Our newest Startup Dunedin board member, Angela Davis, officially joined us earlier this year - and she brings to the role a unique (and super valuable) founder’s perspective, with a career journey that spans everything from soju to consulting to higher education.
We’re stoked to welcome her on board and grateful to have her contributions to Startup Dunedin’s mission!
Startup journeys are rarely straight lines towards growth, and Angela Davis knows this very well. She describes her own path as a “squiggly career” - one that’s taken her through museums, retail, government, higher education, and now, to consulting. Along the way, she’s run startups, side hustles, tested her ideas, and ultimately built a consulting business that she describes as “a hugely fulfilling business where I help teams turn customers’ vision into action”.
Her connection to Startup Dunedin began with the Distiller Incubator Programme, where she and her partner were starting a NZ-owned traditional Soju company called Glorious Lands. Even though they did eventually decide to keep soju as a hobby, rather than a business, the experience proved to be a turning point for Angela. She noted, “It gave us lasting connections and practical tools I still use today. Those lessons gave me the confidence to launch Collective Strategy Ltd”, her business providing clients with strategy development, practical research, and stakeholder engagement.
Before launching her own company, Angela was Director of Strategy for the Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence at the University of Otago - a government initiative designed to help New Zealand businesses engage more effectively with Asia-Pacific markets. That role gave her a deep understanding of how global and local business environments connect, something really beneficial to bring into our local startup ecosystem.
Angela has governance experience already under her belt, currently serving as an intern director with Dunedin International Airport through the DCC’s Dunedin City Holdings Ltd governance initiative. She’s looking forward to applying what she’s learned there, while also drawing on her lived experience as a founder and consultant.
"Startup hubs are an important driver of growth and innovation in any city," Angela says, "and we’re so fortunate to have a well-established hub that welcomes anyone with an idea, at any stage.” It’s true - our unique and well-connected community is part of what makes our city so awesome. About Ōtepoti in particular, Angela says; “in terms of lifestyle and a beautiful environment, it’s hard to beat Dunedin."
As well as this, with short commutes and time to think as opposed to the hectic hustle and bustle of a larger city, people here tend to be more generous with their support - keen on making introductions and sharing their experiences. That willingness to help is what Angela reckons makes Dunedin a standout place to start something new.
We’re thrilled to welcome Angela onto the board and can’t wait to see the impact she’ll make as Startup Dunedin continues to grow.