leaving his role as a commercial lawyer. He had an idea for Leadfoot, an insurance assessment platform designed to deliver risk-adjusted car insurance premiums based on driving behaviour.
Eager to break into the startup world, Carlos connected with Creative HQ – gaining early advice and industry introductions. While Leadfoot never gained traction, that first encounter marked the beginning of a career-long relationship with Creative HQ.
Finding the startup community
In 2014, Carlos applied for a role as Lab Tech in the first Lightning Lab Accelerator – a pivotal moment. Despite modest pay, the experience opened doors into New Zealand’s growing startup ecosystem and demystified the idea of being a founder.
“I realised these weren’t superhuman geniuses, just people with ideas trying to make things happen.”
During Lightning Lab, Carlos built relationships with founders, mentors and investors, discovering that his legal training and strategic thinking skills were valuable to early-stage teams. One team, Common Ledger, invited him to join their venture during the program – a decision that would shape the next chapter of his journey.
From Lab Tech to CEO
Common Ledger aimed to enable the sharing of accounting data between small businesses, accountants and lenders for faster accounting and lending. After raising money, the largest round in its cohort, the company secured pilots with small-to-medium accounting firms in both NZ and Australia .
When the original co-founders stepped back, the board approached Carlos to become CEO. At just 25, he was leading a funded startup with significant investors on the board, an internationally unique value proposition and major partners in the pipeline.
Carlos went on to pivot the business to enterprise and landed clients, including Findex, connecting 30,000 small business clients, and Westpac Banking Corporation processing hundreds of loans through the accounting data platform.
“It was intense and exciting – learning everything at speed: hiring developers, pitching banks and managing investors, all while figuring out how to keep the business alive and moving forward.”
From Common Ledger to CarbonInvoice
By 2022, Carlos and the Common Ledger team were exploring new directions. His long-standing passion for climate change (dating back to his early involvement with advocacy group Generation Zero) combined with insights from how small businesses kept their books led to the creation of CarbonInvoice.
Through research, Carlos discovered that small and medium businesses contribute one-third of global emissions, yet fewer than 3% measure or act on their carbon footprint. The existing solutions were designed for large corporations – complex, expensive, and time-consuming consultancy processes that left small businesses behind. After experiencing firsthand how complex and time-consuming carbon measurement could be, he set out to build a solution that made action easy and rewarding for the businesses who needed it most
“Our insight was simple: if we make it effortless and immediately valuable, small businesses will take carbon action.”
CarbonInvoice enables small businesses to take Carbon Action in three simple steps: Measure their carbon footprint in 3 minutes by connecting accounting software, Fund native tree planting in their local communities with one click, and Share their sustainability efforts through personalised marketing content that helps them win business.Today, the company serves hundreds of businesses across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK and is the number #1 user rated sustainability app on Xero’s App Store.
Lessons and advice
Reflecting on his journey, Carlos shares three key lessons for new founders:
- Find Present Demand
- “Solve a problem people are desperate to fix right now. Product-market fit comes from pain that can’t be ignored.”
- Work with Great People
- Surround yourself with those you trust and admire. “Long-term games with long-term people.”
- Value Opportunity Cost
- Set milestones, reassess regularly, and don’t be afraid to pivot. “Life’s too short to stay locked into an idea when the signal isn’t there.”
Creative HQ is proud to be a part of Carlos’ early journey into being a founder.
“Creative HQ was pretty instrumental for me. That Lightning Lab exposure showed me that it was possible to have a non-corporate pathway to find what you love doing and to build solutions that empower the businesses and communities I care about most.”
