A Week of Innovation: Celebrating Auckland’s First Startup Week
After a busy yet energising week celebrating Auckland’s first Startup Week, a citywide showcase of innovation and entrepreneurship, the AUT Ventures team is finally catching our collective breath. The week brought together hundreds of founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem partners across Tāmaki Makaurau, and we were proud to be right in the middle of it all, attending a variety of events throughout the week. However, two in particular stood out…
Flipping the Script: Reverse Pitch
AUT’s Reverse Pitch: Founder Support event flipped the traditional format of a pitch event on its head: giving the mic to incubators, accelerators, and mentoring organisations to share how they’ve helped hundreds of Kiwi startups launch and grow. The event was MC’d by our very own Venture Director, Chris Hill, who kept the energy high and the conversations flowing throughout the morning.
The line-up featured some of Aotearoa’s most active players in the startup ecosystem, including Creative HQ, Callaghan Innovation, HTK Startup, Ministry of Awesome, Soda Inc , Startup Aotearoa, and Tupu Accelerator. Each offered valuable insights into their unique approaches to supporting early-stage founders.
Proudly sponsored by AUT in partnership with AUT Ventures, the event reflected the university’s deep commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration across Aotearoa’s startup landscape. AUT’s Assistant Vice-Chancellor, Engagement, Amy Malcolm, noted how the entrepreneurial spirit of Startup Week aligns perfectly with AUT’s mission to support and strengthen New Zealand’s growing startup community.
Celebrating Impact: The KiwiNet Awards
While AUT Ventures didn’t enter the KiwiNet Awards this year (none of our ventures were at the right stage when entries closed), the Ventures team and our invited guests were inspired by the incredible achievements of the organisations across Aotearoa’s innovation ecosystem that we’re proud to be part of. Witnessing the success of our peers and seeing the outstanding accomplishments of other universities has sparked determination in many of our own researchers, with some already setting their sights on becoming future KiwiNet Award finalists. A standout moment was the Momentum Student Entrepreneur Award, celebrating the remarkable talent and achievements of young researchers who are shaping the future.
Looking Ahead
Initiatives like these remind us why AUT Ventures exists in the first place, to bridge the gap between research and commercialisation. With the dust now settling after a packed week of celebrations, the team returns with a renewed sense of motivation to keep doing what we do best: helping founders translate their ideas into real-world impact.