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Getting your price right is something you can always do later. And if you don’t understand your ideal customer well, it’s best not to bother.

A thriving meal planning and smart shopping platform has rebranded, but how do you change your company’s secret sauce without alienating loyal users?

If you think you will beat the incumbents by playing their game but being better at it, you are in for some predictable pain.

The Fractional Directory cofounders scaled a project from something they worked on in their evenings, to Singapore in less than a year.

Women in deeptech research represent huge untapped potential for the country’s startup economy. A session at Electrify Aotearoa will investigate what’s needed to unleash it.

Volly Solutions is using Startup Aotearoa to grow its network and connect with previously unreachable customers.

Sydney Straver found launching a business in a new country has advantages as well as challenges.

How the founders of Good Change leveraged the Tauranga lifestyle to disrupt supermarket shelves.

Spalk has landed some of the best customers in its target market. What are its secrets and how does it keep them?

Hello Period cofounder Robyn McLean on starting up and why it’s important to surround yourself with people who hold you accountable.

What it means to be the first AI company to publicly list on the NZX with Being AI cofounder David McDonald.

Dennisson Technologies cofounder Anvil Bañez on building a big idea as well as a team who believes in it.

How founder Diane Stanbra convinced herself to start up a second-time round and the lessons she brought with her.

How Māmā Glow cofounder Kiani Tuhua is using Startup Aotearoa to take her platform global.

As our workforce changes, Actvo founder Melissa Jenner shares how she believes AI can even the playing field.

How Urban Intelligence cofounder, Mitchell Anderson, made academic theory user-friendly.

Like some sort of yin and yang, New Zealand’s greatest strengths when it comes to innovation can also create the greatest obstacles. But can we turn the obstacles to our advantage?

Companies banding together to electrify boating could help us reach ambitious export targets.

Hybrid Bikes founder Frank Witowski on taking on the world from his Nelson garage.

How Clearhead co-founder Dr Angela Lim is using AI to meet growing healthcare demands while protecting customer data.

Dexibit’s Angie Judge on the first hurdle to her entrepreneurial journey and taking a non-business-like approach to business.

How accurate it will be rests on ecosystem players doing their part.

Palmy has some big-city benefits – an airport, a university and investor networks – but some smaller-city advantages, such as cheaper housing and an easy commute. 

Kristen Lunman and Natalie Ferguson are trying to help empower women all year round through their new startup Powrsuit.

Sustainable harvesting and rongoā Māori practices help embed mātauranga Māori into the business as it sets its sights on further growth offshore.

Milk founder Ben Reid on starting up a second time and business pivots.

NZTE trade commissioner: “You’ve got three different cultures in an area the size of Lake Taupō; that’s going to make for some really interesting conversations.”

What’s it like being a teen founder in New Zealand? And what kind of support do they value most?

The national platform provides coaching to early-stage founders to set them on the right path.

Engineering clusters take shape to provide more opportunities by working together.

FTN Motion’s Luke Sinclair on building a product he was told wouldn’t grow fast enough for investors.

“I would want to be in 10 countries in 18 months or so”: Craig Piggott

There are plenty of reasons for optimism in Kiwi startups.

Angel Food founder Alice Shopland on sticking to her values and weathering unfavourable market conditions.

Anzel Singh says always start by talking with your customers.

Resource management software company Runn.io helps startups have the right people in the right place.

It’s been a tough year for startups on the investment front: 2024 looks challenging too.

Travel, online meetings and a virtual office space help Femmi co-founder Esther Keown stay on top of startup life from Tauranga.

Wanaka might be a small Kiwi town, but it’s well known among the global community that Rob Stirling’s startup, Scannable, is tapping into.

The difference between making it or not as a startup founder is the ability to keep going, says Compostic’s Jon Reed. 

Six presenters revealed lessons from their best marketing moments at Movac’s Disruptive Marketing Jam in Auckland.

Mevo founder Erik Zydervelt on the trials and tribulations of trying to build a big business.

Networking may seem too hard for some startup founders but others say it’s a vital skill.

Startups may have a head start when it comes to creating more diverse, inclusive and equitable workplaces, but also an outsized responsibility to do so. 

The startup founder wants to share her culture through games.

Nuance Capital general partner Mitali Purohit talks about taking a break while keeping the wheels on at work.

Beaufort founder Robert Kwok talks taking a break before hitting the floor of his new showroom.

Bolster cofounder Guy Phillips on learning how to juggle work with having a young child.

Online thrift store founder Wendy Quach talks catching up with family and managing her business from Tanzania. 

The Biotelliga team takes a collective break over summer – although the plants and microbes the deeptech firm works with will still be on the job.

Giapo founder Gianpaolo Grazioli on taking a break between launching Cherlato and expanding the business. 

Dr Angela Lim: CEO and co-founder, Clearhead.

