New Entrepreneur in Residence
BCC is excited to bring a new team member on board, Stu Bradbury, whose extensive experience in the agritech sector will be of great value to the agri-focused companies working with us.
Sprout Nears the Final Stage
The eight Sprout companies have been working hard to prepare for the 2016 New Zealand Agribusiness Investment Showcase, where they will pitch their business to investors.
YES: A Strong Start to the Year 
Manawatu’s Young Enterprise Scheme kicked off on Wednesday with E-Day, the first event of the year. Over 150 students came together to form teams and come up with some great business ideas.
Start-up Theories Tested at Massey University Bootcamp
BCC ran a workshop for the external relations team at Massey University this month to help them problem solve with the type of innovative thinking processes we use for start-ups.
Sprout’s Second Block Course
On the 11th and 12th of December, the Sprout cohort arrived in Ashburton for the second of four block courses, which are being delivered across different regions within New Zealand. The theme for this block course was ‘Technical Approach and Product Roadmap.’
EPIC Challenge Competition
Congratulations to Proventus from Palmerston North Girls High School for winning the EPIC Challenge Primary Industries category award – great job girls!
New Entrepreneurs at The Factory 
This month we are taking a look at two of The Factory’s newest residents, Mike Long from Altus and Sharyn Hight from Lattitude Global Volunteering.
Looking Back at 2015
It was a great year for BCC, with a lot of progress and success stories. We plan to have just as successful a journey as we begin 2016.
Sprout Well Under Way
Sprout’s team have been working hard to go through all the programme applicants and have chosen the most promising eight, with the help of a special selection committee. The lucky eight will be flown into Palmerston North at the end of the month to get stuck into their first block course.
Young Enterprise Awards
It’s been a great year for the Young Enterprise Scheme, which wrapped up with an awards ceremony at the end of October. Prizes went to Body Coffee, Generation Zedd and BeanStalk Coffee.
DHB Innovate Competition Heats Up
The competition is in full swing now with competitors working towards their Dragon’s Den style pitches for a panel of judges in the hope of winning the grand prize to the Health 2.0 Europe conference next year.
Here’s more about the competition
New Entrepreneurs at The Factory 
BCC’s historic building has almost completely filled up since opening its doors this year. One of our newest additions is BlueCell, a new informatics-services for healthcare business.
Sprout Agritech Launched
Big news this month at BCC with the launch of our new Sprout programme. Sprout, our national agritech business accelerator, is searching New Zealand for eight promising entrepreneurs to take their ideas through a 20 week, remotely delivered programme.
Busy Months for Startups
It’s been a big capital raising period for three of the young companies BCC is working with. CalfSmart, Biolumic and Polybatics are all in various stages of fundraising.
2015 Innovation DHB Competition Begins
BCC and the MidCentral District Health Board (DHB) are teaming up to uncover some clever new ideas that contribute to local, national and possibly global health outcomes. The grand prize for the 2015 competition will be a trip to the Health 2.0 Europe conference in 2016.
Here’s more about the competition
On the Question of Institutes…
Would establishing private research institutes in the regions of New Zealand stimulate innovation and economic growth? This was the core question put to Manawatu residents at a workshop run by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment this month.
Innovate 2015 Winner Announced
It was a great event this year with some excellent entries for BCC’s fifth Innovate competition. Although the competition was stiff, Otaki based entrepreneur Kevin Halsall was able to take home the grand prize of $10,000 with his revolutionary hands free wheelchair.
Central Districts Field Days coming up
Central Districts Field Days is New Zealand’s largest regional rural event and the largest regional agricultural field days event in New Zealand. Organisers expect more than 540 exhibitors and more than 38,000 visitors over three days.
“Investment matchmaker” hosts Manawatu showcase As part of its development of the Manawatu as a hub of world-class food capability and industry knowledge, NZTE will host the upcoming 2015 New Zealand Agribusiness Investment Showcase in Palmerston North this year.
Angel investment guru drops in for lunch Members of BCC’s Manawatu Investment Group (MIG) heard from the man who wrote the book on angel investing, America’s John May, when he spoke at their recent first meeting of the year.
Massive funding boost for agritech start-up Shareholders and angel investors have given Manawatu start-up BioLumic a major push on its path to unlocking the unrivalled possibilities of UV light exposure for large growing concerns across the globe.
Novel reagent attracts international interest
A unique tuberculosis (TB) skin test reagent developed by PolyBatics is one step closer to worldwide recognition and application as it undergoes international collaborative testing.
