"Electrify is a valuable conference for wāhine founders, offering practical learning, meaningful connections, and inspiration to help strengthen and grow founders' businesses." - Karen Roos, Executive Manager KUMA
In early June 2026, the Startup Dunedin team headed up to Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, to attend Electrify Aotearoa, a conference bringing together wāhine founders and entrepreneurs from across the motu.
As a regional startup hub, events like this matter to us. Gaining insights and building connections across Aotearoa keeps us plugged into the national startup ecosystem and brings that knowledge back home to Ōtepoti.
Sessions covered a range of topics, including getting to revenue, understanding financials, navigating funding realities, finding pilot customers, defining products, building brands, shipping with limited resources, growing teams, protecting IP, and learning how to lead. There was even a panel discussion with Otago University Alumni Anna Guenthur from Pledgeme.
One of the highlights was connecting with people from organisations all over Aotearoa, including the team from Coin South, who are doing great work in their own corner of the motu. What makes the startup community in Aotearoa so special is people's willingness to share lessons and connect with others to build faster.
Many wāhine founders from Otepoti also made the trip north. Here's what they took away:
"I came away inspired, challenged, and buzzing, surrounded by women founders, startup operators, investors, and people building ambitious things from Aotearoa."
- Kirsty Fairbairn, Fuel My Potential
"Electrify helped me connect with a variety of people leading projects in healthcare and neurodiversity, as well as people working with children or who have children of their own. One of my favourite parts was Shona Grundy's talk about the Māori approach; it sparked real reflection about what makes a good leader and why diverse perspectives in leadership aren't just nice to have. Being at Electrify was like being in a room full of big thinkers and problem solvers."
- Rachel Barker - Read My Feelings
"I'm still early in my startup journey, but I felt like I attended at the perfect time. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many passionate, warm, and encouraging people. The Day One workshops really helped me illuminate the next steps in my journey, and many of the skills discussed were good general life skills too, like knowing your personal why and how to be a clear but kind communicator."
- Maria Sokolova (Student)
"Feeling inspired, humbled, and incredibly energised after meeting some seriously bold wāhine founders. As a marketer, I've realised that building something from absolute scratch takes a completely different level of hustle, resilience, and belief. I was genuinely moved by how supportive this community is."
- Aashima Yadav - Handy Kea
If you're an Ōtepoti founder and want to build your community, get in touch with the Startup Dunedin team. We'd love to help you find your room.
