Global investment in nuclear fusion surges, why that matters for NZ
Plus: Last chance to secure your spot at Revved 2025: Where Business Gets Real.
Happy Thursday!
Kia ora Caffeinators,
Hope all those readers who headed along to our event with Airwallex last night had a spectacular time and for those who missed it, we will be posting some photos from the evening shortly.
Elsewhere in the newsey we have a real classic mix of an upcoming great event, global news, listening recs and a parting shot covering a genuinely remarkable bit of tech which makes me feel a little existentially afraid. See y’all tomorrow.
Here’s what’s brewing in your Daily Shot:
Ask him anything: BNZ’s Head of EmergingTech Business
Global investment in nuclear fusion surges, why that matters for NZ
Startup Theatre podcast is back with a banger
Skild AI unveils ‘robot brain’ for general purpose robotics
As always, thank you to everyone who has upgraded to a paid subscription or simply recommended Caffeine to friends and whānau. We couldn’t do any of this without you.
Finn and the CAFFEINE team
Ask him anything: BNZ’s Head of EmergingTech Business
Startups can be hard. Banking shouldn’t be. Whether you’re bootstrapping or wanting to attract VC investment, having a strong relationship with your bank can be a key factor in your start up’s success.
BNZ’s Technology Industries team is running an ‘Ask Me Anything’ Q&A series for Caffeine Daily readers – an easy way for founders to get any finance-related questions answered.
Based in Christchurch, Jason is all about powering tech businesses that deliver new and rapidly growing technologies – think advanced manufacturing, robotics, aerospace, artificial intelligence, IoT, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and software-enabled hardware. He’s witnessed first-hand the region’s remarkable shift from traditional manufacturing to leading out high-tech innovation.
Curious to know more? Email any questions to Jason_P_Hill@bnz.co.nz by 5th August, and Jason will tackle them through our newsletter next week.
Global attention turns to nuclear fusion, why that matters for NZ: It’s Thursday and you know that’s when I like taking a wider view on global trends and one report which caught my attention last week was from the Fusion Industry Association highlighting some remarkable growth in its sector.
The so called ‘holy grail’ of energy production, nuclear fusion, has always been ‘around 30 years away’ for the past century. The promise of cheap, clean and abundant energy provided by harnessing the same nuclear force powering our sun but in miniature on Earth has for a long time been seen by sceptics as a beautiful pipe dream. Well, looking at the numbers, it looks like that future could finally be coming true.
Key Facts:
Fusion companies raised a total of $2.64 billion in the 12 months leading to July 2025.
The year’s investment total is the highest since 2022 and a 178% rise from last year.
Total funding for the 53 fusion companies stands at $9.766 billion, a five-fold increase since 2021
A big part of the global shift to fusion comes from the fact that we literally can’t power the green electric and A.I heavy future without radically scaling up our access to power. As ever hunger data centres are rolled out globally, a stable and clean power supply is essential and a lot of serious people are betting nuclear fusion will be a crucial part of that supply. If we want the sci-fi future that’s coming into view, we need a previously only sci-fi form of power to switch it on.
Mentioned in the report and based here in New Zealand, OpenStar Technologies is competing on the world stage with an innovative reactor concept called ‘the levitated dipole’. There’s something very fitting about a Kiwi being the scientist to first split the atom and unlock the first nuclear age and now having a Kiwi startup help hopefully usher in the next, much more optimistic one. Check out the full report here.
Event: Revved 2025: Where Business Gets Real August 7 - With ticket sales closing in the next 24 hours its your last chance to secure a spot at one of the coolest events in the start up calendar. Revved brings together some of Aotearoa’s most forward-thinking business minds for a full day of connection, insight, and the kind of thinking that builds real momentum.
It opens with “The Future of Business Is Community” — a panel led by Professor Pankaj Choudhary, exploring why business, government, and community must move in sync to create meaningful progress. It’s not philosophical fluff — It’s a call to lead with people at the centre and build a stronger Aotearoa business network from the ground up.
Expect real conversations — not a highlights reel. Google NZ and Microsoft NZ leaders sharing a stage, openly discussing how they're navigating the next 18 months. Competitors, yet collaborators sharing raw, real leadership lessons.
Plus, The Great AI Debate, where leading voices will challenge each other (and you) about the tech shaping your future. Will it drive transformational progress? Or are we hurtling toward blind adoption without guardrails?
And the best part? Your ticket gives you 12 months of access to Revved’s ongoing business community — with events, workshops, founder tools, and opportunities to connect all year round.
Revved 2025 | August 7 | Viaduct Events Centre
For founders, leaders, and ambitious thinkers ready to build what’s next — together.
Startup Theatre podcast is back with a banger: Our friends over the Startup Theatre pod are back with a great ep. I sadly was indisposed for this record but expect my mug to make a return soon. In this episode, host Serge van Dam engages in a dynamic conversation with founders Irina Miller from Daisy Lab and Mrinali Kumar from EatKinda
These amazing founders are pioneering the alternative protein sector in New Zealand. You will hear them both discuss their journeys, the challenges of scaling their startups, and the importance of innovation in the food industry. Irina shares insights about Daisy Lab's mission to create dairy alternatives using precision fermentation, while Millie talks about her experience launching cauliflower-based ice cream with Eat Kinda.
The conversation also touches on the broader plant-based market landscape, the role of female founders in startups. Check out the full ep here.
Skild AI unveils ‘robot brain’ for general purpose robotics: If the above image feels like a still from a low budget but well produced sci-fi horror about the robot rebellion, I regret to inform you it is in fact an ad from a company helping to turn that hypothetical nightmare into a potential reality.
Skild AI, a startup backed by Amazon and Sequoia raised a $300m Series A last year and now are unveiling what they put that money to work on. Called ‘Skild Brain, its a foundational A.I model which can act as the baseline operating system across a vast field of robotics, from humanoid to factory line mechanized arms to robotic dogs.
I know I have banged on about it before but I think an under covered part of the A.I revolution is what’s happening in robotics. We are going to be the first generation to see a robot walking down the street and I think we will be shocked by how quickly we get used to seeing them. Check out the full announcement here.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Want to get in touch with a news tip, bit of feedback or just to chat? Email hello@caffeinedaily.co