Bootstrapped NZ Edition #11
โ๏ธ $54M up for sustainable tourism ๐ Celebrating the FIBRE FALE launch and how HIRE HER is activating the power of the female economy ๐ฉ
Kia Ora whanau,
Itโs been a minute since I last slid into your inboxes - thank you for being patient with me. This edition will be a wrap of October and November highlights. Thereโs a lot to unpack and as usual, a lot of great people doing great things in the ecosystem.
If youโre new here and want to keep up with the latest kiwi startup ecosystem news, hit subscribe and welcome aboard!
๐๏ธ The Highlight Reel
๐ฅ๏ธ Tech is now New Zealandโs second-largest export, making up 14% of total revenue in the last financial year
โ๏ธ The government opened a $54M innovation fund for tourism projects
๐ฒ Tฤtaki Auckland Unlimited launched a hub for collaborative climate innovation
๐ The University of Auckland opened a 5G tech hub (and even cut the ribbon with a pair of voice-activated, 5G-connected robot scissors)
๐ฌ Hon Judith Collins hosted Tech Summit 2022, exploring how to create a world-class technology sector in New Zealand. You can watch the event recording here.
๐ The Ministry of Awesome celebrated 10 years of powering kiwi startups
๐๏ธ Noteworthy
๐ EarShots was named one of TIMEโs best inventions for 2022
๐ Kami took home #2 in the Deloitte Fast 50 index
๐ฅ Medsalv are now delivering sustainable healthcare to 75% of NZ hospitals
๐ฉบ Better Health and Tend joined forces to provide healthcare to the South Island
๐ Vero partnered with Waikato startup Farmgate to reduce rural crime
โป๏ธ CarbonTrail became an approved Xero connected app, making it easier for organisations to measure and reduce their carbon footprint
๐ Celebrating the FIBRE FALE launch
Fibre Fale celebrated their official launch earlier this month. Led by Julia Arnott-Neenee and Eteroa Lafaele, Fibre Fale are creating pathways for Pacific people to embark into tech through education, advocacy and facilitation.
Pacific people make up only 2.8% of the tech industry despite making up just over 8% of the New Zealand population.*
The team aims to increase the number of Pacific people in the New Zealand tech industry to equal population representation by 2042.
๐ To learn more: head over to their website to subscribe for updates and check out the Tech Voyagers series
๐ To join the mission: express interest in becoming an industry partner, role model or community partner
*Statistics from 2018 New Zealand Census Data
๐ There are more launches where that came fromโฆ
๐น Hey There launched their new recruitment video service, ready to revolutionise the way ambitious companies find and recruit talent
๐ค Matchstiq launched Matchstiq most wanted - a new way for companies to thank those who connect them with talent
๐ Grocery delivery startup Teddy began delivering to Auckland and Queenstown (they also shared their story on The Project)
๐ต PaySquad launched its first social checkout integration, enabling split payments with family and friends
๐ฑ HTK Group launched Whakatipu, their new Christchurch-based incubator
๐ฐ Funding news
โจ 1.5 seemed to be the magic number with Banquer, Daisy Lab, Opo Bio and Octana.io all closing $1.5M rounds.
๐ Kara Technologies closed a $1.3M round to make content accessible
for Sign Language Users
๐ผ Cove Insurance raised $850k to grow their car and pet insurance products, and launch into home & contents
โป๏ธ Zincovery raised $3M to bring their zinc recycling technology to a pilot plant
ฮ Blackbird led the pre-seed round for Soul รther
๐งค StretchSense raised $13M to continue their global expansion
๐ฎ Aimer closed a $1M round to develop their AI-enabled digital assistant for farmers
๐ Scentian Bio were granted US $1.7M by the Gates Foundation to continue developing their disease-identifying bio-electric nose
๐ Awards, awards, and more awardsโฆ
๐ Liquium won third at the Asian Entrepreneurship awards
๐ง Neurofanos won the Velocity Innovation Challenge for their solution to improve precision and safety during neurosurgery.
๐ Auckland University celebrated the Aotearoa Mฤori Business Leaders Awards
๐ Venture Taranaki won the innovation and Primary Research Categories at the Economic Development NZ awards
๐ Worth a read or Listen
๐ Jean Xin from Melodics released the first two articles in her blog series on Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)*.
