The Lightbulb asks innovators and entrepreneurs how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Jamie Cashmore, co-founder of Auckland-based edible packaging company Twiice. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Twiice. Twiice is a company making edible coffee cups with plans to progress into other areas of edible packaging. … Read more
The Lightbulb asks innovators and entrepreneurs how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Brad Parsonson, co-founder of Miuwi (pronounced me-you-we) – a platform that allows you to own a home faster and cheaper through co-ownership. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Miuwi. It’s been described as ‘the … Read more
The Lightbulb asks innovators and entrepreneurs how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Arash Tayebi, co-founder of Kara Technologies which uses AI and digital humans to translate content into sign language. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Kara. Kara translates different materials – books, audio, video – … Read more
The Lightbulb asks innovators and entrepreneurs how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Aaron Jones, founder of Christchurch-based reusable bag company Zerobag. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Zerobag. Zerobag is a New Zealand-owned company started 10 years ago that specialises in locally designed, high-quality, long-life reusable … Read more
The Lightbulb asks innovators and entrepreneurs how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Huski co-founder Simon Huesser about developing vacuum insulated ‘coolers’ that keep beer and wine cold for hours on end. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Huski. Huski is all about creating better drinking experiences … Read more
The Lightbulb asks innovators and entrepreneurs how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Socius VR’s Anzel Singh who’s working to create VR videos for people with autism to practice social interaction. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Socius VR. Socius VR is virtual reality system for people … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to The Curator’s Marica Frost who went from dealing with refugee law to building a free virtual wedding planner from scratch. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Honeywrap co-founder Tara McQuinn, makers of organic fabric beeswax wraps. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Honeywrap. Honeywrap is a beeswax wrap made with organic cotton. … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Guy Howard-Willis, formerly of Torpedo7 and now founder of Manta5, makers of the world’s first hydrofoil e-bike. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Manta5. We’ve … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Fraser McConnell, co-founder of alternative payments app Choice which is currently running a two-week pilot phase with Wellington bars, restaurants and cafes. First of all, give us your elevator pitch … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Ming Dapiere, founder of packaging company R3pack (pronounced R-Three-Pack) which provides compostable and recycled courier options. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for R3pack. R3pack is a … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Mathew Jury, founder of award-winning company Taska Prosthetics which makes state-of-the-art prosthetic hands. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Taska Prosthetics. The Taska product is a … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Little Yellow Bird founder Samantha Jones whose social enterprise makes sustainably and ethically-made uniforms and basics. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Little Yellow Bird. We’re … Read more
The Hi-Tech Awards are fast approaching, but who’ll be deemed the most innovative of them all? We take a closer look at the five nominees for Kiwibank’s Most Innovative Hi-Tech Service award. Eleven billion dollars: that’s how much revenue New Zealand’s leading hi-tech companies brought into our economy last year. That’s an 11% increase from … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week, we talk to Collaborate co-founder Poppy Norton who’s helped create an app matching charitable organisations with volunteers. Nominated for a Hi-Tech Award for the second year in a row, Collaborate is the brainchild … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week, we talk to Melodics founder Sam Gribben, who’s created software to help people learn how to play musical instruments. Having spent a decade at audio software company Serato, ex-CEO Sam Gribben … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week, we talk to Dr Sarvnaz Taherian who’s helped develop technology that allows physically disabled individuals to communicate via blinking. For most individuals, using a phone or laptop couldn’t be easier. But for … Read more
In our new Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week, we talk to Hello Cup’s Robyn McLean on what sparked the move into menstrual cups. Since launching in December 2017, Hawkes Bay-based start-up Hello Cup has helped introduce menstrual cups … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Dr Will Barker, CEO of biotech startup Mint Innovation which recovers valuable metals from electronic waste. ONE: How did Mint Innovation start and what was the inspiration behind it? Mint was founded in … Read more
A study using salary data, employment prospects, skill shortages and training positions suggests aspiring engineers, builders, teachers, midwives and panel beaters are off to a great start. First published in February 2019. One of the most difficult choices in a young person’s life is deciding what they want to study. They have to think about … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Offcut founder Adrien Taylor whose company takes fabric scraps destined for landfill and turns them into hats instead. ONE: How did Offcut start and what was the inspiration behind it? I started the … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Erin Harrison, founder of The Freelance Village. ONE: How did The Freelance Village start and what was the inspiration behind it? I’ve been a freelance writer on-and-off for over 10 years and what … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to James Koo, co-founder of student discount and job listings app Niesh. ONE: How did Niesh start and what was the inspiration behind it? Niesh actually started as a project between me and … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to brand strategist James Hurman whose latest venture, Storytech, wants to help small businesses work out their elevator pitch in a single day. ONE: How did Storytech start and what was the inspiration behind … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Wellington-born Jonny McKenzie and Canadian-born Amy Alexander, founders of luxury pre-bottled cocktail company J.M.R. Cocktail & Co. ONE: How did J.M.R. Cocktails start and what was the inspiration behind it? Amy Alexander (AA): … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Jenny Etherington who, along with her partner Thomas Mortimer, founded Solvej (sool-vay) Swings – makers of sustainable and long-lasting swings for babies and toddlers. ONE: How did Solvej Swings start and what was … Read more
We ask Business is Boring host Simon Pound to pick out 10 episodes from the past year you should give a listen (or re-listen) to this summer. Read More: Reflecting on 100 episodes of Business is Boring We Compost on how it’s keeping tons of waste out of landfill Nine years ago, Steve Rickerby spotted … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Georgia Meek, founder of The Babysitters Club, an online agency connecting families with babysitters. ONE: How did The Babysitters Club start and what was the inspiration behind it? The idea for The … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Haman Shahpari, co-founder of vegan, low calorie, halal certified ice cream brand WāHiki Creamery, which has recently signed a deal to enter the Chinese market. ONE: How did WāHiki start and what was … Read more