We were honoured to host the Australian High Commissioner, The Honourable Patricia Forsythe at Te Ōhaka – Centre for Growth and Innovation.
Hon. Patricia Forsythe had the opportunity to hear from Partly and Pyper Vision – two startups who are meaningfully engaged with Australia through investment or activity – as well as to meet with the Te Ōhaka community all of whom are keen to drive their ventures beyond NZ borders.
It was clear throughout the engagement that Australia is a very attractive market for many New Zealand startups. With strong similarity in language and culture, it’s the perfect entry point to the global market for many startups, especially ones that plan to expand further into the US and Europe market. Whilst a few startups in the Te Ōhaka Incubation Programme such as Komodo Wellbeing, Pyper Vision, and Blerb are already in the Australian market, we believe that there are more opportunities to facilitate more connections with investors, partners and customers in Australia.
Ministry of Awesome Chair, Lloyd Mander, was on hand to discuss the opportunity of greater collaboration and connectivity by establishing mutual beachheads for startups in both markets.
We are grateful to have had a fruitful engagement with The Honourable Patricia Forsythe, and hope that this is the starting point of many more meaningful connections and partnerships with the Australia startup community.