2019 ZQN 2019 ZQN 2019

ZQN 2019 ZQN 2019

2019 ZQN 2019 ZQN 2019

ZQN 2019 ZQN 2019 ZQNTHE LEADING ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACCELERATOR

FOR NZ’S ASPIRING LEADERS

Venture Up

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PROGRAMME REPORT

PROGRAMME REPORT

AMME REPORT PRO-

GRAMME REPORTAbout 2Values 3Overview 4Insights 6Demographics 8#VentureUp19 Teams 9Feedback 12

Participant feedback

Mentor feedback

Refresh 15Showcase 18Marketing 21Team 23Thank you 24Support 25

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CREATIVE HQ, NEW ZEALAND’S INNOVATION EXPERTS, DELIVERED THE PROGRAMME WITH THE SUPPORT FROM THE WIDER COMMUNITY, INCLUDING:

Callaghan Innovation, the Ministry of Youth Development, Young Enterprise Trust, Startup Queenstown Lakes, Queenstown Resort College and Base Backpackers.

Who delivers Venture Up?

VENTURE UP IS NEW ZEALAND’S LEADING YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG ASPIRING LEADERS.

Young people between 16 to 22-years-old are encouraged to apply to take part in a fast-paced 2-week programme filled with the latest thinking and sharpest minds to pitch ideas, learn to develop them, and to start innovative businesses that solve real-world problems.

Venture Up delivers an immersive experience that develops the next generation of entrepreneurs, while embedding concepts like grit and resilience throughout the programme.

Since the inaugural programme in 2015, there has been more than 150 participants who have taken part from around NZ.

What is Venture Up?

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Venture Up is underpinned by three core values. These are:

TION EDUCATION EDUCA-

TION CONNECTION CON-

NECTION CONNECTION

RESILIENCE RESILIENCE

VALU

ESResilienceENTREPRENEURSHIP IS A FICKLE, DIFFICULT AND BARRIER FILLED PATH.

As hard as you push, there will always be something unseen or unexpected pushing back. Venture Up will help you build the mindset to turn the ‘failures’ into stepping stones, not gravestones.

EducationENTREPRENEURSHIP CAN ONLY BE LEARNED THROUGH EXPERIENCE, NOT IN A TEXTBOOK, LECTURE OR TUTORIAL.

Venture Up won’t teach you how to be an entrepreneur, but it will introduce you to a new and innovative way of thinking.

ConnectionCUSTOMERS, FOUNDERS, SPECIALISTS, INVESTORS, INVENTORS, INTERNS AND EVERYONE IN-BETWEEN IS WHAT MAKES THE STARTUP WORLD SPIN.

Everyone has a role, share and stake.

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NAME OF PROGRAMME

13 AUG 2018 Lean Methodology Nick Churchouse

14 AUG 2018 youX Activation Session Sarb Johal

15 AUG 2018 Tight Teams Workshop Sarb Johal

16 AUG 2018 Negotiation and Influencing Workshop Stuart van Rij

20 AUG 2018 Problem Discovery Fast StartBrett Holland, Brett Calton, Jonnie Haddon

21 AUG 2018 Negotiation Pro Workshop #2 Stuart van Rij

21 AUG 2018 Design Thinking Michael Dutton

23 AUG 2018 Contracting 101 James Fuller

27 AUG 2018 Agile in an Enterprise Mark Redgrave

28 AUG 2018 Elevator Pitching 101 Jonnie Haddon

05 SEP 2018 Entrepreneurial Flow Julie Treanor

06 SEP 2018 Spark Tech Session Keith Archibald, Daniel Fairbairn

07 SEP 2018 Sign Language 101 Tania Ali

12 SEP 2018 Leadership Cage Drop-in Session Julie Treanor

19 SEP 2018 Centrality – Decentralised Solutions Andy Higgs

20 SEP 2018 Global Accelerator Network Call Nick Nasky, Lizzie Crough

27 SEP 2018 GovTech International View Dustin Haisler

The 2-week Venture Up programme is broken down into sprints: problem discovery solution discovery sales & marketing pitchingCREATIVE HQ’S INNOVATION SPECIALISTS, EXTERNAL MENTORS AND SPEAKERS SUPPORT THE TEAMS THROUGHOUT THE SPRINTS.

