2012-05-22 13:54:54 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Got a fantastic business idea? Want to turn your startup into a successful enterprise? Have a business with great growth potential?
2012-05-21 10:18:57 // Idealog
New Zealand tech firm Jade Software is opening an office in the Middle East to build on the success of its port management software Master Terminal.
2012-05-16 14:31:02 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
New Zealand has all the basics to help businesses thrive – the challenge is to step it up a notch.
2012-05-15 10:25:25 // Peter Kerr
// The Idealog Blog
Wellington’s Enspiral is a difficult beast to describe in traditional terms. For a start, there’s very little to compare it to.
2012-05-11 12:49:28 // Hazel Phillips
// Idealog #39: interact
After noticing the explosion of artisan food and our thirst for more and more goodies, Greig Buckley decided to give it an e-commerce twist.
2012-05-11 12:00:25 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Know of an outstanding entrepreneur deserving of recognition? Or think you have the chops to pass muster?
2012-05-10 10:10:20 // Josh Martin
// The Idealog Blog
| 2 comments
Unless you’re a proud member of the beige brigade you may not have heard about the Kiwi cricketing app that's knocked the world for six.
2012-05-09 14:32:25 // Esther Goh
// Idealog #39: now
| 4 comments
Up-and-coming company goodnature is revolutionising the way we kill pests to make the process better for animals, the environment and, in the long run, our wallets.
2012-05-08 10:13:24 // Peter Kerr
// The Idealog Blog
The recent KiwiNet group hug in Wellington showed the value of having a dealmaker-come-salesman attitude when it comes to commercialisation.
2012-05-08 10:00:17 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Auckland Startup Weekend is back for a third year and it's slated to be hosted at the ecentre on the North Shore from June 15-17.
2012-05-04 12:40:46 // Simon Pound
// Idealog #39: now
Online store host solution Dremus could be the next Vend-flavoured success story out of Aotearoa.
2012-05-04 12:19:22 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
Graeme Fielder is mixing science and business nous in his new startup, an online market for used lab and technical equipment.
2012-05-03 14:47:33 // Vaughn Davis
// Idealog #39: now
Auckland's second best-known goat farming aeroplane flying ad agency owner Vaughn Davis drops into the new but definitely not ostentatious offices of newborn events company Celery Productions.
2012-05-03 09:41:05 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
Theo Paphitis has lost count of all the businesses he’s invested in, and his criteria for picking companies to bet on has changed over the years, but he says ultimately success all comes down to the people factor. It doesn’t matter how great a business idea is – without a good person behind it, it won’t fly.
2012-05-03 08:59:52 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Local private equity investment bounced back in 2011, to the tune of 88 percent, but venture and early stage funding fell by nearly two-thirds.
2012-05-01 12:10:51
// Idealog #39: interact
| 2 comments
Mixtape.co.nz, the brainchild of media man James Coleman, is harking back to the good old days.
2012-04-30 14:40:33 // Idealog
Since 2003, TradeMe and vehicle listing aggregator AutoBase Limited have had a cosy exclusive business arrangement in place, and today the Fairfax-owned giant entered into an agreement to purchase the latter outright.
2012-04-26 09:20:29 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Commercialisation professionals from around the country will be gathering in Wellington next week at the KiwiNet Commercialisation Forum to delve into the hot topic of market-led tech transfer.
2012-04-26 09:15:05
Peter Thiel presents a divisive idea: that commercial competition undermines innovation and creativity, writes David Brooks in the New York Times.
2012-04-24 12:07:46 // Idealog
Remember Revolution Fibres, the company hard at work creating fibres naked to the human eye with potential in the cosmetics, health and electronics markets? Well, now it has developed and produced a new ultra-sensitive air filter for HRV using nanofibre technology infused with the antibacterial properties of manuka.
2012-04-23 11:29:08 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Icebreaker's Jeremy Moon and Douglas Pharmaceuticals' Sir Graeme Douglas are among this year's winners of the World Class New Zealand Awards.
2012-04-23 10:14:12 // Idealog
Biofuel company Aquaflow is looking to raise hundreds of millions of dollars globally global investors to build itself a refinery.
2012-04-23 10:03:39 // Idealog
NZ King Salmon is working with with two of Japan’s largest retail centralised buying organisations (CBOs) to expand its market reach to 80 supermarket chains comprising 2500 stores.
2012-04-23 09:42:44 // Esther Goh
Avos Systems, a company led by led by YouTube cofounders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, is setting up shop in New Zealand.
2012-04-20 15:43:46 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Ever had one of those lightbulb moments – that split second where you're convinced your brainwave could make you a fortune?
2012-04-20 13:27:55 // Josh Martin
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
It may not have the Wellywood sign, but Mike Wallis’ self-funded feature Good for Nothing is proof of the filmmaking prowess and unaccountable benefits for films produced in the capital.
2012-04-19 13:38:41 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Say you've spent decades in business, building up a reputation in your field and and some pretty solid experience. But stepping into the shoes of a CEO or similar is just not for you. Where to next?
2012-04-18 16:03:34 // Esther Goh
Auckland company Precept Health has just inked a deal to put its medical software and equipment into 39 Thai hospitals, bringing its global total to 46.
2012-04-18 12:16:02 // Hazel Phillips
// Idealog #39: now
| 3 comments
New Auckland-loving website gather & hunt is all about the love – and has design at the forefront of its mission
2012-04-18 10:58:52 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
A gelato maker, antifungal skincare and sustainable casket manufacturer – these are just some of the many and varied finalists in this year's Wellington Gold Awards.
2012-04-18 10:10:10 // Esther Goh
| 3 comments
"See your wedding through their eyes." That's the slogan used by uSnap.us, winner of the recent Wellington Startup Weekend, which has just launched after three months of R&D work.
