$81M

Capital raised

156

Startups supported

344

New jobs generated

DRIVING NZ’S ECONOMY THROUGH FOUNDER-LED STARTUP INNOVATION

Haere mai and welcome to Ministry of Awesome's founder and startup community. 

Ministry of Awesome is a force for high-growth startups in Aotearoa. We drive startup ambition, build capability, and support success for early-stage NZ founders and startups with global ambitions.

From our headquarters in Ōtautahi Christchurch, we power Founder Catalyst, a national incubator programme operating year-round, we also deliver a series of national accelerator programmes, and Electrify Aotearoa, a conference for Kiwi women in entrepreneurship.

We're a force for high-growth startups and innovators

So, if you're developing an innovative scalable solution, and you....

  • Have a working minimum viable product (MVP)
  • Are willing to experience failure as a path to success
  • Are committed for the long-term
  • Keen to collaborate and open to learning

.....you've come to the right place!

OUR PROGRAMMES AND EVENTS

FOUNDER CATALYST

This six-month national incubator supports high-growth startup founders to validate markets, gain traction, secure funding, and achieve global ambitions.
LEARN MORE

ELECTRIFY ACCELERATOR

For ambitious women and non-binary-led high-growth startup ventures. Accelerate your journey from prototype to MVP and early-stage investment readiness.
CHECK IT OUT

ENERGY ACCELERATOR

Fostering ground-breaking clean energy innovations that will shape the future of New Zealand’s energy sector and power a clean future.
GET STARTED

JOIN US AT ELECTRIFY AOTEAROA

Electrify Aotearoa is designed to address the unique challenges faced by Kiwi women in entrepreneurship, this event is your gateway to success, connecting you with a vibrant community of like-minded women in the New Zealand startup scene.

MORE INFO

ARE YOU A STUDENT AT ARA INSTITUTE?

Here's your chance to explore entrepreneurship, learn life-changing innovation skills, and gain real-world experience working alongside some of the most exciting startup founders and entrepreneurs in New Zealand.

Regardless of your field of study - the skills you will learn from this experience will help you reach your career and life goals.

ARA STUDENT PROGRAMMES

COLLABORATION FUELS INNOVATION 

We're proud to be at the epicenter of New Zealand's vibrant startup ecosystem. Although we assume a central role in nurturing groundbreaking ideas, we know, that for a startup to achieve its aspirations and make a lasting global impact; they need a whole ecosystem to get behind them.

We're proud to partner and collaborate with ambitious organisations, who are committed to supporting NZ startups

MEET OUR STARTUP ECOSYSTEM

OUR FOUNDATION PARTNERS

We enjoy strong alliances, both locally in Ōtautahi with ChristchurchNZ and the Ara Institute of Canterbury (now part of Te Pūkenga) as well as nationally with Callaghan Innovation. These partnerships have allowed us to maintain physical and virtual hubs for our founders, develop programmes that drive real economic benefit, and create a strong innovation community across Aotearoa.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Ministry of Awesome is an inclusive community of like-minded individuals that believe in the power of startups.

So, if you're a startup founder, a budding entrepreneur, innovator, investor, student, passionate startup supporter, or just curious about the world of startups - join our 6000-strong community.

We will connect you with interesting people, events and stories from our startup community.