At 29, New Zealand entrepreneur Simran Kaur is leaving behind the familiarity of Auckland’s North Shore to begin a new chapter in New York after securing a US O-1 visa for individuals recognised as having “extraordinary ability or achievement”.
According to a report by the New Zealand Herald, Kaur, who has lived on the same North Shore street for most of her life, is moving 14,207 km away in September. Although her visa is temporary and she plans to return to New Zealand in three years, the decision has brought mixed emotions.
“I do feel a little bit guilty leaving New Zealand ... but you also need to challenge yourself and explore, and I think that’s just going to be done in New York,” she says, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
“There are some complicated feelings around that when you don’t want the brain drain to happen, but then you’re also part of it,” the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
Kaur moved to New Zealand from India when she was two and initially pursued a career in optometry. In 2020, she shifted direction and launched Friends That Invest, formerly known as Girls That Invest, a financial education media company.
According to a report by the New Zealand Herald, her achievements have since included being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2023, becoming Young New Zealander of the Year in 2024 and reaching the top 20 of the Deloitte Fast 50 in 2025. She also became financially independent four months ago.
Despite her business success, Kaur does not consider herself a natural risk-taker.
“In my mind, because [the company] is an online brand, I got to do it without taking too much risk,” she says, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
For Kaur, relocating overseas represents a much bigger personal challenge than building an online business.
“Whereas moving countries and setting up shop in a new country, that’s just, oh, so scary,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
The move will also mean leaving behind the close family routines she has built in Auckland. Kaur and her husband, whom she married in March, regularly spend time with their parents.
“Making your own family in a new country and meeting new people and setting up that support system ... I think that will be really hard,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Kaur has visited New York every year since her first trip in 2022 and says the city immediately made an impression on her.
“It’s a very busy city with a lot of movement, and you can very quickly feel like you’re not doing enough and falling behind," as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
She believes the discomfort of moving is part of the reason she needs to go. Describing her life in Auckland as a “little cocoon”, she says remaining comfortable can limit personal growth.
“It’s really nice, but you don’t really grow,” she says.
“Even if I don’t achieve what I set out to, being able to tell myself [that] I set out to do something and get out of my comfort zone - that’s a success even if the outcome isn’t what I hope, as opposed to ... keep safe and keep stable and don’t really try to keep growing,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Kaur says the relocation also makes sense for Friends That Invest, which will continue to be based in New Zealand while she works to expand its reach from the US.
“Our largest portion of customers are podcast listeners and masterclass buyers ... women based in New York and based in the US.
“If you live in New York, you’re probably earning a higher salary, you probably have a bit more disposable income ... it’s also one of the financial capitals of the world, so people that live there may be more ready to start investing,” the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
However, the move has also forced Kaur to reconsider her budgeting. She was surprised by New York’s housing costs and joked recently that she might “come out of retirement”.
“I didn’t realise the rental prices of a one-bedroom small apartment in a safe area, like a semi-nice area ... it’s like US$4000, US$5000 a month,” she says.
“That is so much higher than the mortgage I pay on my house in New Zealand.
“I’ve brought out my budgeting template again, and I’m being a little bit more stringent just because you can’t exactly be fast and loose with your money in a place like that,” the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
Kaur said she has seen many friends move overseas, including to London, Melbourne and Sydney.
“It is really sad because you want your country to be a place where people want to stay and want to build their businesses.
“And I feel like I’m on the opposite end where I’ve built my business, created a lot of success, and now I’m building it further,” the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
She describes herself as a “believer in Team New Zealand” and sees the country as a “safe and caring” place to raise a family. However, she believes more needs to be done to create opportunities for younger New Zealanders, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
“It would be so much better if New Zealand created an environment where young people go, oh, the best opportunities are actually in the country and not outside, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Kaur said moving overseas earlier in her life may have made it harder to maintain her sense of direction.
“I think if I went earlier in my life I probably would get quite easily swept up in like the hustle and bustle, and you meet all these cool people that are doing cool things and you’re like, ‘What am I doing? Oh my god, I’m falling behind,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Her husband, who works in “finance” and is a “professional”, will also move to New York after securing the same visa.
“He’s already gotten his, so it would have been a real shame if he got to go and I didn’t,” she jokes, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Although Kaur regularly shares details about her financial life online, including her salary, investments and net worth, she has kept her relationship private.
“I feel like I give so much of my financial life [on social media],” she says, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
She said protecting her personal life from public scrutiny was important, particularly when discussing finances online.
“When you talk about money online, you also just want to protect your privacy and safety ... family life,” the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
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