2012-04-16 09:58:19 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
The Nelson-based Cawthron Institute says it has cracked a new and lucrative export market with rare organic compounds derived from algae.
2012-04-12 11:13:02 // Josh Martin
// The Idealog Blog
| 7 comments
Donate Your Desktop is combining digital advertising and charitable causes to improve the world – one desktop at a time.
2012-04-11 16:39:07 // Idealog
Thanks to Pie Funds and existing institutional investor Milford Asset Management, Ecoya has snapped up an additional $2 million in funds.
2012-04-11 16:11:11 // Jack Yan
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
We’re still hampered by politicians who cannot see past their own national boundaries or, at best, look at competing solely with a neighbouring nation.
2012-04-11 09:42:38
// Idealog #38: features
Self-publishing is an avenue more and more authors are taking. Here's how to make the self-publishing route work for you.
2012-04-10 15:12:30 // Josh Martin
// The Idealog Blog
| 3 comments
The saying ‘sharing is caring’ makes up the essence of one Aucklander’s social experiment – a website that gives away goods and services for free.
2012-04-10 14:33:18 // Idealog
Tait Communications has secured another international deal, this time with the state of Mississippi for the Christchurch company’s digital radios to be used on its network.
2012-04-10 10:02:49 // Idealog
| 1 comment
Wellington's MiniMonos, which is close to reaching one million players, has raised €1 million (NZ$1.6m) in a round led by the former head of EMI.
2012-04-05 13:52:34 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Creative collective Draw Inc claimed the top prize at last week's Innes 48-hour startup competition.
2012-04-04 16:31:45 // Ben Fahy
Resn's digital boffins/idiot savants work for one of the rare few Kiwi companies that can claim to be based in New Zealand and do work for big brands all around the world.
2012-04-03 14:37:42 // Simon Pound
// Idealog #38: now
| 1 comment
Dion Nash, founder of the just-launched skincare company Triumph & Disaster, tells Simon Pound how metrosexuality translates to a hot new brand.
2012-04-03 09:29:23 // Jil O'Brien
// The Idealog Blog
| 4 comments
How to manage the conflicting needs of family and business? Take a serious look at the way you work and where you're spending your time.
2012-04-02 11:19:35 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
Kiwi business Manuka Doctor has nabbed a finalists' spot in the annual Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) UK Beauty Awards for its purified bee venom products.
2012-03-28 16:35:28 // Mike Atkinson
// The Idealog Blog
Tomorrow is important, today is urgent – and like many matters that are important but not urgent, there is a way to get them done: create a process.
2012-03-28 07:50:46 // Idealog
There's $10 million up for grabs for startups over the next five years, thanks to a renewed partnership between Ice Angels and NZVIF.
2012-03-27 22:59:10 // Idealog
Turning a profit despite the GFC, breaking new markets, creating new technologies - it's all part of the hunt to find the best of the best in bioscience, and this year the mantle of NZBIO's Company of the Year was bestowed on Douglas Pharmaceuticals.
2012-03-27 08:01:47 // Idealog
Auckland angel and venture investment group Sparkbox Ventures is looking to give tech startups a leg up by offering a range of advisory services to assist young companies eager to expand.
2012-03-26 23:30:38 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Exports make up about a third of our economy and they’re continuing to grow that slice of the pie. We’re moving up the value chain slowly, says NZTE chief executive Peter Chrisp – but overall, the picture is static, and that’s a huge concern.
2012-03-26 10:35:46 // Idealog
| 1 comment
Jade Software's newest international business – Wynyard Group – is out to help public agencies fight crime and corruption and threats.
2012-03-22 21:41:59 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Kiwi tech companies will be first in line to benefit from Facebook investor Peter Thiel and the NZVIF teaming up to form a $40 million New Zealand-based venture capital fund.
2012-03-21 22:00:51 // Idealog
| 1 comment
Orion Health – described by judges as an IT “megastar” – was the supreme winner at tonight's New Zealand International Business Awards.
2012-03-21 14:54:24 // Idealog
Baggage handling technology company and finalist in the New Zealand International Business awards, BCS Group, opened a new regional office in Malaysia’s MSC high tech corridor.
2012-03-21 10:36:44 // Idealog
3D city software provider Nextspace is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a move to Auckland's proposed Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct, the first technology company to set up shop in the area.
2012-03-20 10:36:47 // Andy Kenworthy
// Idealog #38: workshop
| 1 comment
Biz whiz Derek Handley reckons sustainability and innovation would make for smashing bedfellows.
2012-03-19 16:04:09 // Idealog
Cookie Time Limited has been voted best New Zealand-owned business by the Grocery Retailers' Association and taken out gold for best small business for the fourth year running.
2012-03-19 13:14:57 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
T-shirts have become an artform, a canvas for wit and quips, and there’s nobody better at showing off uniquely Kiwi phraseology on a shirt than Christchurch-based Global Culture.
2012-03-19 09:44:56 // Idealog
LanzaTech is extending its relationship with New Zealand Steel with a new trans-Tasman agreement for a pilot project to convert waste gases to low carbon fuels and chemicals.
2012-03-16 15:14:28 // Joanna Mathers
// Idealog #38: now
| 3 comments
Hayley King has pulled together business and art in creating her all-encompassing design label Flox.
2012-03-12 09:13:48 // Simon Pound
// Idealog #38: features
| 2 comments
It's a classic Kiwi story of little guy made good. And after being pitted against dairy giant Fonterra over perceived product similarities, the two blokes behind brand Nice Blocks are hanging off the back end of a tiger.
2012-03-09 14:09:38 // Esther Goh
It's all go this month at Auckland-based Sonar6, where they're finalising a US$14 million deal with a Californian buyer.
