Creative HQ

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Creative HQ Proudly located in the coolest little capital.

For over 20 years, we’ve partnered with startups, businesses and government agencies to turn bold ideas into real-world impact through world-class innovation programmes, coaching, capital and connections.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s Aurora Climate Lab Cohort 6! 🌌 If you know Creative HQ, you know we love a launch party,...
20/10/2026

It’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s Aurora Climate Lab Cohort 6! 🌌

If you know Creative HQ, you know we love a launch party, and last night showed there’s a lot to feel optimistic about.

Built here in Aotearoa, these founders are working on solutions for Kiwis and beyond: lowering power bills, giving farmers and food producers better data to measure environmental impact, turning hazardous waste into something useful, mapping climate risk and getting vehicles and planes off fossil fuels around the world. 🌍

Congratulations to Cohort 6:

Axen Group | BioGlint | Canopi | Cogo NZ | Crux Aerospace | Greenback | Graymark Technologies | Honac | ilumento |
Power Trip NZ | TwoPhold

Now the real work begins. Over the next few months, these teams will go through an intensive programme, wrapped in support from coaches, mentors, investors and a community of people who want to see them succeed.

It all comes together on 25–26 February 2027 at the Aurora Climate Tech Summit in Wellington. 🎤 You’ll watch each of these teams pitch, connect with the community from across the Asia-Pacific and see the best of what Aotearoa has to offer. 🌏

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now: https://events.creativehq.co.nz/AuroraClimateTechSummit2027 #/

This programme wouldn’t be possible without our amazing partners backing the future of climate tech in Aotearoa. Thank you to Motion Capital, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Fractal Climate, Sprout People, Prime Innovation, Avid.legal, BlueRock and Angel HQ.

💙 And thank you to everyone who came along to celebrate last night. What a way to kick things off!

“Who's coming with me!?” 🏃‍♂️💸Hopefully, you. Because Show Me the Money is coming up on 22 October.Next week, Creative H...
12/10/2026

“Who's coming with me!?” 🏃‍♂️💸

Hopefully, you. Because Show Me the Money is coming up on 22 October.

Next week, Creative HQ is teaming up with Movac, Angel HQ and Taiawa Wellington Tech Hub for a full day of advice and kōrero on getting funded, growing your business and meeting the right people. 🕶️

If you're funding your startup, figuring out how to scale sales, or still working out which type of capital makes sense for your business, this one's for you.

🎟️ Last chance to get your tickets: https://events.creativehq.co.nz/ShowMetheMoney #/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Zoho+Social&utm_content=Whoscoming

One ClimateTech cohort this year wasn’t enough. We're thrilled to announce Aurora Climate Lab, Cohort 6! 🌌Eleven teams f...
07/10/2026

One ClimateTech cohort this year wasn’t enough. We're thrilled to announce Aurora Climate Lab, Cohort 6! 🌌

Eleven teams from across Aotearoa are building the tech that will lower Kiwis' power bills, clean up hazardous waste, make solar panels work harder and get our trucks, mining vehicles and planes off fossil fuels. 🌏

Say hello to:

⚡ Axen Group: MineHawk, a rugged electric vehicle built for mining
⚡ BioGlint: soil sensors that break down naturally and help cut nitrogen loss
⚡ Canopi (The Lever Room): climate risk mapping for land, property and infrastructure
⚡ Cogo: helping Kiwi households go electric and save on power
⚡ Crux Aerospace: hydrogen-electric planes, starting with the NZAero 750XL
⚡ Greenback: tracking regenerative food from farm to plate
⚡ Graymark Technologies: recovering useful chemicals from hazardous waste
⚡ Honac: turning off-peak renewable power into heat for industry
⚡ ilumento: smart lighting control that cuts energy use in commercial buildings
⚡ Power Trip: software that helps fleets go electric
⚡ TwoPhold: special inks that help solar panels make more power

They have an incredible journey ahead of them, working with our coaches, mentors and partners - all building up to the next Aurora Climate Tech Summit in February 2027.

As they dive in - let’s wrap around all the ecosystem support we can offer. 👋Come meet them at the launch party: https://events.creativehq.co.nz/AuroraClimateLab-NextAcceleratorLaunch #/

📅 20 October, 5:00 pm
📍 Creative HQ

Fintech Lab is back for 2027, and applications are now OPEN. 📣If you're building something to make financial services wo...
06/10/2026

Fintech Lab is back for 2027, and applications are now OPEN. 📣

If you're building something to make financial services work better, whether that's insurtech, paytech, wealthtech, asset management or anything in between, there's never been a better time to dive in. Open banking is here, investment and customer interest are growing, and with AI it's never been easier to start building.

But building a prototype is one thing. Building a resilient startup is another, especially with regulatory and capital constraints. We're looking for early-stage founding teams with a Fintech solution they want to take to Aotearoa and the world, who are available from March to June next year. 💰

It's your chance to join an alumni community that includes Hnry - New Zealand, Sharesies, Feijoa, Hello Cashflow, Count App, Fundsorter and many more.

🎉 Thanks to our amazing partners, the programme is free and we take no equity. It's also hybrid, so founders from across Aotearoa can take part.
Mastercard, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, WellingtonNZ, NZGPT, NZ Fintech Fund, Fintechnz Financial Markets Authority NZ, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts Grid AKL

We know programmes like this can look like a big commitment, and even a bit intimidating. Creative HQ is committed to making them inclusive and supportive for all founders, and this year we especially want wāhine and Māori founders to feel welcome to apply. 🧡 If you're on the fence and want to kōrero first, reach out to our team.

