Startup Stories

women and startups to watch

Seven Women-Led Startups To Watch

Seven women. Seven regions. One shared ambition: to build something extraordinary. Discover their stories, celebrate their achievements, and be inspired.

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Anteup | Adam Joyce + Matt Williams

Anteup is reimagining home loans as a reverse marketplace, giving borrowers control.

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iCollect | Amanda Morrison

Unpaid invoices quietly drain billions from businesses, but iCollect empowers owners to recover debts efficiently, without high costs.

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Altitude | Ella Blake

From luxury hotels in London to startup building in Aotearoa, Ella Blake is rethinking the systems behind every stay - giving hotel teams room to breathe.

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Naut | Fiona Bycroft & Lindsay Faithfull

Two engineers set out to rethink boating, transforming a bold idea into real-world validation, early market traction, and electric vessels already on the water.

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Backkr | Kate Radcliffe-Reid

Small service businesses need marketing help they can actually afford, so Kate built Backkr — a data-driven platform that finds the right customers without an agency.

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Renvoi | Nat Delnova & Hayden Lawson

Their first venture was useful and sold — but it lacked conviction. A question from MC, their Entrepreneur-in-Residence, sparked a pivot. They built AI that truly serves, earns trust, and puts users back in control.

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inviol | Tane Van Der Boon

Inspired by real-world frustration, Tane founded inviol to transform workplace safety—using smart technology to predict risks and prevent accidents before they happen.

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TRAFT | Jackie Huo & Claudia Feng

When Cyclone Gabrielle struck in 2023, property assessments collapsed. Frustrated, Traft created Inoscope, an AI platform that predicts repairs, generates accurate quotes, and simplifies construction and insurance workflows.

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Bright Core Drivers | Tracy Meyer

When behavioural psychologist Tracy noticed that traditional psychometric tests often left people feeling categorised rather than understood, she knew there had to be a better way.

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airie | Annie Kim

After more than a decade at Immigration New Zealand, Annie knew the system inside out — and saw how tough it was to navigate. She founded Airie to fix that.

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Bold Visions, Bright Futures: Ten Women Founders Making Waves

This group of women founders is a snapshot of the talent powering New Zealand’s startup scene.

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NOD | Haylee Killip

When daycare hours don’t match real life and last-minute childcare feels impossible, NOD steps in.

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Lighting Pay | Simon Collins

Lightning Pay, is making Bitcoin accessible to everyday New Zealanders, offering an alternative to the traditional financial system that’s often burdened with high fees and inflation.

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RosterLab | Sunny Feng

Designed for the complexity of hospital scheduling, RosterLab reduces admin load, ensures fair shift distribution, and helps prevent staff burnout—so clinicians can focus more on patient care.

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Le Velo Studio | Alex Guichard

As co-founder of Le Velo Studio, Alex using two decades of carbon fibre expertise to create lightweight, elegant e-bikes that ride like traditional bicycles—not motorbikes.

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Speak | Madeleine Patel

Speak existed to revolutionise fragrance shopping, combining curated products with AI recommendations. Scaling revealed their true strength lay in technology, prompting a pivotal shift.

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The Village Co | Nikki Pak & Sophia Pheros

The Village Co platform prioritises safety and community, offering stress-free solutions for parents seeking trusted care tailored to modern family needs.

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PAM | Nicole Retter

When COVID-19 forced Nicole Retter to juggle work, childcare, and family life from home, she began looking for tools that could help alleviate the pressure but found nothing designed for families.

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Griefity | Corrine Davies

After witnessing the lack of accessible grief support firsthand, Corrine created a direct-to-consumer app offering education, coping techniques, and structured guidance.

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The Budgeting App | Natalie Bundowongse & Jeremy Silk

A simple desire to track their spending sparked a journey for Natalie and Jeremy. Frustrated with spreadsheets and existing budgeting apps, they set out to build their own solution.

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PreventS-MD | Dr Bala Nair

In the rapidly evolving world of healthcare technology, Dr Bala Nair is pioneering a groundbreaking approach to disease prevention.

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Nexture | Victor Sun

Victor co-founded a capsule endoscopy company in China before moving to New Zealand, where he founded Nexture—an AI platform that automates analysis, reducing the economic burden of late-stage cancers.

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Eat Choice | Tammara Lowdell

When Tammara found herself walking the streets of Italy, frustrated at being unable to find restaurants that could accommodate both her vegetarian diet and wheat intolerance, she never imagined it would lead to creating a global dining solution.

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ChronicAlly | Eliza Grigg & Edoardo Galli

Millions with chronic illnesses struggle with elusive diagnoses and limited support. The Chronically platform uses wearable tech and mobile apps to help individuals monitor and manage their health.

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International Culinary Studio | Cheryl Cordier

When Cheryl looks at a kitchen, she doesn't just see chefs and ingredients—she sees untapped potential. She's challenging century-old traditions in culinary education, one digital lesson at a time.

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Quantraire | Nick Marshall

While exploring the value behind businesses, Nick discovered how manual and time-consuming professional processes were—a challenge he set out to solve.

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Settlopedia | Skye Wu

In a world where environmental challenges demand urgent attention, Settlopedia is leveraging the immersive power of gaming to inspire the next generation.

InjuryHub |Justine McIntyre

"InjuryHub will empower patients and providers to take control of the injury care journey, improving efficiencies, and improving injury outcomes."

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Pinpoint Earth | Ali Kennard

"By increasing visibility, we aim to contribute to sustainable seafood practices, ensuring future generations can continue to rely on this important resource."

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Oasis Aero | Mekdim Tesfaye

"Our vision is really to decarbonise aviation and contribute positively to the world and reducing our environmental impact."and with a real point of difference.

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Mothers Ruined Gin | Jo Davy

This is a craft gin brand with a real point of difference.

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Artwork City | Christian Mendoza

This is the story of how a gallery manager became a tech entrepreneur, navigating the challenges of the startup world with the help of mentorship programs and a supportive ecosystem.

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Solid Oral Care | Laura Nixon & Adam McConnochie

A year after participating in the Ministry of Awesome Electrify programme, we spoke with Solid Oral Care founders, Laura Nixon and Adam McConnochie to see how their startup journey had progressed.

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Avatars Global | Riley Malins

Avatars Global is dedicated to getting kids outdoors and active. We caught up with Riley Malins, Co-Founder & CMO, to discuss the progress they've made.

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Cloudcell | Alexander Bikeyev

"This technology allows for more transparent, traceable, and efficient handling of medical information, aligning with my goal of applying my skills in a meaningful way."

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GAUK | Paul Tranter

After 20 years of navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, Paul Tranter from GAUK has found solid ground upon joining Ministry of Awesome’s Founder Catalyst Programme.

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Sticky Study

"StickyStudy uses scientifically proven methods to significantly improve students" Logan Kim, Josh Unwin, and Fabian Johnson, Co-Founders - StickyStudy.

Pippa Health | Lizzie Governor

Lizzie Governor, founder of Pippa Health has experienced multiple Ministry of Awesome programmes, we caught up with her to discuss her experience and learn how Pippa Health is supporting Kiwi Mums.