2012-03-09 10:16:15 // Idealog
New Zealand business Traffic Systems Limited has won an international tender to supply pedestrian countdown timers to Transport for London.
2012-03-09 09:19:42 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Powershop has had a cracker of a debut run since exploding onto the scene in 2009. Can it maintain its momentum?
2012-03-08 16:13:57 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
| 2 comments
New Zealand-based PQ Blackwell is set to launch a website that will make it possible for anybody to create a tailor-made book – be it a life story, photo book or an ambitious art album.
2012-03-08 09:37:32 // Esther Goh
// Idealog #38: workshop
| 7 comments
Geo-tagging, photosharing app Snapr is well placed to carve out a niche in this burgeoning space.
2012-03-07 11:06:43 // Idealog
New Zealand marine electronics specialist Electronic Navigation Ltd and SatComms Australia have entered into a joint venture, forming SatComms NZ.
2012-03-07 10:57:34 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Indian, Australasian and European market experts will be converging in Auckland next month for this year’s Go Global conference.
2012-03-07 10:57:04 // Idealog
Windflow Technologies will supply turbines to the Americas as part of a deal with Texas-based General Dynamics Satcom Technologies.
2012-03-06 15:02:37 // Jil O'Brien
// The Idealog Blog
| 8 comments
All over the country, new mums are shunning an early return to their corporate roots in favour of developing their entrepreneurial dreams.
2012-03-06 14:54:55 // Idealog
Angel are investing smaller amounts in each deal as they focus on supporting existing companies rather than investing in new businesses, according to the latest Young Company Finance Index.
2012-03-05 10:10:45 // Idealog
Mako Networks has announced a new international deal with Phoenix Managed Networks in the US to distribute and resell its technology in the US and UK.
2012-03-02 15:35:56 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
| 3 comments
There were no surprises in the release of Cleantech Group and WWF's clean energy index this week.
2012-03-02 13:13:08 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
| 11 comments
Auckland-based digital media agency Skull and Bones is breaking new ground with a new venture – its own fashion label.
2012-02-29 13:43:22 // Paul Adams
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
New Zealand is at a public research crossroad: push it into the real world or continue to write off vast amounts.
2012-02-28 12:16:32 // Esther Goh
// Idealog #38: now
Incubator Creative HQ has pushed the go button on its inaugural gaming bootcamp. Thumbs at the ready...
2012-02-27 17:07:03 // Stacey Riordan
// The Idealog Blog
| 2 comments
When it comes to evaluating potential investment opportunities, it all comes down to the three Ts.
2012-02-27 15:31:45 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
| 2 comments
A fresh new Kiwi startup is out to help the local food movement by taking admin hassles out of the equation so farmers can spend more time growing their tomatoes and less time sorting out receipts.
2012-02-23 14:33:52 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Powershop last night picked up its prize as the top Kiwi contender in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific index.
2012-02-20 10:21:21 // Idealog
Cookie Time has come up against a Chinese company in a fight to preserve its logo but the dispute could take years to settle.
2012-02-17 10:31:34 // Esther Goh
Wellington's Go Vocab, a language learning business that's barely a year old, has taken out the inaugural BNZ Startup Alley competition at Webstock.
2012-02-16 14:50:22 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
Angel investment groups, it seems, still think women are only suited to being Charlie's Angels.
2012-02-13 10:51:56 // Idealog
BurgerFuel is well and truly on a Middle East roll – the fast food chain is set to roll out stores in Qatar in conjunction with the Al Siddiqi Group (SIG), which has interests in both the retail and hospitality sectors.
2012-02-13 10:27:20 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
The EU is on a drive to recruit talented scientists from around the world, and three Kiwis are already leading the way.
2012-02-10 13:59:42 // Idealog
ExportNZ is stepping up its focus on growing opportunities in Korea, teaming up with the Korea New Zealand Business Council (KNZBC).
2012-02-09 13:09:54 // Peter Kerr
// The Idealog Blog
Steven Joyce has the opportunity to spout a new mantra on behalf of all New Zealanders – have a go, and another after that.
2012-02-09 10:35:58 // Esther Goh
| 1 comment
Alan Gibbs has unveiled his latest amphibious vehicle in Washington DC, which he says has potential for military use as well as emergency and humanitarian responses.
2012-02-08 10:00:31 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
An all-star lineup of speakers – including top brass from Google, Facebook, Pepsico, and Saatchi & Saatchi – has been confirmed at the 2012 Entrepreneursʼ Organisation Queenstown University conference from February 22-26.
2012-02-07 10:47:14 // StopPress Team
Directing collective Special Problems has gotten on board with The Sweet Shop to execute commercial and branded content work worldwide.
2012-02-07 09:33:52 // Idealog
Tauranga-based Heilala Vanilla has its eye on stepping up exporting efforts after signing an investment deal with the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund and Enterprise Angels BOP.
2012-02-03 15:04:08 // Idealog
Focusing on the US is paying off for New Zealand software business Biomatters, which is reporting a 50 percent increase in sales revenue for 2011.
2012-02-03 08:30:31 // Esther Goh
The government has plenty of opportunities to deepen New Zealand's capital markets and fix IP laws to stimulate innovation, a briefing to the incoming commerce minister reads.
2012-02-02 10:42:41 // Idealog
Christchurch's Fabrum Solutions has scored a three-month, $350,000 contract to supply parts to US-based machinery manufacturer Vermeer for a drilling product designed in Timaru.
2012-02-01 16:24:26 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
There's a new site on the daily deal block, with Flossie.com rising from the ashes to help the hair and beauty industry fill in downtime.
2012-01-31 14:26:38 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) has launched a database of national research projects, inventions and patents, with an eye to connecting businesses, entrepreneurs and investors worldwide.
