NZ’s first ever Manufacturing Accelerator opens for business
NZ’s first ever Manufacturing Accelerator opens for business
The doors are open! Lightning Lab Manufacturing kicked off
in Lower Hutt this week, welcoming eight hardware startups
into the three month programme. The manufacturing
accelerator is the fifth Lightning Lab to run since its
inception in 2013, and the first in NZ to centre around
hardware, giving startups who are building or have built
physical products the opportunity to rapidly accelerate
their companies. The programme is run by Creative HQ with
support from Callaghan Innovation, Grow Wellington and the
Hutt City Council.
Lightning Lab Manufacturing Director, Shawn O’Keefe, says the interest in this inaugural manufacturing programme has been huge, with over 50 applications from across NZ and offshore. “We are opening a whole new door for the startup community and investors”, says O’Keefe. “We know that ‘hardware is hard’, so it’s even more critical that we help these early stage businesses get off the launch pad. These teams need to be design-led and customer-focused, aware of the latest trends in manufacturing technology and have a clear strategy for getting their products off the drawing board and into the marketplace.”
The eight startups that make
up the inaugural manufacturing
cohort:
ORGANIC DYNAMIC
Surfboards and related products developed from
organic materials
EBEE Eco-friendly
bee hive frames
DOGMATEK Audio
effects units combining analogue and digital
electronics
KINE6 Wireless, outdoor
motion capture technology
LIQUID LIFE
Dye dispersal unit for marine
rescue
THE MISPRINT CO. Business
paper waste repurposed into
notebooks
PRECISION PLATFORMS Rifle
stocks and bi-pods for long-range hunters and competition
rifle shooters
BPOD Smart baby
products that can adapt to the needs of parents and
baby
As part of the programme, startups will each receive $15,000 seed funding, as well as intensive mentorship and business development throughout the 12-week programme in the Lower Hutt space. Running in parallel with the Manufacturing programme is Lightning Lab Digital in Christchurch, a first for the region. Teams are given access to a network of more than 100 mentors, interns and advisors from across New Zealand and around the globe, who share experiences, confront assumptions and test teams’ fortitude while sharing a powerful network of expertise, experience and connections.
Lower Hutt City Council is a key supporter of the programme, and is hosting the Lab in a former retail space within the CBD. Mayor Ray Wallace says that the teams represent a vital part of the region’s manufacturing history, and future: “Lower Hutt is home to many of the Wellington region’s high value manufacturers. We are excited to see these young businesses being given a headstart, and developing the next generation of products that can be exported around the world. Manufacturing companies employ designers, engineers, science and business graduates amongst many others, providing great career paths for our youth, and vitality for our communities.”
Government agency Callaghan Innovation
is also supporting this project, as it aligns with its
mission to help businesses of all sizes succeed through
technology. “As the lead organisation supporting the
commercialisation of science and technology-led innovation
in New Zealand, we are pleased to be involved in this
inaugural hardware accelerator,” says Jesse Keith,
Callaghan Innovation’s National Technology Network Manager
for Design and Manufacturing. “We support high-tech and
design-led businesses across all sectors, through the
expanded nationwide business incubator network as well as
providing R&D services, advice and funding to the high value
manufacturing sector. As well as our direct support for the
team running the Lightning Lab, we are using our extensive
national and international networks to help these ventures
make the connections they need to succeed.”
Grow
Wellington CEO, Gerard Quinn, sees the teams as a
cross-section of the region’s dynamic and creative
economy. “The products include film industry tech,
cloud-enabled products, sporting goods and agri-tech, with
environmental responsibility being a strong theme. It will
be exciting to see the creative collisions that occur as
these teams grow and connect with the wider manufacturing
base across the region.”
The 3 month programme will
finish with a Demo Day in late November, giving the teams a
chance to pitch their companies to a packed room of
investors. Previous Lightning Lab Demo Day events have
raised more than $5M of investment to date.
For more
information visit: lightninglab.co.nz/manufacturing
ENDS