The PowerUp podcast is back for season five with an inspiring line-up of trailblazing entrepreneurs, kicking off with James Donald, one of the brightest names in New Zealand’s tech startup scene.
Brought to you by Regional Development Agency, Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki, the PowerUp podcast continues to lift the lid on the Taranaki region’s most inspiring founders and innovators, with honest, no-fluff conversations that spotlight the realities of starting, growing, and staying the course in business, all while living the famous Taranaki lifestyle.
Hosted again by long time business advocate and NZ Story CEO, David Downs, each episode highlights the guest’s unique journeys, lessons learnt, ah-ha moments, and inspiring insights into how they’ve accomplished all that they have.
The first three episodes in the seven-part season have now dropped, starting with James Donald, the first ever return guest to feature on the PowerUp podcast. Since his initial appearance, James has exited his successful tourism-tech venture Yonder and gone on to co-found Ideally, a fast-growing platform transforming how market research is done.
James’ episode is a masterclass in the startup cycle, covering the whole journey from founding, scaling, and exiting, to using those hard-won lessons to do it all again. He dives into tech trends, AI, team dynamics, and the power of staying laser- focused on your customer. It’s an unmissable deep dive for founders with big ambitions.
Episode two features Abby Packer, founder of Neat NZ, the skincare brand that began in Abby’s Taranaki kitchen and now ships thousands of orders globally each month. Abby discusses sustainability, team management, and mental health. Her reflections offer valuable guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially women carving their own path in business.
Rounding out the first three episodes are Lisa Deken and Leeanne Snowdon of Down to Earth Organics, a holistic health hub and local institution in New Plymouth. As friends turned co-owners, they took the reins during the chaos of the Covid pandemic. They share their wisdom in taking over an existing business rather than starting one from scratch, and how they balance their relationship.
The first three episodes of season five are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes released every Thursday.
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As the Regional Development Agency, Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki is powering up the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Taranaki so that fresh thinking and innovation can continue to thrive in the like no other region.
For more information on PowerUp, visit venture.org.nz
