Business building tips and insights from Startup NZ subject experts.
Squarespace website and ecommerce builder platform
Squarespace is a popular website building and hosting service that allows individuals and businesses to create professional-looking websites and e-commerce stores without needing extensive technical expertise. It provides a user-friendly interface with an intuitive “drag and drop” editor, and a variety of professionally designed templates that users can customise to create their own unique websites. […]
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Business building tips and insights from Startup NZ subject experts.
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Come Grow With Us! About Us Since 2012 NZ Entrepreneur has been inspiring, educating and informing thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners throughout New Zealand, every month. We are passionate about empowering entrepreneurs to make a positive impact in the world, and sharing their stories. We are looking for a new team member to support […]
Knowledge Base: Angel funding insights with Bridget Unsworth, Angel Association New Zealand
Watch now: (20 mins) In this edition of Knowledge Base, Richard Liew talks with Bridget Unsworth, Executive Director of Angel Association New Zealand (AANZ). If you are building an innovative startup and need funding, tune into this informative discussion where Bridget provides an overview of angel investment funding in New Zealand and plenty of tips […]
PowerUp Podcast returns for season four
The PowerUp Podcast from Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki is back with the release of the first three episodes in the latest six-part series that celebrates trailblazing Taranaki entrepreneurs and innovators who are leaving their mark on the world. Season four promises a diverse line-up of driven founders who are achieving amazing things across a […]
DoPaw
In Founder Focus we introduce entrepreneurs and change-makers working on innovative startups, social enterprises and SME’s around Aotearoa New Zealand. At a glance Founder: Lou Anne Lowry Business: DoPaw Founded: 2020 / Launched 2023 HQ: Waikato Can you tell us a bit about your business? DoPaw, based in the North Island of New Zealand, stands […]
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OTHER RECENT NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES
BIZ WIRE
The Food Factory serves up a recipe for success in the food industry
The Food Factory Charitable Trust has been nurturing culinary dreams since its launch in September 2020, with a vision to bridge the gap for aspiring food innovators. This not-for-profit startup based in Stoke, Nelson, is providing the essential ingredients for success. “We’re here to help food businesses to get up and running, and to ease […]
New Zealand entrepreneurs on the world stage at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress
More than 2,000 entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers and community leaders are headed to the annual Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) in Melbourne next week, and a delegation of 56 New Zealanders are set to make the most of such an incredible opportunity. “The GEC has never been so close, providing us a forum to not only […]
Business awards celebrate Newmarket’s finest
The Newmarket business community came together on Friday 25th August to celebrate excellence and innovation at the annual Newmarket Business Awards (NBA), hosted by the Newmarket Business Association (NBA). The event, held at Cordis and sponsored by Auckland MINI Garage and Q Mastercard®, showcased the remarkable achievements of businesses in the Newmarket precinct. The Newmarket […]
Callaghan Innovation launches counselling service for startup founders
Callaghan Innovation has today launched a counselling service to support founders whose mental health is suffering due to the significant pressures associated with establishing and growing a startup. Plans for the service were announced at the Electrify Aotearoa conference on 1 August at the same time as the organisation launched a guidance and resolution service […]
Rebel Business School partners with Semaine Group for new course, Business Plan Sprint
Rebel Business School Aotearoa (RBSA) is well-known for two things: its unapologetic, startup-friendly mentality, and its dedication to business education. As we move into the latter half of 2023, Rebel has once again turned their eye to New Zealand’s entrepreneurial innovation. This time, they’ll be partnering with the Semaine Group, developers of the bizezi app, […]
Escrow service gets the green light
Watch the video interview now GreenLight Escrow is revolutionising the way tradespeople and homeowners conduct business transactions, providing a secure and innovative platform. Cofounder Max Semmons-Russell’s determination and industry expertise led to the platform’s successful launch in May 2023. In just three months, the platform has already appealed to 70 users, 40 of which are […]
Avasa to advance microvascular surgery with arterial coupler
An Auckland clinician who has created a prototype that connects microvascular arteries effectively is preparing to enter the United States market. Clinician and bioengineer Dr Nandoun Abeysekera is the founder and CEO of Avasa. The company has produced an arterial coupler, a small device that simplifies microvascular surgery, providing a better standard of clinical care. […]
GEN New Zealand releases manifesto to encourage greater entrepreneurship
Watch the video interview now A network of more than 140 entrepreneurial businesses and organisations warns New Zealand is in danger of being left behind due to a lack of resources and insufficient policies to progress entrepreneurship. The New Zealand chapter of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) wants to see local and central government politicians […]
Biotech startup Nanophage Technologies is getting prepped for their next breakthrough – going to market
