Tina Jennen, a prominent member of Tauranga's start-up community, and Colleen Rigby, a senior fellow at the Waikato Management School, are due to co-present research findings on Tauranga's entrepreneurial ecosystem at a business conference in Hawaii this month.
The research stems from an initial spark lit by Enterprise Angels 18 months ago, which members of the investor community say has had a significant impact in helping encourage innovation in the region.
"We've seen quite a tipping point globally in government, business and individuals recognising that innovation is really the future of economic development and growth," said Bill Murphy, executive director of Enterprise Angels, which has pulled together more than 100 local investors who take stakes in start-up companies.
"And much of that innovation comes from small start-ups. We've seen it most dramatically here because we went from a standing start."
Ms Jennen and Dr Rigby will present the paper, "Criteria for creating a regional entrepreneurial ecosystem", at the Hawaii International Conference on Business on May 22. The paper is based on research by Ms Jennen for her Waikato MBA dissertation, and will showcase Tauranga's innovative culture.