Problem discovery challenges the cohort to find a customer problem that needs solving, while solution discovery focuses on addressing the need.

The final week is centred around sales, marketing and pitching, culminating in a final showcase to pitch in front of friends, family and the wider startup community.

Venture Up empowers participants to independently manage their workflow and team dynamics, providing an immersive entrepreneurial experience.

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15 APR 2019 Problem discovery and team formation

16 APR 2019 Wellness Workshop Sonia Voldseth

16 APR 2019 Customer Interviewing Angus Pauley

16 APR 2019 Mentor MixerJose Ganga, Nick Fifield, Ania Lang

17 APR 2019 Agile Dave Hockly

18 APR 2019 Ideation Session

19 APR 2019 Lean Development Jose Ganga

19 APR 2019 Inspire Session: Young Entrepreneur Ezel Kokcu

22 APR 2019 StoryTech

22 APR 2019 Design Questions Max Bessone

23 APR 2019 Constructing a killer pitch deck Nick Churchouse

24 APR 2019 Building a company’s online presence Darren Craig

24 APR 2019 Pitch Practice Trent Yeo

26 APR 2019 Final ShowcaseRoger Sharp, Pallas Hupé Cotter, James Burns

VENTURE UP 2019’S POOL OF MENTORS WERE FROM MULTIPLE INDUSTRIES AND SPECIALITIES…

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PROGRAMME OBSER-

VATIONS PROGRAMME

OBSERVATIONS PRO-

GRAMME OBSERVATIONS

#VENTUREUP19

INSI

GHTSVENTURE UP IS A STARTUP IN ITS OWN RIGHT AND

EVOLVES FROM PROGRAMME TO PROGRAMME.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE KEY INSIGHTS FROM VENTURE UP 2019 WHICH WILL INFORM FUTURE PROGRAMMES.

PROGRAMME LENGTHVENTURE UP IS DESIGNED TO TAKE PARTICIPANTS THROUGH A PROGRAMME THAT CLOSELY MIRRORS CREATIVE HQ’S LARGER LIGHTNING LAB ACCELERATOR PROGRAMMES.

Over the years, the length of the programme has changed to accommodate the needs of the participants. We redesigned and optimised the content for a valuable 2-week delivery in order to fit with university and school commitments. Many participants mentioned that they would have liked a few more weeks to thoroughly validate their ideas. We were aware that the shortened timeframe was a concern prior to the programme start.

The delivered content was adjusted to ensure participants left with a thorough understanding of key entrepreneurial tools and skills to assist them in their future careers or business endeavours.

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PROGRAMME OBSER-

VATIONS PROGRAMME

OBSERVATIONS PRO-

GRAMME OBSERVATIONS

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AGE DIVERSITYVENTURE UP TEAMS CONSIST OF A VARIETY OF AGES, BACKGROUNDS, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES, WHO WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE UNIQUE CUSTOMER FOCUSED PROBLEMS.

Travelling to Queenstown for some of our participants was their first time away from home for an extended period of time. Being independent in a new town requires a lot of personal responsibility and it was noted by others in the cohort that they needed support around this.

This observation highlights the importance of giving specific focus to building the confidence of the youngest cohort members so they can hit the ground running in new environments with others who have different levels of experience.

TEAM DYNAMICSONE OF THE KEY ASPECTS OF VENTURE UP IS CHALLENGING THE COHORT TO PERFORM AND WORK WITH PEOPLE WHOM THEY HAVE NEVER MET.

This approach builds empathy within the cohort as team members create a business at pace while learning how to make the most of the skills, knowledge and experience available.

Over time the cohort found their stride within the unique dynamics of each team and built strong friendships under pressure. Many of the participants delved deeper into the challenges they faced within each team and shared ideas that would help to sooth these quirks in future programmes. The attention given to team dynamics will now be tweaked in future programming to better enable teams to overcome disputes, frustrations and miscommunication.