When Sean Bisset left New Zealand in 2019, he didn’t expect to return a few years later to a transformed biotech industry. He had headed offshore to Europe to find greener pastures following his PhD but, in the end, Palmerston North was able to offer Bisset what he’d been looking for all along. “Aside from […]
Biotech startup Precision Chroma to access global markets after latest raise
Biotech startup Precision Chroma is looking to raise $1.5 million this year to finalise and market its first product before going global. The startup will be based in Christchurch for the next 12 months while it does further research and development (R&D) before its market launch. University of Canterbury PhD graduate Sean Feast founded Precision […]
BioValeo ready to take New Zealand’s clinical research to the world
New Zealand may be small, but Julie Jones, CEO and founder of clinical research organisation BioValeo, thinks it has the potential to be mighty on the world’s biotech stage. While our neighbour across the ditch has size and scale on its side, there’s plenty of home-grown elements we can be proud of. “We have a […]
Spotlight on manufacturing innovators in Taranaki
When John Burling created a simple trailer coupling in his garage in 1988, he wasn’t to know it was the beginning of what is now one of Taranaki’s largest, most successful manufacturing businesses. In those days, John was Carac. He tinkered away in his shed in the small town of Eltham, creating one product at […]
HOW-TO’S, TIPS, Insights AND ADVICE
Insights
E-commerce entrepreneurs eye global expansion
New Zealand’s leading e-commerce platform for creatives, Rubber Monkey, has set its sights on global expansion beginning with a push into the Australian market, thanks in part to a successful capital raise of more than $1.5 million via Snowball Effect. With over 94,000 products listed online and three branches already established across Auckland, Wellington and […]
500 Founders: Sophie Silver, Terry Wen, Ankita Dhakar & Aleks Dahlberg
Want to tap in to the best startup advice from entrepreneurs who are out there doing it? Welcome to ‘500 Founders’ where we ask innovators from around New Zealand for their top insights for first time startup founders. Sophie Silver – cofounder Celadon “Take as much time as you can to understand your customer.“ “This […]
SME&E Festival Podcast: Rachel Taulelei and Tabitha Harris, How to develop a brand and business strategy for your business
Got your tickets to the 2022 NZ SME&E Festival this 8th and 9th of November? Each week we’ll be sharing a podcast from some of the many great business speakers and mentors you can catch at the festival. How to develop a brand and business strategy for your business In this episode of the SME&E […]
Want more control over your business finances? Alternative lenders could be the ticket
Small businesses, especially those in the first two years of trading, can often run into financial roadblocks. It may be that cashflow won’t cover wages one week, or it could be that a business opportunity arises, but due to lack of credit, it can’t be taken advantage of. Traditional lenders – banks – are known […]
Startup founded by pilots aims to be ‘Stripe’ of crypto payments
When two pilots were made redundant during Covid, they turned their attention to something completely different that they had in common: cryptocurrency. Craig Duffield and Jitendra Maharaj, cofounded Pay It Now New Zealand, the first company in New Zealand to create a layer-2 cryptocurrency payment gateway. “Pay It Now aims to be the Stripe of […]
Entrepreneurs’ input sought for NZ entrepreneurship playbook
Katherine Blaney, Managing Director at Global Entrepreneurship Network New Zealand (‘GEN NZ’), explains the purpose behind a new survey to uncover the roadblocks for entrepreneurs in Aotearoa New Zealand. If you have started a business, or are thinking of starting a business, please help us make entrepreneurship in Aotearoa more supportive, more enjoyable, and – […]
SME&E Festival Podcast: Ryan Sanders, How to develop an idea into a successful business
Got your tickets to the 2022 NZ SME&E Festival this 8th and 9th of November? Each week we’ll be sharing a podcast from some of the many great business speakers and mentors you can catch at the festival. How to develop an idea into a successful business In this episode of the SME&E Festival Podcast, […]
500 Founders: Janelle Fenwick, Jack Coleman, Lane Litz & Frayne Cooke
Want to tap in to the best startup advice from entrepreneurs who are out there doing it? Welcome to ‘500 Founders’ where we ask innovators from around New Zealand for their top insights for first time startup founders. Janelle Fenwick – Founder Teulo “Surround yourself with the right people to help support you on your […]
Interview: Frances Valintine, Founder, Tech Futures Lab
The best ideas are simple and they solve a problem. – Frances Valintine, CNZM. Frances Valintine, Founder and CEO of The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab and recent inductee to the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs / Te Whare Whakahōnore i ngā Rakahinonga Wāhine o Aotearoa, shares her thoughts on what […]
Key preparation tips when talking to media
Talking to the media about your business can be a powerful way to promote your brand and share your story with a wider audience. And if your PR efforts are successful you could soon find yourself answering calls from journalists or being invited to talk on radio or TV. To make the most of these […]
500 Founders: Rick Kiessig, Hannah Hunt, Matthew Jackson & Jenni Matheson
Want to tap in to the best startup advice from entrepreneurs who are out there doing it? Welcome to ‘500 Founders’ where we ask innovators from around New Zealand for their top insights for first time startup founders. Rick Kiessig – Cofounder Kimer Med “Talk to your potential customers as soon as you can.” “Before […]
Essential skills for an entrepreneur
Are entrepreneurs born or made? We think both. While it helps to have that entrepreneurial flair inbuilt, there’s no reason you can’t learn and develop the qualities of an entrepreneur. Here, we share three essential skills for taking ventures from ideas to reality. Essential skill #1: falling in love with the problem, not the solution. […]
