Category Archives: Development

Lightning Lab startups ask – ‘where’s the money’?


Lightning Lab 2013 saw nine startups pitch their digital products to would-be investors last week, seeking expansion capital for ideas that 12 weeks before mostly existed on paper. The Wellington Demo Day saw highly polished presentations, with clear development plans … Continue reading

Posted in Angel investment, cloud computing, Development, Entrepreneur, high tech, Innovation, IT, Market validation, proprietary, SciBlogs, start-up | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

One way to crack a coder shortage


Ever tried to get hold of a professional who can write computer code? Such is the shortage, that a recent would-be returning ex-pat Kiwi, who knew how to program, put out a general inquiry through WellRailed if anyone in Wellington … Continue reading

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Lightning Labs shows off its first flowers of startup blooming


Lightning Labs, a lean startup hub of selected neophyte companies located for three months on Wellington’s The Terrace, gave a ‘where we’re at, what we’ve learned’ quickfire talks recently. The fullhouse (dozens on the waiting list), heard how the nine … Continue reading

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Dyed in the wool innovation partners up to go global


The time it takes to convert a good idea into something that another person’s willing to buy is almost invariably longer than you think. A couple of years ago, sticK reported on BGI Developments’ winning the right to commercialise AgResearch’s … Continue reading

Posted in Development, Entrepreneur, high tech, Innovation, SciBlogs, sustainability, technology | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Callaghan Innovation – building the plane while they fly it


There’s a term that’s particularly loved by IT-oriented start-ups, ‘building the plane while you’re flying it’. The business case put forward for and by Callaghan Innovation doesn’t use the term. However, that’s what I interpret from the ‘Purpose of this … Continue reading

Posted in Development, Early stage science, education, Entrepreneur, high tech, Market validation, SciBlogs, Science, start-up | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Creating a deep infrastructure tool and asset for Christchurch – a (relatively) cheap idea well worth NZ Inc considering


Here’s an idea, so time topical it deserves much more thinking about by Christchurch, government and NZ Inc. The Cement & Concrete Association of NZ’s (CCANZ) education and development manager Joe Gamman spoke at the recent Multicore World 2013 conference … Continue reading

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A solution to our lack of shared purpose around a science-innovation strategy


OK, now we have Callaghan Innovation gestating its way into life – with no indication of how long the process will take, or even what it is we’re trying to bring to fruition. At the same time we have the … Continue reading

Posted in Development, Early stage science, Entrepreneur, high tech, Innovation, SciBlogs, Science, Science policy, start-up | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

‘Foolproof’ writer to study difference between new business intent and reality


The writer of ‘Foolproof’ a tome about how to find and test great business opportunities through market validation is off writing books – at least for a while. In a previous incarnation, Wellingtonian Jenny Douché put out a series of … Continue reading

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Achieving virtual scale for our largest industry


(This blog also appears at pastureharmonies.org) Scale matters in exporting according to the World Bank…..so here’s a way to get virtual scale for our biggest industry. The World Bank’s recent report ‘Export Superstars’, shows that company size matters when it … Continue reading

Posted in Development, high tech, Innovation, Processed food, SciBlogs, sustainability, technology, value added food, value-added food. processed food | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Callaghan Innovation – wishing it all the best…..but


I hope I’m wrong about Callaghan Innovation, and for our country’s and industry’s sake that it is a roaring success when it stumbles into life on Feb 1. But, the portents aren’t good – and as a solution in search … Continue reading

Posted in Development, Early stage science, Entrepreneur, high tech, Innovation, Market validation, Prototyping, SciBlogs, Science, Science policy, technology, university, value-added food. processed food | Tagged , , | 2 Comments