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DEM

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INDIAN(1)

ASIAN (4)

EUROPEAN (10)

21 YO (4)

20 YO(2)

19 YO (2)

18 YO (2)

17 YO (4)

16 YO (1)

QUEENSTOWN

AUCKLAND (2)

WELLINGTON (2)

LOCATION

Location

DiversityWAIKATO (1)

SOUTHLAND (2)

CHRISTCHURCH (3)

OTAGO (4)

NORTHLAND (1)

COHORT

OF15MALE (10)

FEMALE (5)

Female

Male

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ECOTEXGEORGIE NORTHCOAT | DARSHIL VARMORA | CALLUM PATERSON | PHILIP DABLIO

EcoTex are addressing the issues that local emerging clothing designers face when sourcing sustainable suppliers. They have developed a marketplace that facilitates the trade of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) fabrics.

Venture Up 2019 was undertaken by aspiring entrepreneurs, to help them develop initial ideas into fledgling businesses, while being tested every step of the way.

TEAM

SHabitat exists to combat the uncertainty faced by young people trying to convert to a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Their solution sends the user an environmentally conscious habit monthly, with the long term intent of transitioning them to a completely sustainable lifestyle.

HABITATGRETA BALFOUR | CONNOR FLEMING | REWA SOPHIE WALKER HENDERSON

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Move 37 understand the difficulties that early-stage startup founders experience when trying to form a team. Their platform facilitates connections between startup founders and teams who share a common vision.

Get Real have first-hand experience with the struggles that high school leavers face when planning gap years. Their solution brings together the opportunities available in a one-stop simple to use site. Providing young high school leavers with more confidence when deciding their next life move.

MOVE 37STEVE QUINDO | MAGDELINE HUANG | FINN MCCABE

GET REALOSCAR BRIGHT | MATTHEW YAM | THOMAS BECKWITH NINA RENSKE POELMAN | QUINN MOFFAT

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Participants

FEED

BACKTHE PARTICIPANTS OF VENTURE UP 2019 WERE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL AND HAPPY

WITH THEIR EXPERIENCE OF THE PROGRAMME.

Common threads from the feedback included the strong appreciation of the freedom given to each project and hands on support of Creative HQ’s specialists and the external speakers and mentors.

Many participants also commented that the biggest lesson during Venture Up was how important a good team is. They’re the people who are there to support you through your journey, provide you with confidence and effective communication is everything.

86% of participants felt that Venture Up exceeded their expectations

100% of participants would recommend Venture Up

…AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE, IT’S NOT ALWAYS WE GET A CHANCE TO SOLELY FOCUS ON BUILDING BUSINESSES, GET HELP FROM AMAZING MENTORS AND BE SURROUNDED AND COLLABORATE WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE.

PHILIP DABLIO VENTURE UP 2019 ALUMNUS

I DIDN’T THINK THAT I WOULD COME AWAY WITH SUCH A VIABLE SOLUTION AND PROBLEM THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME A REALITY.

FINN MCCABE VENTURE UP 2019 ALUMNUS

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79%of participants felt that Queenstown was a great place to start a business.

PARTICIPANTS PARTIC-

IPANTS PARTICIPANTS

PARTICIPANTS PARTICI-

PANTS PARTICIPANTSTHERE IS SUCH A RANGE OF PEOPLE IN THE STARTUP COMMUNITY WHO ARE BASED IN QUEENSTOWN, SO THERE IS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE TO BE SHARED.

GRETA BALFOUR VENTURE UP 2019 ALUMNA

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100% of participants felt that Venture Up improved their entrepreneurial skills and knowledge

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THANKS SO MUCH FOR GETTING ME INVOLVED IN THIS AWESOME INITIATIVE – HAVE LOVED BEING A PART OF IT. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHERE THE GROUPS TAKE THEIR IDEAS.

ANIA LANG ANDERSON LLOYD

VENTURE UP HAS BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE TO SEE WHAT THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENTREPRENEURS AND THE FUTURE OF NZ ECOSYSTEM LOOKS LIKE. I’M VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE BEEN PART OF IT AND TO SHARE MY KNOWLEDGE WITH SUCH CURIOUS MINDS AND SEE HOW THEY TOOK THIS KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOP IT EVEN FURTHER. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE WHAT’S NEXT!