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Interview: Anne Barnett, Wellington UniVentures – Driving innovation for social impact
Delivering on its purpose to lift lives everywhere with knowledge, Wellington UniVentures works with Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington innovators to shape their research into initiatives that create impact. Wellington UniVentures does this by connecting innovators with partners, industry and investors to enable the growth and development of their idea or invention. […]
Interview: Frances Valintine, Founder, Tech Futures Lab
The best ideas are simple and they solve a problem. – Frances Valintine, CNZM. Frances Valintine, Founder and CEO of The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab and recent inductee to the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs / Te Whare Whakahōnore i ngā Rakahinonga Wāhine o Aotearoa, shares her thoughts on what […]
Callaghan Innovation selects six new suppliers for its Founder and Startup Support Programme
Callaghan Innovation has signed up six businesses to run its new Founder and Startup Support Programme, aimed at helping founders, startups and entrepreneurs to get their businesses up and running. Te Wananga o Aotearoa Kōkiri, Creative HQ, HTK Group, Icehouse Ventures, Ministry of Awesome consortia, and Sprout Agritech Accelerator have been selected to deliver the […]
Click Studios
WHO: Click StudiosWHAT: Events; Workshops; Coworking; Connections to investment groupsHQ: AucklandESTABLISHED: 2020 INTRODUCTION Click Creative Tech Studios are a social enterprise coworking space set up to enable New Zealand’s creative tech companies and individuals to rapidly up skill and become internationally focused while providing a local location to connect and learn from each other. The […]
Waikato’s new Regional Business Partner
Hamilton based business growth driver, Soda Inc., is expanding its services to support more businesses as the Waikato’s new Regional Business Partner (RBP). Funded by the New Zealand Government, the Regional Business Partner (RBP) Network connects business of all sizes, industries and stages of growth to the right advice, support, resources and funding, to accelerate […]
Ask the right questions of the right people
Yes and no. Two simple words that can have loaded connotations. There’s certainly a place for single word answers, but when you’re building a business or teasing out an idea, you want to expand your thinking, not shut the conversation down. Keep your options open Hearing ‘no’ can feel limiting when you’re exploring why and […]
Tokaora Diagnostics takes out Taranaki PowerUp Kickstart comp
Frey and Pam Livingston and their startup Tokaora Diagnostics have taken out the top spot in the 2022 PowerUp Kickstart Finals Night, last Wednesday in New Plymouth, winning $10,000 to help take their idea to the next level. The mother and son duo are developing a type of Covid rapid antigen test (RAT) that will […]
Tech Futures Lab
WHO: Tech Futures LabWHAT: LEARNING & MENTORING; EVENTS; resourcesHQ: AucklandESTABLISHED: 2016 INTRODUCTION Tech Futures Lab is a leading edge learning environment that offers a range of NZQA accredited qualifications designed specifically for people seeking to innovate, redesign and reinvigorate organisations, industries and themselves. We do this by building capabilities and confidence in people to use […]
Rise Up 2022 Finalists announced
Aotearoa’s newest crop of female founders have spent the pandemic innovating, problem solving and putting their heart and soul into creating startups that challenge the status quo. Finalists in the 2022 Soda RISE UP competition include a diverse group of female entrepreneurs who have developed biodegradable coffins made from cardboard, ready-to-pour zero alcohol cocktails, eco-friendly […]
FEATURED AND FAVES
SPOTLIGHT
Why our small businesses are a BIG deal
In the entrepreneur world we hear a lot of talk about entrepreneurs and businesses needing to be “global from day one”. Investors and business commentators lament our lack of large global businesses and say the “three-B” (bach, ‘Beemer’ and boat) mentality of Kiwi business owners is holding us back. In this regard small businesses are often […]
Editorial: We owe a duty of care to founder mental health and it requires a collaborative solution
I didn’t know Jake Millar, save for a few emails swapped with our editor when he was just getting started with Unfiltered. As for so many others though, the news of his death by suicide last year still came as a shock and with a deep sense of sadness. Sadness for the loss of a […]
Why every Kiwi should back or build a startup
Not all of us are built to be founders but we can all find a way to back ambitious, world-changing businesses; whether it’s buying their products, using their services, promoting them, encouraging and supporting them or investing in them. Certainly, backing and building startups will do a whole lot more for our future and our […]
What Government funding is available for startups in NZ?
One of the questions we’re often asked is, “What Government funding is available for startups in New Zealand?” Like so many questions in life, the answer is, “It depends.” So you’ve come up with a great business idea. You know exactly what problem you want to solve, and how you’re going to solve it. And […]
Start-up or startup? And what exactly is one anyway?!
If you’ve ever thought that “startup” was simply another name for a new small business, you’d be right. But, you’d also be wrong. Richard Liew explains. The Spring blossoms are out in force here in Wanaka and if ever there was a season that represented the promise, the energy, and oh-so tantalising potential of the startup […]
5 questions every entrepreneur should ask when people offer advice
When you know nothing, even fools can sound like geniuses. This is a vital lesson that all entrepreneurs need to learn as soon as possible – one that I and other entrepreneurs I know have had to learn the hard way, many times over. When you first start out in entrepreneurship – by this I […]