Are you an aspiring Hawke’s Bay entrepreneur seeking investors?
Is your idea ‘hot’ enough?
Do you need help to pitch and develop it?
Then check out Innovate Hawke’s Bay. It’s an experience as much as an entity.
The Innovate HB team is looking to find and fund “the smartest ideas and most talented entrepreneurs in Hawke’s Bay”. The approach uses a framework initiated by Innovate, New Zealand’s first mini-accelerator, which was launched in 2011 in the Manawatu by The Factory, a team of experts that have been growing and funding companies since 2006. From over 1,500 contenders over the years, 70 businesses have been created, securing over $5 million of investment.
The Hawke’s Bay programme is supported by the likes of Fingermark (whose CEO Luke Irving has been a previous Innovate judge), Furnware, Ask Your Team, Re-Leased and Rockit, among others – all of whom know their way around entrepreneurship.
It’s time to enter the competition if you think you have a winning idea. By the end of the year, the winnowing process (explained on their website) will sharpen you and your proposition … and you might come out the Hawke’s Bay winner!
The entry process is quick and easy, offering a unique opportunity to turn your idea into a business. Each finalist will be teamed up with local Hawke’s Bay mentors who will be by their side through the entire process. The winner will receive $5,000 cash, entry into The Factory’s accelerator programme run out of Havelock North and the ability to receive investment from an active angel community in Hawke’s Bay and the Manawatu.
The Innovate Hawke’s Bay programme is being managed by Hal Josephson, a Havelock North resident and experienced start-up entrepreneur. He explains: “A lot of talent and mentorship is needed alongside early stage founders to help their idea flourish. Innovate’s platform is robust, powerful and ticks all the boxes when it comes to taking an idea from early stage to pre-investment. Plus, with Innovate and The Factory comes the ability to pitch for angel investment, a must when trying to scale any business.”
To enter or for more information, contact Hal or visit their website:
Hal Josephson
Programme Director
hal@thefactorynz.co.nz
www.innovatehawkesbay.kiwi