Interactive storyteller app wins business kick-start

Thursday, 30 October 2014, 4:24 pm
Press Release: ANZ Bank

30 October 2014

Interactive storyteller app wins business kick-start

Wellington, Canterbury and Auckland firms win top prizes in ANZ Flying Start Contest

A Wellington firm that has developed a mobile ‘storyteller’ guide to visitor attractions has taken out one of New Zealand’s top business awards after pitching its business plan to a panel of expert judges in the capital today. STQRY won the ANZ Flying Start Business Plan Competition supreme award for the best overall business plan. The award comes with a prize package worth $45,000, including $30,000 cash from ANZ, to further grow the business.

Canterbury firm Creative Hype, which creates promotional replica helmets for sports fans, and Auckland digital book production house Kiwa Digital, took out second and third prizes respectively. Each received a $5000 cash award from ANZ.

Ten regional winners received a $1000 prize, including national finalists Dr Feelgood, of North Auckland, and Alexandra-based Snolo Sleds.

Details on all regional winners are available at: www.business.govt.nz/business-plan-competition/winners

Fred Ohlsson, ANZ’s Managing Director, Retail & Business Banking, says: “These are entrepreneurs of the future who are ready to fly. They have exciting ideas and ambition, and they’ve backed this with detailed business planning to produce a road map to commercial success. These awards are a deserved accolade, but also a kick-start to help them take their enterprise to the next level.”

This is the fourth year of the ANZ Flying Start competition, sponsored by ANZ in partnership with business.govt.nz, which aims to highlight the importance of good business planning.

“Since we began backing this competition our business bankers have helped more than 25,000 Kiwis start businesses. We understand that a strong business plan is a must-have for getting a successful enterprise off the ground. Small firms are the driving force of New Zealand's economy and the quality of this year's Flying Start entries bodes extremely well for future growth,” says Mr Ohlsson.

ANZ Flying Start Business Plan Contest supreme award: STQRY
STQRY, of Wellington, produces an interactive mobile ‘storyteller’ that fits in the palm of your hand. STQRY uses location-aware technology to automatically deliver information relevant to users’ location and activity. They create customised experiences based on the visitor, where they are, and how they wish to engage with attractions and products.

Second prize: Creative Hype
Canterbury-based Creative Hype produces replica sports helmets, designed to be worn by fans and act as an engaging in-stadium advertising platform for teams and sponsors. The company describes itself as “not just any sports marketing and promotions company... We are pioneers of a new advertising tool taking sports stadiums around the globe by storm!”

Third prize: Kiwa Digital
KIWA®, a production house for digital books based in Central Auckland, uses technology to enable storytelling. Their voice synchronisation technology brings sound and content to life in unique ways. They offer niche services like licensing software for TV and film post-production and publishing experiential digital books.

Other national finalists:

Dr Feelgood
Dr Feelgood, a family business based in North Auckland, have created a range of all-natural, hand-made Ice Pops for the health-conscious – using ‘only the good stuff’, with no refined sugar and no hard-to-pronounce ingredients. They use nutritious and functional whole-food ingredients.

Snolo Sleds
Based in Alexandra, Central Otago, Snolo Sleds offer an exciting alternative to skiing and snow boarding by using cutting edge design and materials to create innovative, high performance adult snow sleds. Snolo Sleds was registered in 2010 and released the first of several sleds, the Stealth-X, in 2012.

ANZ Business Banking
• ANZ banks more than 2 million retail and small business customers
• In the past four years ANZ has helped over 25,000 New Zealanders start their business, and helped thousands more to grow. It offers specialised start-up packages, including a special package for farmers
• ANZ has more than 600 specialist business bankers in branches across the country – more than any other bank
• More than 5,000 small business customers attend ANZ’s free seminars each year, gaining practical advice to help them run their businesses
• The bank surveys small businesses every quarter to produce ANZ Business Micro Scope, providing information on issues affecting NZ’s 450,000 small businesses

ENDS

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ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited

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