Smart calf rearing system readies for lift-off
Dairy farmers are about to reap the benefits of huge advances in agritech and data management as a Manawatu entrepreneur’s automated, cloud-based calf rearing system gets set to launch.
New app takes the pain out of NCEA
Thanks to NCEA Pal, the nightmare faced annually by students, teachers and parents alike as they try to navigate NCEA’s convoluted grading and assessment system is now over. In addition, the app’s creators are building a successful business.
E is for Enterprise 
For the second year, BCC is the regional coordinator for the Manawatu and Whanganui Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES). The year’s activities kicked off with E-Day on 22 February.
Get your idea in: Innovate 2015 up and running If you think you could be on to the next big thing, why not enter your business idea into BCC’s Innovate 2015 competition? You could be in to win $10,000 in prizes.
Start your engines… For the second year, BCC is the regional coordinator for the Manawatu and Whanganui Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES). The year’s activities kicked off with E-Day on 22 February.
Diary of a Startup | Epic Writer 
Tina Faulkner, one of the two grand prize winners at Innovate 2014, takes us along for the ride as Epic Writer progresses from just a great idea for a website to an innovative reality that creatively inspires children to gain essential writing skills.
Game On for Innovations in Healthcare 
Respiratory physiotherapist Mike Perry’s winning idea in the recent BCC-launched MidCentral DHB Innovation Competition impressed the judges not only with its clear design but also with its proximity to market.
Upping the Momentum 
Business is booming for 2014 Young Enterprise Scheme regional and national award winners Jesh Designs. And they’re not alone – with two other local successes at national level, the future of next-generation innovation in the Manawatu is looking bright.
Reaching for the Sky 
Functional foods and smart pills are just two of the blue sky projects stemming from a Massey University scientist’s boyhood “interest in guts” that now have exciting commercial prospects and the potential to benefit mankind.
Local Student Companies Gain National Recognition Business is booming for 2014 Young Enterprise Scheme regional and national award winners Jesh Designs. And they’re not alone – with two other local successes at national level, the future of next-generation innovation in the Manawatu is looking bright.
Thinking Globally 
BCC’s newest recruits, Stephen McPhail and Tara Creaven, have their sights firmly set on providing new perspectives for Manawatu start-ups that take advantage of global commercialisation opportunities.
The Factory Interests Heats Up 
Want to take advantage of funky and economical co-working options coming up soon? Check out The Factory, the first structure to be adapted for the FoodHQ super campus, right in the business heart of Palmerston North.
More Services, More Revenue 
Six months after BCC ran a workshop for Landcare Research’s EcoGene unit, the scientists’ increased understanding of business, sales and account management is already being reflected in the unit’s improved financial performance.
Grants Make Everyone a Winner A recent $90,000 R&D grant from Callaghan Innovation could enable a small Palmerston North engineering company to gain a real leap on the competition – and this is only one of the many grants available to boost the export potential of firms.
Spotlight on Health Innovation 
With its sights firmly set on growing entrepreneurship in the Manawatu health sector, a newly launched innovation competition has a slightly different take on similar competitions and is already producing results.
BioLumic ‘The Real Deal’ in the USA 
BioLumic’s novel approach to horticultural yield improvement and disease control has caused a stir among US investors and strategic partners at the recent Ag Innovation Showcase in St. Louis.
Read the full story here
Innovate 2014 Doubles the Dollars 
The quality of entries in this year’s Innovate competition was so high that, for the first time, two grand prizes have been awarded – which says much about the growth of the four-year-old competition.
Diary of a Start-up 
Innovate 2013 Top 10 finalist Juanita Shields of VC LASH takes us on a journey through the challenging and exciting process of turning her innovative lash separation tool idea into a marketable reality. This month: learning more about the target market and preparing to go global with overseas workshops…
Breakfast – The Most Important Meal of the Day 
Especially when it fills your brain as well as your tummy. Skip the Weet-Bix and have breakfast with one of the world’s most creative entreprenurial and economic development thinkers. Ernesto Sirolli will be hosted by Manawatu Mayor Margaret Kouvalis and MP for Rangitikei Ian McKelvie and your’re invited. Monday, 10 November 2014
Register here – spots are filling up fast! “We believe that the future of every community lies in capturing the talent, energy and imagination of its people hence we specialize in responsive approaches to Local Development that grow the community from within, transforming passionate people into successful entrepreneurs.”