2012-01-31 13:36:48 // Sarah Robson
// Idealog #37: now
One sunscreen's the same as the next, right? Not for these two brands, which are cashing in on our fear of the burn.
2012-01-31 13:23:22 // Idealog
Pacific Edge is looking to open its first US franchise to market bladder cancer detection test, Cxbladder(R), by the end of the year.
2012-01-27 10:54:32 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
| 2 comments
Wellington company Educa is one of the new wave of startups out to shake up education by improving communication between early childhood providers and parents.
2012-01-26 09:37:50 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
Men on the lookout for a good tux rejoice, for Rembrandt is finally opening its first own-brand store in New Zealand.
2012-01-25 09:52:02 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Startup Weekend chief executive Marc Nager talks innovation, bootstrapping and community-building.
2012-01-24 16:30:35 // Idealog
After a decade of attempts to break into the US acne medication market, Douglas Pharmaceuticals has gained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to sell its New Zealand-developed acne drug, isotretinoin.
2012-01-24 10:36:24 // Idealog
LanzaTech, the Kiwi producer of low-carbon fuels and chemicals from waste gases and darling of the cleantech biz, has closed its Series C round with new investment totaling US$55.8 million ($68.8 million) led by the Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund.
2012-01-23 10:19:31 // Esther Goh
Optimizer HQ has become the company with the second-youngest chief executive to be listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange behind Puma’s Jochen Zeitz.
2012-01-20 15:32:46 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
New Zealand’s own Stabicraft Marine has just delivered nine custom boats to Alaska, where they'll be used to monitor gillnetting by commercial fishermen and the number of fish and birds caught.
2012-01-20 13:57:02 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
Six finalists are in the running to win $10,000 as part of BNZ’s Start-Up Alley, recognising new and innovative web ventures in New Zealand.
2012-01-19 14:28:27 // Deirdre Robert
// Idealog #37: now
With the likes of the Auckland Council and Melbourne's South East Water on the books, Nextspace is scratching the surface of a $2 billion market potential.
2012-01-18 12:07:12 // Idealog
Kiwibank is buying Gareth Morgan Investments, the funds management company owned by high-profile commentator and economist Gareth Morgan.
2012-01-16 11:42:29 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
The 27 finalists in the New Zealand International Business Awards have been announced, and they run the gamut from health to software development to magnet manufacturing.
2012-01-16 10:18:02 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
Maui Capital, a New Zealand private equity group, has bought a majority stake in Australasian fruit and produce company Freshmax.
2012-01-16 09:35:50 // Kate Beecroft
// Idealog #37: now
1-Night, Dash Tickets, and Ticket Direct are giving the complacent entertainment giants a serve.
2012-01-12 14:36:27 // Idealog
Orion Health says it's well on track to becoming a billion-dollar software company, with Paris the latest city to enter the fold.
2012-01-11 11:15:35 // Ruby Porter
As a country, we’re big on animals. From our reputation as a farming nation to our love of the humble household pet, animal welfare is big on the agenda for most Kiwis and now we have the company to match.
2012-01-10 15:07:03 // Siobhan Leathley
Icebreaker, the New Zealand company behind the merino wool movement, today revealed plans to open its second store in New York City.
2012-01-10 10:59:45 // Idealog
Retailers around New Zealand are about to get access to unprecedented amounts of bulk gift and homeware products at clearance prices.
2012-01-09 13:54:43 // Esther Goh & Siobhan Leathley
The Kiwi founder of tech blog ReadWriteWeb says its buyout by SAY Media will take the website to the next level.
2012-01-09 10:05:23 // Idealog
| 1 comment
LanzaTech has acquired a US biofuel plant in a foreclosure sale as part of a government-approved liquidation.
2011-12-21 16:41:42 // Siobhan Leathley
The quintessential Kiwi snack is heading overseas, with the iconic Cookie Time company in talks to extend the brand overseas.
2011-12-21 12:39:01 // Siobhan Leathley
UK Trade and Investments (UKTI) has confirmed Icehouse chief executive Andrew Hamilton is joining the GO UK judging panel.
2011-12-19 11:29:08 // Siobhan Leathley
| 1 comment
Tait Radio Communications has struck export success in South America after securing two big deals in Brazil.
2011-12-19 10:51:52 // Ben Kepes
// The Idealog Blog
| 5 comments
For every crash and burn, it’ll be the Ma and Pa business that saves this country’s bacon.
2011-12-19 10:02:44 // Kate Beecroft
Manuka Health has announced its arrival as a serious biotech player with the potential for multi-million dollar exports.
2011-12-16 10:08:51 // Idealog
| 1 comment
After a hard-fought race, FaceMe has been crowned the winner of the BNZ Presents: The Virgin Business Challenge, after being judged best by some of New Zealand’s top entrepreneurial and business minds.
2011-12-16 09:59:13 // Idealog
Ex-Fonterra chief executive Andrew Ferrier is joining the board of New Zealand's largest privately-owned software exporter.
2011-12-13 11:39:33 // Siobhan Leathley
Independent Liquor says more than 100 bars and restaurants have signed up to its new tap beer option, indicating the industry's thirst for choice.
2011-12-13 09:03:38 // Esther Goh
The government must give the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund room to grow if it is to survive, says the head of the national venture capital association.
2011-12-12 09:29:33 // Deirdre Robert
// Idealog #36: features
| 1 comment
Creating fibres naked to the human eye is at the heart of what the Revolution Fibres team does. But add some secret sauce to these fibres and suddenly there's the potential to overturn the cosmetics, health and electronics markets. And that's just for starters.
2011-12-08 09:24:04 // Hazel Phillips
// Idealog #36: now
| 3 comments
Professional skier Hamish Acland has turned his hand from shredding on the slopes to sewing together a merino brand that's plugging the gaps others aren't.
