Note: This blog was written at the end of December 2021 and provides a summary on the biggest wins of the year, and highlights from around the community.
2021 by the numbers:
410 founders supported
62 community events
170 students through Audacious
84 one-on-one capability sessions
$2.5m+ raised by our startups
It's pretty hard to quantify how massive this year felt. It certainly hasn't been a year of plain sailing - but amidst the chaos, ups, downs, and even bigger ups, 2021 has shown up and the resilience and determination of Dunedin founders has shone through.
Now that the year is over, we're looking back on how far we've come, as a team, as an organisation, and as a community.
Over the 4 years, Startup Dunedin has supported 411 students through Audacious, 233 people in our community with startup basics, and 16 Startups through incubation.
2021’s biggest wins
Cheeky Tea Co.
NZ’s First non-carbonated Hard Iced Tea.
Distiller Incubator 2020-2021
Stocked in 300 stores nationwide
Raised seed capital (undisclosed)
Both founders graduated from University of Otago this year
Scannable
Work at Height's first Equipment Cloud Platform, connecting the equipment value chain, end-to-end.
Distiller Incubator 2020-2021
Raised a successful pre-seed and seed round (undisclosed)
Hired a top tier CTO, Gene Dover
Has several signed letters of intent and contracts with first customers
Hiring 4 more staff
Winely
Real-time fermentation analysis.
Challenger Series Incubator 2019
Reached 12 total staff members
Ranked in the top 20 BevTech companies in the world
Kaffelogic
Your personal coffee roaster.
Challenger Series Incubator 2019
Kaffelogic Nano 7 used by the Winner of the World Coffee Competition Brewer’s Cup
Moved manufacturing to Dunedin
Elixir
Secure Cloud-based Practice Management.
Completed Challenger Series Incubator 2018
Finalist Xero Emerging App Partner of the Year 2021
Reached 125 total customers
Coral Cone
An innovative menstrual cup designed and engineered by menstruators for menstruators.
Distiller Incubator 2021
Completed marketing and launch strategy
Launched product
Sahha
Behavioural analytics for mental health Distiller Incubator 2020-2021
Raised $1.03M in seed capital
Reached 10 Full-time staff
17 customers ready for the product
Ruby & Pearl
New Zealand's first plant-based bubble tea that focuses on health and sustainability.
Distiller Incubator 2021
Won Audacious Semester One 2021
Began product testing and flavour development
Heybarn
New Zealand's marketplace for advertising rural space.
Distiller Incubator 2021
Validated business model
Completed brand positioning
Began Minimum Viable Product development
Split
The sharesies of Horticulture, allowing everyday Kiwis to invest in orchards and vineyards.
Distiller Incubator 2021
Validated required compliance and licensing
Began partnership development
Created launch plan
Techstars Startup Weekend: Ōtepoti
After a turbulent 2020, it felt like a dream to get back in the saddle this year for Techstars Startup Weekend Ōtepoti.
Startup Weekend had 40 of Dunedin’s brightest innovators and motivated members of the community come together with generous mentors to see what kind of magic they could create in just a weekend.
This collaborative effort brought together the team at COIN South, as well as Peter Harris from QLDC. Crew, judges, mentors, participants, facilitators, and sponsors - we hope you all feel really proud of all the amazing learning that came out of this weekend!
Why do Startup Weekend?
Startup Weekends are 54 hour events for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, problem-solving, and what it's like working on a startup.
It's an awesome way to pick up some new skills, meet a bunch of like-minded people, and learn about starting up - all within one weekend!
Audacious 2021
After two nine-week cohorts of Audacious this year, we're so proud of all the hard mahi our students have put into their ideas. Here's a recap of the winners!
Semester One winners:
Ruby & Pearl - Plant-based bubble tea. Winner of Polson Higgs Premiere Award, United Machinists Best Physical Product.
Ngāti Gaming - Promoting the use of Te Reo Maori through gaming. Winner of Best Positive Impact and Peoples Choice.
Reshined Roots - Healthy snacks made from upcycled carrots. Winner of Best Pitch.
Luni - Maternity clothing rental service. Winner of Firebrand Digital Transformation Package.
MaltedGold - Locally produced Oat milk. Winner of the Petridish Brass Tacks award.
Squirm - The world's first decentralised, scalable worm farm. Winner of Most Audacious.
O-biz - Courses and resources educating students on how to make money from digital marketing. Winner of Best Entrepreneur.
Semester Two winners:
Zilla Nice Cream - Vegan ice cream made from bananas. Winner of the Polson Higgs Premiere award, United Machinist’s Best Physical Product, Best Pitch, and People’s Choice.
Raw & Wild - A pest-control company making revenue through dog food. Winner of Best Positive Impact and the Firebrand Transformation Package.
Hue - Vegan crayons that are non-toxic and safe to ingest. Winner of the inaugural Pocketsmith Makers Award.
SUDMerge - Eco-friendly dishwashing powder designed to save plastic. Winner of Most Audacious.
FootFix - Simple device that attaches to toes to remedy ingrown toenails. Joint winner of Best Entrepreneur.
LoopedIt - Second-hand clothing marketplace with the aim of tackling fast fashion waste. Joint winner of Best Entrepreneur.
Mapping the Ecosystem
In 2020, Startup Dunedin collaborated with University of Otago researchers (Dr. Marissa Kaloga & Ms. Rasha Abu Safieh) to map the structure of the entrepreneurial support organisations that support our wee city.
Marissa and Rasha looked at 45 local organisations with a total of 344 connections - that's the amazing image to the left!
Strengths
We're well-connected within our sectors, which is shown to support innovation and engagement.
An organisation's influence within the ecosystem isn't based on their size or pockets - meaning lower barriers to entry for new organizations.
At the core of our ecosystem are several influential Māori organizations, embedded within powerful networks.
A few things make us special - like the fact that many of us are just down the road from each other, so we can get things moving quickly.
Opportunities
Non-Māori organisations could do much more to help support the working class population of entrepreneurs. Let's think about what we miss when we don't include this group.
Some groups are underserved currently, like Pasifika, migrant, and refugee populations. What are the equity issues for these groups and how can we address them?
There are a high number of organisations on the fringes of the ecosystem with limited connections to the core. How do we get them involved with the core groups?
Our Community
Mana Rangatahi
Innov8HQ's youth entrepreneurship programme, Mana Rangatahi, found great success this year with 12 weeks of education based on matauranga Māori principles, critical thinking and resilience based activities. Supporting the Ministry of Youth Development and Innov8HQ's focus on youth has made our 2021 incredibly rewarding.
Pacific Youth Entrepreneurship
Pacific Commerce Otago's P.I.P.E programme brought joy to our building this year with their wonderful singing, making tiktoks, and pasta-tower-building - all in the name of learning business skills!
Outside the Valley
Startup Dunedin was honoured to help promote the premiere of Outside The Valley, a world-first documentary exploring start-up ecosystems outside of Silicon Valley. Wer're stoked Dunedin was one of four regions highlighted for it's startup community. With over 200 people attending, it was truly inspiring to see the interest and support in our region's startup sector.
Community Partnerships
Startup Dunedin has had the great privilege of working with the Otago Highlanders this year, facilitating a programme on startup fundamentals for Dunedin players and their partners.
Māori Business Boot Camp
An amazing group of year 12 and 13 Maori economic and accounting pupils were picked from secondary schools throughout the country to attend Nohoaka Pakihi this year, a programme designed to inspire and spark interest in a career in entrepreneurship. We can't wait to see where these awesome rangatahi take their ideas.
