What is a startup?
Callaghan Innovation defines a startup as a company that’s developing an innovative and scalable business.
Unlike other new small businesses, founders of startups are often pioneering new products, services, technologies and/or business models that haven’t been done before, and actively looking to disrupt existing industries or sectors. Founders are also looking to scale and grow their startup businesses quickly, helping to make their business more desirable to investors.
Our offering for startups
We offer a range of products and services to help startups to grow and flourish.
Founder wellbeing
There are many pressures placed on startup founders as they bring to life their innovative new businesses. We fund and support a range of services, including independent counselling and restorative consulting, to help make the startup ecosystem a better place and to help look after the wellbeing of founders.
Read MoreCode of conduct and guide for founders
Code of Conduct
As a member of the startup ecosystem, Callaghan Innovation wants to help create an environment where founders and their evolving teams can thrive - an ecosystem that supports, encourages and builds a diverse and inclusive culture; recognises that words and actions have power; and acknowledges that if we make mistakes, we need to address our behaviour.
The Code of Conduct and Guide for Founders have been created with this in mind - and with founders at their heart. We hope that New Zealand’s startup ecosystem providers, mentors, advisors, coaches, investors, supporters and startups find them useful.
Guide for Founders
This guide has been designed to give founders and their evolving teams a clear understanding of what good looks like and what constitutes unacceptable behaviour when engaging in the ecosystem.
Learning and resources for startups
There is plenty of other support for startups, beyond the programmes offered by Callaghan Innovation. These directories and resources contain information about support organisations, resources and events.
I have worked at Callaghan Innovation since 2020, and I manage our Startup and Founder Support programme. Having both been part of an incubator founder cohort and run startup support programmes, I have seen the effectiveness of incubators and accelerators from various sides of the table.
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I manage Beyond IP, working with clients across the country to help them understand how this programme could benefit their business. My skills lie in relationship and operations management underpinned by Agile methodologies.
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I work as a Product Manager coordinating and managing the delivery of programmes to improve the productivity of New Zealand businesses. My work balances both data driven insights and collaborating with people to create offerings for customers.
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I work in the Product Management Team as the product lead for Capital Education. My core skill is knowing sources of capital that customers can approach for their business growth.
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Heart disease is one of the world’s most preventable causes of death. Healthtech startup HeartLab is on a mission to help the doctors diagnosing it, using AI to give them better, and quicker, information from echocardiograms.
From science fiction to reality, deep tech startup Helico is wanting to produce life-saving therapeutic compounds from plants and, ultimately, ‘edible medicine’. Callaghan Innovation is supporting in every way possible.
Needing to change the way innovation was approached within the business, Beca developed an internal accelerator. With the help of Callaghan Innovation, they can now fast-track market-leading ideas.
Doing away with diesel, and wanting to power ferry services with electric boats, EV Maritime is developing a fast, electric commuter ferry. With Callaghan Innovation help, they're on their way a lot quicker.
Printing its way to a more affordable, more sustainable construction industry, QOROX has used Callaghan Innovation support to accelerate its R&D and commercialise 3D concrete printing in New Zealand.
Agritech innovator Halter has revolutionised dairy farming with its ‘smart collars’ and ‘cowgorithms’, using support from Callaghan Innovation to grow the business and its R&D talent pipeline.
Digitally disrupting the $1.9 trillion auto parts market sounds tough. But Partly, with support from Callaghan Innovation, is doing just that with their global platform for replacement parts.
Neocrete: Redefining concrete and cementing an eco-friendly future for construction. Combining a father’s invention, Callaghan Innovation supported R&D, and an entrepreneurial spirit, Neocrete has redefined concrete, with its mix reducing CO2 emissions from concrete production up to 40 per cent.