JOSE GANGA CLICK

IT’S GOOD THAT THE MENTOR SIDE IS RELAXED AND INFORMAL, AS IT ALLOWS BOTH MENTOR AND MENTEE TO DEFINE THE RELATIONSHIP AND VALUE. I WOULD LOVE TO CONTRIBUTE AGAIN IN FUTURE.

NICK FIFIELD FLUX CAPACITY

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BACKMentors

Venture Up Queenstown 2019 was supported by local mentorsfrom the business community.THE TEAMS BENEFITED ENORMOUSLY FROM THE MENTORS’ GUIDANCE AND CRITICAL FEEDBACK THAT HELPED TO SMOOTH OUT MANY CHALLENGING MOMENTS. THE MENTORS PRAISED THE COMMITMENT AND ENERGY OF THE TEAMS AND APPRECIATED THE LEVEL OF TRUST AND AUTONOMY.

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YOU have the power to decide your course.

You decide whether you will stand up when the world’s problems seem to land on your doorstep. And it is you who will choose how quickly you will move after today. Your journey will never be linear and starting tomorrow you are in the driver’s seat.

EMILY BLYTHEVENTURE UP ALUMNA, 2015 AND FOUNDER OF LIMPIDITY

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VENTURE UP REFRESH IS AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE ALUMNI ARE INVITED BACK INTO THE PROGRAMME TO RECONNECT, REFLECT ON PAST EXPERIENCES AND HELP SHARE KNOWLEDGE TO THE CURRENT COHORT. VENTURE UP REFRESH HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO ENGAGE WITH PREVIOUS ALUMNI WHILST BUILDING CONNECTIONS WITHIN THE WIDER COHORT.

For Venture Up Queenstown, 5 alumni were invited across all previous programmes in the past 5 years joined the cohort throughout the programme sharing their past experiences, sharing to all on their current situation, and put further requests out to the group to help them progress on reaching their respective goals.

What is Venture Up Refresh?

Venture Up has a diverse 150-strong alumni community that continues to engage with the programme and Creative HQ.

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ANNA FRENCHVENTURE UP 2018

I HAD AN ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE AND I WAS SAD FOR IT TO END!

It was great to see how Venture Up continues to learn and grow and I loved seeing some of the new tools and techniques that you incorporated into the programme, that was new for me as well!

I also have nothing but positive things to say about the cohort! It makes me very excited about the future!

Throughout Venture Up Queenstown, alumni travelled from around the country to support the participants. THEY RAN SESSIONS, PROVIDED MENTORSHIP, ASSISTED THE ORGANISING TEAM AND WERE PRESENT TO OFFER VALUABLE ADVICE, FROM R&D TO PERSONAL WELLBEING.

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SINCE VENTURE UP, I’VE LANDED MY FIRST FULL-TIME JOB AS THE CHIEF STORYTELLER (MARKETING MANAGER) AT STARTUP DUNEDIN.

Before doing Venture Up, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, or how my skills would fit in the workforce.

Venture Up gave me direction. Having an environment to try things, apply my tertiary study in the real world and sharpen my critical thinking was invaluable. I’ll always be grateful for the doors that Venture Up opened for me, it has been a pivotal part of my journey.

ANGUS PAULEYVENTURE UP 2017

The only advice I would add would be:

Whatever you do in business, you need to be bloody tenacious. When you’ve got a good idea, go for it!

JIM BOULTMAYOR OF QUEENSTOWN

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ShowcaseVENTURE UP 2019’S QUEENSTOWN SHOWCASE TOOK PLACE APRIL 26, 2019.

Venture Up’s final showcase is the culmination of the cohort’s hard work and persistence.

The supporters of the community were invited to hear the pitches from the teams while celebrating their accomplishments at The Sherwood Queenstown.

The guests sampled a healthy mixture of friends, family, alumni and members of the business community. The final showcase highlighted the energy, hard work and potential of the participants which left the attendees buzzing.

50+ATTENDEES Including startup founders, mentors, public and private sector, along with friends and family.