2011-12-08 09:14:14 // Idealog
Ten finalists have been announced in the BNZ Presents: The Virgin Business Challenge, a competition to find New Zealand’s best start-up talent.
2011-12-08 09:00:20 // Siobhan Leathley
// The Idealog Blog
A new Kiwi website is out to ease the hassles of homeownership – in particular, finding reliable tradespeople.
2011-12-06 15:08:54 // Kate Beecroft
Jade Software, New Zealand’s largest software company, has partnered with Australian financial services company ClearView Wealth via its mobile platform company JOOB.
2011-12-06 14:27:06 // Kate Beecroft
New Zealand business LanzaTech has received a US$3 million grant from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to speed up the commercial accessibility of the next advancement in alternative aviation fuel.
2011-12-05 14:27:08 // Idealog
Wellington-based angel investment group Angel HQ is partnering with the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund to invest up to $8 million into startup companies.
2011-12-02 09:24:12 // Idealog
| 1 comment
New Zealand businesses have proved they can hold their own internationally, with 37 Kiwi firms making the cut in the annual Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific index.
2011-11-30 16:20:58 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Nine months after its inception, a joint venture between five New Zealand wineries has established its own US importing business and secured distribution into 14 states from New York to California.
2011-11-30 10:10:38 // Idealog
Tait Radio Communications has successfully implemented a new radio communications system for London Buses, completing a US$15 million ($19.7 million) contract.
2011-11-28 14:07:03 // Sarah Robson
// Idealog #36: interact
Eleven years after Sam Minnee co-founded SilverStripe as a 17-year-old, he's taken the reins of the 40-strong business as chief executive.
2011-11-25 10:59:13 // Idealog
New Zealand is forging closer ties with one of the largest research organisations in the US with the signing of a cooperation agreement with the Texas A&M University System.
2011-11-25 10:17:55 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
At last, what you've been waiting for: how to sell your ideas to the world without packing them up and shipping them off.
2011-11-24 15:48:45 // Peter Kerr
// The Idealog Blog
| 2 comments
One of the little secrets of the venture capital world, is, generally speaking, it ain’t doing that well from a returns point of view.
2011-11-24 09:24:15 // Andy Kenworthy
// Idealog #36: features
Stephen Ford is into mushrooms. He's growing tiny fungal spores that kill off pests, boring through their skin and sucking out their insides.
2011-11-22 12:04:04 // Esther Goh
The directors of Comvita, New Zealand’s number one seller of manuka honey, are urging shareholders to reject a takeover bid by Cerebos.
2011-11-22 11:13:52 // Esther Goh
| 2 comments
TradeMe has reached a stage of "mature" growth and is likely to have the strongest cashflow margins of any NZX-listed company, according to research specialist Woodward Research.
2011-11-22 09:55:44 // Idealog
One Taranaki law firm is branching out to launch what it believes is a first in the New Zealand legal services industry.
2011-11-22 09:50:41 // Idealog
| 1 comment
Just 50 years ago, New Zealand was outpacing Scandinavian countries – but differing attitudes to innovation have seen a sizeable gap open up, and not to our advantage, says Professor Kenneth Husted.
2011-11-21 09:49:45 // Vincent Heeringa
// The Idealog Blog
Israel's got a water problem: it has none to speak off. For sixty years it threw state money at the problem, but now it's out-sourcing the solution to a new generation of entrepreneurs
2011-11-18 10:23:35 // Vincent Heeringa
// The Idealog Blog
Ensuring the right people are incentivised to do the right thing has earned Israel a well deserved reputation as the startup nation.
2011-11-17 14:46:54 // Idealog
New Zealand-owned IT firm Simpl has notched up a big win in the global health market, securing a multi-million dollar contract with the National Health Service in the UK.
2011-11-17 10:15:32 // Vincent Heeringa
// The Idealog Blog
| 4 comments
As governments worldwide search for that elusive economic growth, some eyes are turning to Israel, the self-styled 'Startup Nation'.
2011-11-14 14:26:06 // Idealog
In an effort to shake up the "cosy duopoly" of DB and Lion, Independent Liquor is moving into new territory – the retail tap beer market .
2011-11-14 14:18:44 // Esther Goh
| 2 comments
Wireless car charging tech pioneer HaloIPT is off to the UK after being acquired by mobile equipment heavyweight Qualcomm.
2011-11-11 10:43:02 // Idealog
The largest privately owned port operator in the world has signed on with Kiwi tech firm Jade Software, marking its entry into the growing South American market.
2011-11-11 10:04:21 // Esther Goh
Otago Polytechnic student Alex Dong has just scored the break of his life – the creators of YouTube have acquired his online social network tool, developed with business partner Tim Bull.
2011-11-10 10:17:07 // Idealog
Blowing out all previous records, online electricity retailer Powershop has claimed the top spot on this year’s Deloitte Fast 50 with a massive 5280 percent growth, the highest-ever in the index’s 11-year history.
2011-11-07 17:10:20 // Idealog
Dunedin-based Pacific Edge has added to its suite of patents with new ones issued in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand for its technology for the detection of gastric cancer.
2011-11-07 13:33:20 // Nick Churchouse
// The Idealog Blog
| 2 comments
Local startup uSnap.us, which provides a mobile and web application for guest-sourcing wedding photos, has been crowned winner at Startup Weekend Wellington.
2011-11-04 13:07:13 // Sarah Robson
// The Idealog Blog
A super high-tech business, Magritek exports its products all over the world, selling to a niche market – higher education, research, industry – and bringing profits back home.
2011-11-04 10:42:39 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Health and beauty company Comvita has bought Te Awamutu-based apiary Waikato Honey Products to increase its supply of manuka honey.
