Tapuwae Roa has again welcomed 10 Māori-founded startups into its Tupu Accelerator, marking the third consecutive year of the eight-week programme supporting high-growth enterprises with global ambitions.

The 2026 cohort was formally welcomed last week at a mihi whakatau hosted at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, attended by representatives from Aotearoa’s venture capital, investment, government, and innovation sectors.

Delivered in partnership with Sprout Agritech and co-funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Tupu was established to address the underrepresentation of Māori within Aotearoa’s startup ecosystem and support founders seeking to scale innovative ventures.

"We’ve seen increasing demand year-on-year from founders building ambitious ventures with global potential. At the same time, we’re seeing growing engagement from investors, industry leaders, and ecosystem partners who recognise the value and calibre of Māori innovation emerging through the programme," says Tapuwae Roa Kaihautū, Te Pūoho Kātene.

Since launching in 2024, the accelerator has received applications from more than 200 Māori-founded startups across Aotearoa, onboarding 53 founders into the programme, with 75% identifying as Māori and a growing number of Pasifika co-founders also participating.

The programme has also continued to attract strong regional and demographic diversity, with participants representing 15 regions across Aotearoa and nearly half based outside of Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Wāhine founders have consistently made up a significant proportion of participants, including 55% of the 2026 cohort.

"Part of Tupu’s role is addressing structural gaps within Aotearoa’s innovation and investment ecosystem," says Kātene.

"Founders based outside of major centres often face reduced access to accelerator programmes, capital networks, specialist support, and investment pathways. The same barriers continue to disproportionately affect minority founders.

"Tupu exists to help close those gaps by creating pathways into high-growth entrepreneurship, investment readiness, and innovation ecosystems for pakihi Māori across the motu."

For Tīrama Vital founder Bernece Maude (Ngāti Maniapoto), the programme represents an opportunity to further scale her venture internationally.

"Being accepted into Tupu is a big step forward for me and for Tīrama Vital. It’s an opportunity to learn, build alongside other Māori founders, and take this to the next level, growing a global wellness business from Aotearoa that creates value for our whenua, our growers, and our people," says Maude.

Hannah Dryland (Ngāpuhi), co-founder of Insyt, says Tupu will help strengthen the company’s strategic and commercial capability as it continues developing solutions for people living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

"We’re excited to be part of the Tupu Accelerator. We’re here to build something that genuinely improves how people live with IBS, and this gives us the environment and support to keep moving forward," says Dryland.

The accelerator will run over the next eight weeks and culminate in the Tupu Accelerator Showcase, where participants will pitch their ventures to investors, partners, and industry leaders.

The showcase will be held at the Aotea Centre, Auckland, on 2 July 2026.

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