New Zealand Capital Growth Partners boss Rob Everett on juggling work and holidays.

Zenno co-founder Max Arshavsky on juggling work and holidays.

Helius Therapeutics CEO Carmen Doran was named the most Inspiring Women leader in New Zealand business in 2023.

Agriculture forms the backbone of our economy, so it's only natural clusters of agritech firms have emerged developing technology to make farming more productive, sustainable – and profitable.

But, like marmite and vegemite, there are some subtle differences to factor in, says NZTE’s Sydney-based regional director.

Developing its robotic tractors from the heart of Marlborough wine country has not only helped Smart Machine get close to customers, but also investors who understand the viticulture industry and talent looking to escape the hustle and bustle.

It’s important to take your customer on your journey even if it leaves you feeling vulnerable, says Heist cofounder Rachel Lorenzon. ‍

Paying constant attention to narrowing its focus, especially when entering a massive market, has been crucial on Parkable’s journey into the US. 

Bridgit Hawkins sold her agritech startup Regen to CropX where she now holds a role as global chief sustainability officer. She discusses the steps to a successful deal.

Girl Native founder Rawinia Rimene on taking a business from Porirua to the Emmys.

Fast-growing, science and innovation-backed businesses dominate the awards field.

The first order from US sports medicine giant United Sports Brand outpaces all previous sales from the company, but that’s just the start.

The pull of a hometown might be strong, but carefully assess the facts and your aspirations when starting a business in a regional or rural location, advises Luke Fox

Ideally cofounder James Donald on lessons learnt from startup failures and successes.

Website builder Rocketspark has been building a community of graphic designers, including vision-impaired creative designer Laura Feavearyear who says getting to know people in the FMCG industry chain has helped her get more work.

Running a startup from Northland couldn’t be further from their former lives living and working in China. But CiRCLR founders Sara Smeath and Chris Saunders still find plenty of upside.

Seasick Sunscreen Co’s founder Natalie Jones on the importance of support networks and building in time for yourself as a founder.

SolarZero founder Andrew Booth gives six tips on scaling a startup.

Advice from experienced mentors key for young entrepreneurs participating in the Momentum programme.

Six presenters revealed lessons from their best marketing moments at Movac’s Disruptive Marketing Jam in Auckland.

Akahu CEO Ben Lynch on sticking to your guns even if the market isn’t ready.

Founder Tanne Snowden developed the brand after seeking a solution to her own skincare problems.‍

The conference will become the place for people to try to activate their tech and associated brands from now on. 

A Central Otago base has helped Fruitminder get key insights from early users of its product and connect with other hort-tech innovation, says co-founder and CEO Seb Chapman.

Caffeine looks at the outcome of a Government scheme to help businesses go digital after the Covid lockdowns.

Foodprint founder Michal Garvey on when a pivot can backfire and you might need to back-pedal.

Angel Association chair Suse Reynolds also takes out the inaugural award in her name.

SXSW Sydney, the event for tech and the creative industries, should become a fixture of the conference circuit.

‍WellNow co-founders Niamh Buchanan and Melanie Lynn reflect on the rollercoaster that is starting a business.

The founder of Auckland-based metaverse and AI unicorn, Futureverse, has cautioned the incoming government against major changes in tech regulation.

MenuAid co-founder Toby Skilton discusses the importance of people in making a product.

Extend your network and back up your vision with data to combat tall poppy syndrome, says Taupō-based Treat NZ founder Fleur Wolstenholme

Regional clusters have huge potential to boost economic activity and grow exports, but they need adequate funding to accelerate their development.

Caffeine talks to Marissa Brindley, Head of Tech and Innovation at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, on a new partnership between GridAKL and Stone & Chalk and the first year of Tech Tāmaki Makaurau.

Creating a demo centre in California has been vital for Foundry Lab to get in front of new customers and investors.

The story of three Māori entrepreneurs from Whakatane resonated with customers.

Mentors, social media savvy and being unafraid to knock on doors all help propel young entrepreneurs.

Think globally from day one and keep expanding your horizons, says the co-founder of the global design platform.

Highlights from a morning at startup festival Sunrise Aotearoa.

Despite decades of experience in collectibles working with valuable IP, bringing big brands like Disney, Marvel and DC into the digital collectibles world still required hustle, says VeVe co-founder David Yu

Early experience building remote teams has helped Carepatron reach customers in more than 40 countries from Tauranga.

The startup founder wants to share her culture through games.

Emerging technologies will shape our future, so let’s have a robust, open and national debate on how we can best harness them to empower Aotearoa, says futurist Ben Reid.

Company founder Janine Grainger wants to recognise the official language status of te reo Māori.

Kea World Class New Zealand Award winner Dr Anu Anandaraja founded Women Together which has helped women in Malawi become financially independent. She now wants to expand into New Mexico in the US, Mozambique and New Zealand.