Where Startup Founders Thrive.
Startups are defined by one dominant characteristic: rapid customer growth— Ministry of Awesome exists to help founders achieve it.
We connect them with mentors who’ve done it, prepare them for investors who back it, and partner with organisations that enable, encourage, and incentivise it.
This is how we deliver on our mission: growing the Aotearoa New Zealand economy through founder-first, founder-led startup innovation.
Start Here — discover how to benefit from, contribute to, invest in, or support Aotearoa’s growing startup ecosystem.
For Founders
From refining your first idea to scaling after a capital raise, get one-on-one support, resources, and connections to help your early-stage startup succeed.
For mentors
Work alongside early-stage founders to challenge conventional thinking, accelerate progress, and help turn bold visions into reality.
For investors
Access better deal flow and de-risk your investments with Ministry of Awesome’s long-term insights into Aotearoa’s most promising startups.
For partners
Work with us to support founders, shape policy, and invest in programmes, communities, and events that grow Aotearoa’s startup ecosystem.
Latest updates:
Electrify Aotearoa is New Zealand’s leading high-impact business summit for startup founders, investors, supporters, corporates, and government.
Auckland, 9+10 June
This is where ambition meets action: where bold ideas ignite, powerful connections form, and the next generation of women-led startups take flight.
Electrify Aotearoa Chairwoman, Marian Johnson MNZM, argues it’s time to move past the women vs. men founder debate and start building diverse, mixed teams that reflect Aotearoa’s full potential.
A powerful call to action for anyone shaping New Zealand’s startup ecosystem.
We're Partnering with Kiwibank to Empower Aotearoa's Most Ambitious Startup Founders.
Kiwibank Startup+ focuses on breaking down funding barriers with progress-based borrowing and comprehensive business banking support.
Founder stories:
After years inside a digital agency, Kate Radcliffe-Reid saw a problem: small businesses needed marketing they could afford. So she built a data-driven platform that helps them find the right customers
When Cyclone Gabrielle struck, property assessments collapsed. Frustrated, Jackie Huo and Claudia Feng created Inoscope, an AI platform that simplifies construction and insurance workflows.
Inspired by real-world frustration, Tane van der Boon founded inviol to transform workplace safety—using smart technology to predict risks and prevent accidents before they happen.
After more than a decade at Immigration New Zealand, Annie Kim knew the system inside out — and became determined to make it easier.
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
Ministry of Awesome is a dynamic and inclusive community driven by the belief that startups have the power to change the world.
Whether you’re a startup founder, aspiring entrepreneur, innovator, investor, student or startup supporter there’s a place for you here.
Join our community and we'll keep you in the loop with exciting events, inspiring stories, and valuable insights from the heart of New Zealand’s startup scene.
OUR FOUNDATION PARTNERS
We enjoy strong alliances, both locally in Ōtautahi with ChristchurchNZ, as well as nationally with MBIE and Kiwibank. These partnerships allow 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.