Applications close 22 November. Know a founder who should apply? Share this with them.
https://creativehq.co.nz/build-for-founders/fintech-lab/

The 2026 Sustainable Business Awards finalists have been announced. 🏆 Hats off to the people and businesses who have bee...
05/10/2026

The 2026 Sustainable Business Awards finalists have been announced. 🏆

Hats off to the people and businesses who have been named, 10+ of which are Creative HQ alumni! 👏 We're so proud to see how far each has come in their startup journey.

We’re also proud to see Motion Capital, our Aurora Climate Lab partner, among the finalists.

A big congrats to our alumni and partners recognised in this sector. 🧡 Climate and sustainability founders are not only working to make our world a better place, but also create solutions that are more economically viable than what exists today. You're the real heroes. 🦸‍♂️

Plans next week? Whether you're in Wellington or Auckland, here's 2 great Fintech events to get amongst:📍 Auckland | 13 ...
05/10/2026

Plans next week? Whether you're in Wellington or Auckland, here's 2 great Fintech events to get amongst:

📍 Auckland | 13 October
As part of Auckland Startup Week, Creative HQ is in town and bringing the Fintech community together to explore the shift towards open data and digital identity, opening up a new wave of Fintech startups.
👉 Tickets here:
https://lnkd.in/ejDbh3AV

📍 Wellington | 14 October
And here in beautiful Pōneke, we’re co-hosting ‘Will AI Kill the Bank?’ with our friends at Octave. Four speakers from banking, investing, consulting and startups will tackle one deliberately provocative question.
🎟 Tickets here:
https://lnkd.in/eQeGw2gE

Hands up if you've had the pleasure of hearing from or working with Glen Willoughby. 🙋It was a privilege to hear his key...
27/09/2026

Hands up if you've had the pleasure of hearing from or working with Glen Willoughby. 🙋

It was a privilege to hear his keynote at last week's Innovation Election Debate which set the ambition high for us all before the mic got passed to our political representatives - who all then shared their policies to support a shared vision for NZ's future.

Glen took us through New Zealand's long history of big ideas, and why good ideas are one resource we'll never run out of. He showed that innovation isn't only about moonshots. 🚀 Some of the biggest wins come from small, practical changes (including a hospital fix that cost just $8,000), often from the people closest to the problem. Something we love talking about here at Creative HQ. 😉

He was also honest about what holds us back: the confidence hit that follows big failures, cautious strategies and underinvestment in R&D. And he reminded us what sets us apart: a lifestyle that attracts world-class talent, and one of the most agile, accessible governments in the world. 🌏

His message to the room: "This is not a time for being cautious. This is a time for being clear and brave."

Our political representatives took this message and ran with it. Big thank you to Scott Willis, Reuben Davidson, David Wilson, Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, Penny Simmonds, David Seymour who joined us and leaned into the kōrero!

Show Me the Money - Because “we’ll figure out the funding later” is a strategy… right? 👀Whether you’re figuring out your...
23/09/2026

Show Me the Money - Because “we’ll figure out the funding later” is a strategy… right? 👀

Whether you’re figuring out your first raise, looking for growth capital, or just trying to understand where the money actually comes from - we’ve got a day for that.

💸 Show Me the Money is your space for practical kōrero, connections and capital.

We’ve brought together founders, investors and business leaders who’ve been there (from raising capital and scaling companies) and they’re keen to talk:

🎤 Claudia Smith, APLYiD
🎤 Dave Allison, Angel HQ
🎤 Dominique Rennell, Projectworks
🎤 Mario Wynands, PikPok
🎤 Mark White-Robinson, Feijoa
🎤 Nick Hearn, Reveal
🎤 Oren Dalton, Kiwibank StartUp+
🎤 Peter Dixon, Storypark

Choose your adventure from morning workshops, Movac Growth Jam stories and pitches from the annual Angel HQ showcase. 🗺️
https://events.creativehq.co.nz/ShowMetheMoney #/

Brought to you by Creative HQ, Movac, Angel HQ and Taiawa Wellington Tech Hub.

Last call to lock in your seat and have your say. 👀This Wednesday we’re heading to Parliament for the 2026 Innovation El...
21/09/2026

Last call to lock in your seat and have your say. 👀

This Wednesday we’re heading to Parliament for the 2026 Innovation Election Debate. Six parties will come together to talk about New Zealand’s future and how their policies can drive our economy forward.

Hear from:

🟡 David Seymour - ACT New Zealand
🟣 Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb - The Opportunity Party
🔴 Reuben Davidson - New Zealand Labour Party
🟢 Scott Willis - Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
🔵 Penny Simmonds - New Zealand National Party
⚫️ Dr David Wilson - New Zealand First

What better way to kick off the kōrero than hearing from ex-NASA employee, Glen Willoughby, about Why Innovation Matters and the Role Government Plays in It.

Come be part of the kōrero. 🎟 See you Wednesday:
https://events.creativehq.co.nz/The2026InnovationElectionDebate #/?affl=Facebook&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Zoho+Social&utm_content=Lastcallto

The next Fintech Welly Meetup is locked in.AI is changing the way we bank, invest and build financial products - but wha...
16/09/2026

The next Fintech Welly Meetup is locked in.

AI is changing the way we bank, invest and build financial products - but what does that mean for the future of financial services?

Hear from four speakers from banking, investing, consulting and startups tackle this question: Will AI kill the bank? 🏦

🎙️ Richard Clark, Sharesies
🎙️ Tom Hovey, Diagram: AI + Digital Strategy
🎙️ Parisa Shademan, Creative Coast

Expect different perspectives, plenty of kōrero and a chance to ask your own questions.

🥂 Kai, drinks & networking from 5:00 pm
🎤 Panel kicks off at 5:30 pm
📍 Hosted by Octave, in collaboration with Creative HQ

Come along and join the conversation.👇
https://events.creativehq.co.nz/FintechWellyWillAIKilltheBank #/

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