4SPEAKERSJIM BOULT Mayor of QueenstownJAMES BURNES CEO of Startup Queenstown LakesROGER SHARP Founder of North Ridge PartnersPALLAS HUPE COTTER Founder of POP

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JAMES BURNESENTREPRENEUR AND CEO OF STARTUP QUEENSTOWN LAKESJames has a background in product development and technology marketing strategy for both products and services, and now is working to develop the region’s startup ecosystem.

ROGER SHARPCHAIRMAN OF MULTIPLE BOARDS (INCLUDING GEO, WEBJET AND DEPUTY CHAIR OF TOURISM NZ), AND FOUNDER OF NORTH RIDGE PARTNERSNorth Ridge Partners advises many high-growth technology companies, and so Roger focused on the scalability and what impact the Venture Up teams’ visions could have globally.

PALLAS HUPE COTTERTEDX SPEAKER, FORMER NEWS ANCHOR AND FOUNDER OF POPPOP is a pop-up consultancy concentrating on personal development and strategic communication – Pallas provided awesome feedback with insight on the experience of standing up in front of a crowd.

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For the first time, we invited experienced local business people to provide live feedback to the teams post-pitch.

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TOP PERFORMING BLOG POSTS:

Venture Up Queenstown:Cohort announcement

Venture Up Alumni: Angus Pauley

Venture Up Queenstown:Week 1 – Teams, Ideas and Interviews

Venture Up Queenstown:Showcase

DIGITAL REACH**Unique website views and social media engagement across Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, including pre-programme, in programme and Showcase

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BLOG POSTS8WEBSITE

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FACEBOOK

QUEENSTOWN

BEHIND THE SCENES

THE SCENES BEHIND

ENES BEHIND THE

HE SCENES BEHIND THE PROGRAMME TEAM

LINGY AU

Programme Director

AARON POWER

Programme Manager

STEPH BENSEMAN

Programme Manager

SUPPORT TEAM

ALESSANDRA ORSI

Digital Marketing

EMILY DWYER

Event Manager

KELCEY BRAINE

Brand and Design

ALUMNI SUPPORT

EMILY BLYTHE

Christchurch | Venture Up 2015

JOHN RASSIE

Christchurch | Venture Up 2016

ANGUS PAULEY

Dunedin | Venture Up 2017

ANNA FRENCH

Christchurch | Venture Up 2018

WILL HOUGHTON

Queenstown | Venture Up 2019

#VENTUREUP19

TEAM

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THAN

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UCALLAGHAN INNOVATION

MINISTRY OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

YOUNG ENTERPRISE TRUST

Colm Kearney Dibs Patel Terry Shubkin

Melanie Tuala Julia Walsh Colin Kennedy

Victoria Crone

STARTUP QUEENSTOWN LAKES

QUEENSTOWN RESORT COLLEGE

BASE BACKPACKERS

James Burnes Charlie Philips Mike Brain

Josie Debenham Petra Dobesova

CREATIVE HQ VENTURE UP 2019 QUEENSTOWN MENTORS

Nick Churchouse Joes Ganga Nick Fifield

Ania Lang Trent Yeo

VENTURE UP 2019 QUEENSTOWN SPEAKERS & JUDGES

OTHER

Darren Craig Ezel Kokcu Roger Sharp

Sonia Voldseth James Hurman Pallas Hupe Cotter

Max Besone

VENTURE UP 2019 QUEENSTOWN WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF OUR PARTNERS, GUEST MENTORS AND SPEAKERS WHO ELEVATED THE QUALITY AND IMPACT OF THE PROGRAMME.

The collective specialties, connections and resources embedded within the programme were both exemplary and humbling.

On a personal note, the Venture Up Team would like to acknowledge the overwhelming support of their partners, family, close friends, Creative HQ and the wider Queenstown and New Zealand startup ecosystem. Your guidance and faith was critical to our success as individuals and as a team.

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THANKS TO OUR VENTURE UP 2019 SPONSORS

VENTURE UP IS A PROGRAMME OF

STARTUP QUEENSTOWNLAKESNew Zealand Startup EcoSystem

SUPP

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SUPPORTING NEW ZEALAND’S YOUTH ENTREPRENEURS

SINCE 2015

Venture Up

VENTUREUPNZ

VENTUREUP.CO.NZ