2011-11-03 12:47:01 // Sarah Robson
// The Idealog Blog
Christchurch-based Ena Solar has weathered the region's earthquakes and has its eye firmly on the UK and Europe.
2011-11-03 10:39:32 // Michael Elwood-Smith
// The Idealog Blog
The best teams are lovingly nurturing, brutally honest (or honestly brutal) and devastatingly effective together.
2011-11-02 19:00:18 // Esther Goh
| 2 comments
The Kiwi-invented Greenkeeper – a system that helps companies reduce their carbon footprint, not a golf maintenance pro – has walked away from the Bright Ideas Challenge with a cool $25,000 to accelerate its growth.
2011-11-02 09:03:27 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Networking is a necessary evil of the working world, and an "inefficient" one at that, according to Kiwi entrepreneur Chirag Ahuja.
2011-11-02 08:43:27 // Idealog
| 1 comment
Jucy is launching into the US with its $500,000 prize from the 2011 University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneurs’ Challenge.
2011-11-01 15:35:38 // Idealog
GrabOne’s quest to dominate the daily deals world continues today, with the launch of its seventh vertical, GrabOne Families.
2011-11-01 15:21:25 // Dave Allison
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
Why your nugget of brilliance needs to be shunted into the light of day and beaten to a pulp by everyone you know.
2011-11-01 11:38:39 // Idealog
The 2011 private equity deal of the year has been awarded to Pacific Equity Partners, which sold out from Tegel Foods at nearly four times its initial investment.
2011-10-31 18:03:07 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Famine relief in the 21st century: eat like a refugee, stay off Facebook, set up a Twitter swear jar.
2011-10-31 11:12:00 // Deirdre Robert
// Idealog #35: features
Deirdre Robert takes a sneak peek inside Avanti’s techy hub and finds the brand on track for success.
2011-10-31 10:14:35 // Design Daily Team
// The Idealog Blog
Kiwi company Nextspace has been performing some impressive feats with its unique 3D visualisation technology. So impressive, it’s secured a healthy dose of investment capital to further develop and export its interactive Visual City technology to the world. The Kiwi-developed 3D visualisation software solution provides applications to engage communities and stakeholders in meaningful debate around a city’s challenges and opportunities in areas that include transport, utilities and sustainable urban planning.
2011-10-31 09:15:23 // Idealog
New Zealand's biggest tech exporters racked up more than $7 billion in revenue this year, despite a glum performance in 2010 and a gloomy worldwide economic outlook.
2011-10-28 11:44:29 // Sarah Robson
// The Idealog Blog
Dash Tickets has just secured a six-figure capital investment from the founders of Ministry of Sound Australia.
2011-10-27 15:05:52 // Deirdre Robert
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
With petrol prices already on the sharp incline, coupled with a growing awareness of climate change, there’s no denying electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid alternatives are surging in popularity.
2011-10-27 12:24:50 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
The 2011 University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneurs’ Challenge has come to to a close – and the four winners hail from financial services, pet food manufacturing, tourism and photographic design.
2011-10-27 10:49:00 // Idealog
Auckland-based software company Endace is opening a new California office, to be led by Spencer Greene, former vice-president of product management at Juniper Networks.
2011-10-26 20:02:28 // Idealog
| 1 comment
Orion Health, New Zealand’s largest privately-owned software exporter, has scored two business wins in China less than a year after entering the market.
2011-10-26 12:29:36 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
There's no shortage of great ideas emerging from New Zealand, but Kiwi companies need a stronger connection to the rest of the world, according to Alcatel-Lucent.
2011-10-25 12:49:08 // Idealog
Getting Kiwi apples onto Australian shelves was quite a coup, but so too is avocado grower Fressure Foods' deal with Aussie supermarket Coles, which will place its fresh guacamole products on more than 800 extra chilled store shelves.
2011-10-21 12:34:43 // Idealog
| 1 comment
Sir Richard Branson has issued a challenge to New Zealand businesses: Prove you have the mettle to go global.
2011-10-21 11:45:09 // Idealog
New Zealand tech company Augen Software Group has been named one of the most innovative companies in the Asia-Pacific region, receiving a prestigious Red Herring Top 100 Asia Award this week.
2011-10-21 11:34:17 // Sarah Robson
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
Better to get in first with the good idea, savings and all, than to be beaten to it, says Veronica Nobbs.
2011-10-19 13:25:35 // Sarah Robson
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
Father-and-son team Lance and James Morcan have been pretty busy of late – they’ve just had two of their co-written novels published and two of their feature films released offshore – but creative roadblocks have stymied their "passion project".
2011-10-19 10:42:59 // Sam Eichblatt
// Idealog #35: features
| 2 comments
Expat Andrew Meo is selling espresso to Italians after taking over Rocket’s coffee machines.
2011-10-19 10:08:13 // Esther Goh
| 3 comments
New Zealand businesses lack the skills to make the most of Asia’s rapid growth, according to a new report.
2011-10-18 09:27:55 // Esther Goh
| 2 comments
Specialty grocer Nosh has struck a deal with British heavyweight Waitrose, expanding its catalogue of international suppliers.
2011-10-17 17:27:04 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Businesses looking to get a foothold into the UK and Europe have a new avenue of support in the form of Go UK, a business plan competition open to New Zealand businesses.
2011-10-17 10:14:44 // Idealog
Orion Health has acquired Microsoft’s hospital information software (HIS) assets and has announced intentions to work together to co-market their products.
2011-10-13 11:03:11 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
| 2 comments
DesignCrowd, an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services through freelancers from around the world, has just launched its New Zealand chapter. And to mark the occasion, it's compiled a roundup of 20 'hot startups' from down under.
2011-10-12 10:38:17
Not only is New Zealand one of the best countries in the world in which to start a business, it's also enjoying some of the lowest insolvency rates around.
