Some of Australia’s leading venture capitalists are visiting our shores in August. For New Zealand tech startups looking to raise capital, this might be a great opportunity to meet, connect and engage. The visit is being put together by the aptly-named High Expectation and its co-sponsors, Amazon Web Services and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE). You can learn more [...]
This week, New Zealand hosts the southern hemisphere’s largest agricultural show. Jacqui and I will be joining the more than 130,000 others, expected to attend 2017 National Fieldays . It's four days of high-profile AgTech goodness. Fieldays is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural show Fieldays really is a show for everyone. With its tractor pulling competitions, wood chopping, [...]
Yesterday, Tauranga-based Enterprise Angels launched the AngelEquity equity crowdfunding platform. AngelEquity aims to bring together wholesale investors and business angels to connect them with entrepreneurs. It is this that sets it apart from New Zealand’s other seven existing equity crowd funding platforms. This in no ‘mom and pop’ investment platform. Tauranga - New Zealand's regional investment ecosystem template [...]
I’ve spent this morning going through my recent posts and two themes seem to stand out. An obsession with AgTech and an obsession with the Valley. The truth is, I have no problem with that. They have become core to my DNA. The reality however is that for the first time in five years, it looks as though I will [...]
It’s hard to believe that it’s over two years since I first posted articles to this blog asking the simple question. Can Tauranga replicate Boulder? For those of you who might have missed them, you can view the original posts below. They are as relevant today as they were then. Can Tauranga Replicate Boulder? - Part 1 (Introduction) Can Tauranga [...]
New Year is a great time to set out your key resolutions and priorities for the coming 12 months. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I do have some pretty firm ideas about just where I expect Wharf42 to be heading in 2016. These are to be our key areas of focus. Wharf42's Key Focus Areas of Actvity [...]
David Porter, Business Editor of the Bay of Plenty Times, wrote up an interesting piece in Saturday’s paper. He talked about how a new regional research institute in the Bay would build on existing initiatives taking place in the region. The background to the piece goes back to the Government’s 2015 Budget. The Government then announced that up to three [...]
Fantastic news overnight from Palmerston North-based founder-focused incubator, BCC. They are launching Sprout, a nationwide agritech business accelerator programme. The program is being launched with some great partners: Callaghan Innovation, Enterprise Angels (massive shout-out to Bill and the team back in Tauranga), Gallagher, LIC, Massey University, NZTE and MIG Angels. Corporate partners (check out my Plug and Play Expo post [...]
Last week, the Bay of Plenty Times published an article which talked about the progress that WNT Ventures (WNT) was making. Yesterday, I took part in a WNT Board call from my office in Silicon Valley. The location was fitting, but more of that later. First however, a quick recap. WNT is one of the three new tech-focused Incubators that [...]
It’s great to see that Enterprise Angels have secured a visit to Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty with leading US Angel investor, John May. John is the managing partner of New Vantage Group, a McLean, VA firm that innovatively mobilizes private equity into early-stage companies and provides advisory services to both funds, private investors and entrepreneurs. John has been [...]
