Callaghan Innovation is tonight naming the first 16 companies of the Sir Paul Callaghan 100 Report.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s innovation agency, which this year marks its 10th anniversary, has launched a new report as a way to celebrate and recognise innovative companies making an impact on New Zealand’s economy.
Callaghan Innovation was named after one of New Zealand’s greatest scientists and 2011’s New Zealander of the Year – Sir Paul Callaghan (1947–2012). Sir Paul was a highly respected and inspirational leader and teacher, and champion of science and business as being crucial to New Zealand’s economic growth.
Callaghan Innovation Chief Executive Stefan Korn says the agency originated from the powerful idea that intergenerational prosperity would come from smart, bold entrepreneurs creating world-leading and world-bettering companies.
Sir Paul once said ‘One hundred inspired New Zealand entrepreneurs could turn this country around. That is the challenge for us all’. It’s a powerful vision – and that is why we’re launching the Sir Paul Callaghan 100 Report as an aspirational new way to celebrate and recognise innovative startups that are pushing the boundaries and making an impact on our country's economy,
- Dr Korn said
The intention is to keep adding companies to the report in subsequent years as they attain the same milestones of those named tonight.
The companies featured have shown breakthrough innovation and are creating new pathways in their respective industries with pivotal contributions from Callaghan Innovation.
They also display a clear:
- Dedication to continued research and development
- Significant economic contribution to New Zealand or for the advancement of science and technology on a global scale
- Innovative and inspirational journey
“We want to further acknowledge that becoming leaders in their respective industries is no minor feat. While 90 percent of start-ups fail due to an array of factors, the companies featured here have crossed those barriers through the persistence, vision, vigour and just plain hard work at times necessary to succeed in the face of adversity and uncertainty,” Dr Korn said.
In addition to the 16 companies named in the inaugural report, another 18 ‘up and comers’ have been identified, whose work has not gone unnoticed and who Callaghan Innovation believes have strong potential to become part of the Sir Paul 100 companies in the future.
“In the past five years alone we’ve worked with more than 7,800 innovative businesses, which shows the impact of Callaghan Innovation’s work is widely felt across New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem. Estimates indicate that for every $1 Callaghan Innovation has funded towards research and development, our customers spend close to $8 on R&D,” Dr Korn said.
The Sir Paul Callaghan 100 Report companies 2023:
Alimetry – Technology for the diagnosis of gastric dysfunction diseases.
Aroa Bio – Soft tissue reconstruction company selling medical devices for procedures to replace lost skin or muscle
EasyCrypto – Makes buying cryptocurrency safe, easy and fair
Emrod – Commercialising power-beaming technology to enable long-range wireless energy transfer
Fabrum – Supplier of small to medium liquefaction systems and composite cryogenic vessels used in heavy transport, mining and aviation industries
Formus Labs – Software builder using computational biomechanics and AI to help surgeons deliver better outcomes for patients needing joint replacements
Futureverse – Creating the foundation for a human-centric, immersive internet (the metaverse)
Lanzatech – Recycling carbon using biological processes
Mint Innovation – Extracting “green metals” from waste using natural biomass and smart chemistry
Pushpay – Online payment software that centralises donations and manages payment operations for churches, not-for-profits and education providers
Rocket Lab – An end-to-end space company revolutionising exploration and use of space.
Rockit Global – Exporters of the world’s first miniature apple, with 65 percent more potassium and 21 percent more vitamin C than commodity apples
Seequent – Creates and integrates world-leading earth modelling, geo-data management and team collaboration software
Syft Technologies – Technology used across the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, consumer goods and environmental industries
The Insides Company – Designs and manufactures versatile and scalable medical devices playing a vital role in restoring functionality of the intestinal system
Wakatū – Māori entity with three business divisions covering food and beverage, land, and functional foods and ingredients
View the Sir Paul Callaghan 100 Report companies on Callaghan Innovation’s website https://content.callaghaninnovation.govt.nz/sir-paul-callaghan-100-report
ENDS
Media contact
Susan Pepperell
ph 021 233 1078
About Callaghan Innovation
Callaghan Innovation is New Zealand’s innovation agency. It activates innovation and helps businesses grow faster for a better New Zealand.
The government agency partners with ambitious businesses of all sizes, delivering a range of innovation and research and development (R&D) services to suit each stage of their growth. Its staff – including more than 200 of New Zealand’s leading scientists and engineers – empower innovators by connecting people, opportunities and networks, and providing tailored technical solutions, skills and capability development programmes, and grants co-funding.
Callaghan Innovation also enhances the operation of New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem, working closely with MBIE, NZTE, NZVIF, Crown Research Institutes, and other organisations that help increase business investment in R&D and innovation. The agency operates from five urban offices and a regional partner network in a further 12 locations across Aotearoa.