2011-10-10 09:14:11 // Idealog
New Zealand software company Merlot Aero has won the business of AirAsia with a US$1 million-plus deal that will see both AirAsia and sister company AirAsia X using Merlot's airline management system.
2011-10-07 09:53:02 // Esther Goh
Digicel Pacific and Auckland tech startup KlickEx have joined forces to offer international money transfers to a mobile wallet for the first time in the Pacific Islands.
2011-10-05 09:56:29 // Idealog
| 1 comment
An Auckland digital book producer has caught the eye of investors, completing its first significant round of funding.
2011-10-03 11:15:42 // Sam Eichblatt
// Idealog #35: now
| 1 comment
New Zealand transport is charging ahead in the wireless realm – and an Auckland company is in the driver’s seat.
2011-10-03 09:39:48 // Idealog
Industrial Research Limited (IRL) and the University of Auckland’s commercialisation company UniServices are planning to team up to boost business innovation in the high-value manufacturing sector.
2011-10-03 08:32:48 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
A young New Zealand entrepreneur has taken out the top prize in the 2011 AUT Venture Fund with his concept for a tablet app that enables children to create their own picture books.
2011-09-28 13:55:04 // Idealog
| 2 comments
SmartPay and Snapper have teamed up for a venture that will see the companies extend a contactless payment system across New Zealand's biggest Eftpos network.
2011-09-28 10:18:52 // Esther Goh
New Zealand entrepreneur Michael Green is heading to Chile in November after his goal-setting social network, Day Zero Project, was selected to take part in a government-supported initiative intended to grow the country's startup ecosystem.
2011-09-28 09:35:39 // Idealog
| 8 comments
After weeks of speculation, Ikea fans can rejoice in the news that the Swedish furniture brand is finally coming to New Zealand – sort of.
2011-09-27 09:58:57 // Peter Kerr
// The Idealog Blog
The main message from the Rutherford Innovation Showcase Digital Content Forum was that some weightless exports have a fair bit of profit margin attached.
2011-09-26 16:17:36 // Esther Goh
Well-loved Kiwi toy Buzzy Bee is soon to be brought to screens around the world, while ushering in a new concept in children’s interactive entertainment at the same time.
2011-09-26 11:01:29 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
After spending 35 years building a world-beating business, 67-year-old Bill Buckley is "still in his overalls" and loving every moment on the shop floor, as evidenced by his win at the Ernst & Young New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year awards last week.
2011-09-22 10:02:41 // Idealog
A Kiwi nanotech company has cut the ribbon at its new US headquarters, located in the growing science and tech hub of Massachusetts.
2011-09-20 12:36:36 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
A maturing startup scene and the recent success of several Kiwi software businesses are paving the way for local tech companies to go global, the head of Massey University’s business innovation centre says.
2011-09-19 17:14:05 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Two Kiwis are behind what has been dubbed an 'eBay for science', an online marketplace that connects scientists to other institutions with the equipment and means to carry out experiments that their own universities do not have.
2011-09-16 16:16:43 // Idealog
| 1 comment
Food manufacturer Hansells Food Group has been busy notching up a number of firsts, unveiling a new innovation centre in Auckland today and announcing its intention to take on the Canadian market.
2011-09-16 09:51:05 // Esther Goh
Kiwi gaming companies need a "piece of the action", according to the government, and online game developer SmallWorlds will be even better placed to capitalise on the fast-growing space with a $1.8 million cash injection.
2011-09-15 17:25:30 // Esther Goh
It's been a turbulent year for Albany-based CleanFlow Systems; just after the opening of its new R&D facility, cofounder and chief technical officer Geoff Logan was killed in a plane crash off Orewa Beach in March. But now the high-tech firm has signed a multi-million dollar deal that will see it acquired by US-based RedZone Robotics.
2011-09-14 11:41:48 // Idealog
Putting consumers back in control is the driving force behind a new investment auction website that enables people to find, compare and invest in different term deposits from banks and non-bank institutions.
2011-09-14 10:15:11 // Idealog
Having established a firm foothold locally, Eventfinder is taking its event marketing platform to the Australian market – and if its initial reception is anything to go by, promoters and organisers across the ditch are lapping it up.
2011-09-14 08:58:39 // Idealog
Tait Radio Communications is the first alternative P25 solutions provider officially approved to operate on the New South Wales Government Radio Network (GRN).
2011-09-07 13:52:28 // Vincent Heeringa
// Idealog #35: workshop
Peter Salmon is doing good and being paid for it; his hybrid programmes combine all the enthusiasm of entrepreneurs with social aims of do-gooders.
2011-09-07 10:05:25 // Esther Goh
Angel investors are increasingly adopting a portfolio approach to their investments, diversifying risk by putting smaller amounts into a wide range of companies.
2011-09-02 09:26:46 // Victoria Young
| 1 comment
Liquid Strip, the brainchild of Greg Morgan, removes solids from wastewater and converts them into a pellet or slug form that can then be used as fuel for fires.
2011-08-30 10:11:03 // Idealog
Skyline Enterprises – perhaps best known as the operator of the Gondola restaurant and luge in Queenstown – is to purchase fellow tourism and adventure company Totally Tourism.
2011-08-29 10:00:10 // Brad McEvoy
// The Idealog Blog
| 3 comments
Taking Word and Excel files away from the average office worker and replacing them with some sort of online representation would be like taking guns away from Charlton Heston's "cold dead hands".
2011-08-29 09:27:01 // Idealog
Nearly half of Kiwi business owners are working to reach a lifestyle goal and believe they can maintain an appropriate work-life balance, a new MYOB Business Monitor report suggests.