*ESOPs offer employees the option to buy shares in illiquid, private companies and are often part of a start-up compensation package. Jean breaks down an often confusing concept in a way that is simple and easy to understand.
๐๐ผโโ๏ธ Cool people doing cool things: Meet Priscilla from HIRE HER
HIRE HER is on a mission to activate the power of the female economy. They help women build successful businesses and careers by connecting them to the right jobs, from freelance gigs to full-time roles.
Kia Ora Priscilla! What's your story?
Iโm a Fiji Indian, born in Sydney Australia and have been living in NZ since I was 6. I started my career in banking with a few tech projects, then fell in love with digital marketing, technology, and the power technology had to make a good impact on lives. Iโve worked in a corporate; tech start-up and digital marketing agency so I'm a bit of a jack of all trades.
In 2018 I was a brand manager at AMP NZ and had my first child, which led me to take a career break and ultimately led me to a bit of a personal development journey that played a part in why I launched HIRE HER.
How was HIRE HER born?
I had my aha moment in January 2021 when I had my second child, and one day, I just thought to myself, why canโt women especially mothers earn an income on their terms? What started off as a thought and an exploration into the world of flexible, remote work led to the fruition of the HIRE HER platform. I had a newborn and toddler at the time and was determined to launch the HIRE HER platform in 5 months and test it as a minimum viable platform (MVP) to prove that my idea actually had legs. HIRE HER launched-on 21st May 2021.
I havenโt looked back and have been working day in and out to help women work on their terms and to build the life they want.
How's it going?
I often think we arenโt doing enough for the women on our platform and we have a lot of work to do. However, we now have 1500 members, close to 1300 women actively looking for work. Weโve helped 160 hires take place in 15 months. We grow in double digits every day, Iโm working on bringing on bigger, impactful brands and businesses and constantly encouraging businesses to think more openly about how they could tap into our pool of talent by offering jobs that have lesser hours, are flexible and remote based.
We have also launched HIRE HER ELITE which is a program with live coaching, masterclasses and fireside chats to help the women on our platform level up.
I am most proud of helping mums on our platform earn an income while they raise their children. We have a lot of mums on maternity leave and some mums who are looking to go back into the workforce in a part-time capacity.
Most importantly Iโve been a stay-at-home mum whilst doing this. My 2-year-old starts daycare soon so I will be able to dedicate more energy to HIRE HER.
What's your vision for the future?
I would like HIRE HER to become a global platform in every country with the ability to offer women the chance to earn an income regardless of their circumstances. Particularly by upskilling in areas of tech or digital skills, as these jobs pay higher and allow for flexible and remote work. Although we currently offer work in various categories our goal is to niche down so we can focus on educating women in areas of work that allow them to earn more. Iโm really passionate about how we could really shift the future of women in the workforce in third-world countries by giving them access to a platform like HIRE HER.
Do you have an ask for the community?
Please check out our platform www.gohireher.com and if you have any upcoming roles, you can use our platform to post jobs. If youโre keen to see how you can tap into our talent pool please reach out at contact@gohireher.com and spread the word if you can. Really appreciate the support and you can follow us on Instagram at @gohireher or Linkedinย
๐ผ Cool jobs
๐ Kami are hiring a number of roles for their senior marketing team
๐ก Excellent are looking for an Operations and Commmunity Lead
๐ฉ JUNOFEM are looking for a Marketing Co-Ordinator
Want more? Check out the Matchstiq, HIRE HER and AirTree job boards. Blackbird, GD1 and the Icehouse also have job boards for their portfolio companies.
๐ย Upcoming Events
TechTALK #23 - Future-Oriented Curriculum & Delivery (30 Nov)
Startup Breakfast Club December (1 Dec)
TechWomen Christmas Party - Wellington (1 Dec)
Auckland Tech Newcomers Meet-Up (1 Dec)
AWE Wฤhine Mฤori Start-up Wฤnanga (1 Dec)
Startup Grind is hosting Justin Soong - Founder of Authsignal (8 Dec)
Creative mornings with Anjana Iyer (9 Dec)
โจ Subscribing to Pauli and Paulโs Techstars Startup Digest is a great way to keep up with weekly events โจ
Thanks for reading! Hit subscribe for more free fortnightly kiwi startup goodness (make sure to check your promotions tab, Substack tends to send them there)
Ngฤ mihi nui,
Izzy ๐ฉ๐ฝโ๐ป