2011-08-26 10:09:57
// Idealog #35: workshop
| 1 comment
Hold on to your back teeth – and your ideas. Patent laws in the US are a-changing to align with New Zealand and the rest of the world
2011-08-25 10:01:38 // Esther Goh
| 5 comments
"Ten or twenty years from now it will be absurd to think of creating a book without a Booktrack, it’ll be like creating a movie with no sound," says Derek Handley.
2011-08-24 10:51:32 // Ben Fahy
Direct and digital specialist Affinity ID has a proud history of boxing above its weight – both in its home market and internationally.
2011-08-23 11:35:05 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
It was a dream prize for any tech startup, but ultimately there could only be one winner of BoosterSeat2011 – and that's IntuitionHQ, soon to be taking a free trip to San Francisco thanks to a group of Kiwi entrepreneurs paying it forward on the back of their own Silicon Valley success story.
2011-08-23 11:00:42 // Mark Tomlinson
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
What's social media got to offer a budding entrepreneur? Mark Tomlinson blogs from the eSprint programme.
2011-08-22 15:26:21 // Esther Goh
It's 25 years since wholly Kiwi-owned brand Avanti first launched, and if that wasn't an auspicious enough milestone, the company is set to acquire the bicycle division of Pacific Brands next month, effectively doubling its turnover.
2011-08-22 11:57:03 // Idealog
Australian-based Super Retail Group, which operates Supercheap Auto in New Zealand, is expanding further into the Kiwi market with the launch of FCO Fishing Camping Outdoors.
2011-08-22 11:22:13 // Idealog
Vodafone has signed a 10-year deal with Pacific Fibre to supply international bandwidth on its undersea cable system linking the US to Australia and New Zealand.
2011-08-22 11:13:37 // Idealog
Low-value transactions are proving a winner with users of Snapper, an electronic payment method used as a replacement for cash.
2011-08-16 10:10:46 // Esther Goh
A second $50 million round of research and development grants has been announced by the government, benefiting a total of 19 tech companies in fields from manufacturing to biotechnology, electronics and software development.
2011-08-15 10:27:02 // Idealog
| 1 comment
New Zealand beverage company Ti Tonics is proving a hit across the Tasman, recording higher sales in Australia than at home – and is on the verge of expanding into Asia and the Americas.
2011-08-12 10:25:40 // Idealog
Thousands of cryogenics research projects around the world will soon be using Kiwi technology now that New Zealand's Jade Software has signed MMR Technologies as a partner.
2011-08-10 17:13:58 // Esther Goh
| 1 comment
Just a year old, Kiwi startup Vend has raised a big chunk of capital from Europe and now has its sights set firmly on the US market.
2011-08-04 13:00:23 // StopPress Team
Auckland mobile marketing company Pocketvouchers has a bit of a spring in its step after signing deals with global payment processor ePay and local daily deal site GrabOne recently.
2011-08-04 10:46:00 // Idealog
Former All Black Bernie McCahill is turning his hand to the lawnmowing business, purchasing a 50 percent stake in Jim's Mowing's 52 Auckland franchises.
2011-08-01 12:06:13 // Andy Kenworthy
// Idealog #34: features
A combination of Kiwi practices, verdant land and cash from clued-up investors like Sam Morgan yields Leitíssimo three times the production it would generate in New Zealand. Is this the end of our dairy industry - or the next step for IP?
2011-07-22 17:48:17 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Wellington freelancers, contracts and entrepreneurs now have access to to a collaborative workspace with the launch of BizDojo
2011-07-21 09:28:40 // Esther Goh
Wellington-based software company Aptimize has been bought by Silicon Valley-based Riverbed Technology in a move which will see its 10 employees relocate to San Francisco.
2011-07-20 09:53:18 // Idealog
A Kiwi communications company has opened a new facility in Beijing to serve as a base for clients in China and the Asia-Pacific region.
2011-07-19 09:41:26 // Idealog
Pacific Fibre has inked a deal with US-based cable company TE SubCom to build an undersea international internet link by 2014.
2011-07-13 15:50:43 // Idealog
The local startup with its sights set on running a fibre-optic internet cable under the Pacific Ocean to link to the US has just sealed its first supply deal for $91 million.
2011-07-13 11:15:28 // Vanessa Ellingham
The Kiwi Innovation Network will help homegrown projects "excite and harness investor appetite", according to one of its founding members.
2011-07-04 15:01:00 // Vanessa Ellingham & Vincent Heeringa
| 1 comment
Kiwi juice company Charlie's says accepting a foreign takeover was “inevitable”, but there won't be any redundancies or closures. And for shareholders who bought into the company in 2005, this week's deal with Japanese drink giant Asahi represents a 340 percent total return. Good - but is it good enough?
2011-07-04 09:07:11 // Esther Goh
Times are tough for Christchurch businesses. But digital agency Vizualise is pushing through, opening a second office in Melbourne this month and forecasting export revenue to double on the back of lucrative international custom, including A-list types looking to cash in on celebrity.
2011-06-30 09:00:00 // Esther Goh
Litmos' American-centric business strategy has paid off, from setting up a Californian phone number to making its products look and feel as Americanised as possible. This month the The Devonport-based e-learning company was acquired by a large US software firm and will be moving to Silicon Valley—just “as soon as the visas come through”.
2011-06-24 09:25:00 // Vincent Heeringa
// Idealog #33: features
Everything is wrong with this business: wrong place, wrong product, wrong people. So what makes an entrepreneur, a chef, Jim Bolger and 31 of their friends think that Mt Cook Alpine Salmon will become a $60 million export success in the next five years? Vincent Heeringa investigates.
2011-02-16 08:57:42 // Cassie Doherty
// Idealog #31: now
From kitchen stove to the world:
Bernadette Soares takes on the waxing
industry with an old family recipe
