Bid to help spread Bay's top innovations

A group of Bay of Plenty entrepreneurs today launched a project aimed at improving the odds of success of the region's crop of world-class ideas.

Co-ordinated by Otumoetai entrepreneur Jo Allum, the Bay of Plenty Innovation Survey seeks to find out what entrepreneurs in the region need in order to grow their businesses. Part of a bigger vision to cultivate the Bay's innovation ecosystem, the BOPin survey is supported by local businesses, investor group Enterprise Angels, Priority One and the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce.

"We're gathering data about the entrepreneurial ambition of local students, employees, business owners and investors to find out if they need more support to take their ideas to a broader marketplace, which could be New Zealand or the globe," Ms Allum said.

"If you ask someone from outside the area about the Bay of Plenty, they'll tell you it's a retirement village, a place for shipping logs, growing kiwifruit or holidays at the Mount.

"Most detrimental, it's just $10 Tauranga. But that's so limiting because it's so much more. The Bay is a real hothouse of innovation."

Ms Allum said the region is full of "wonderful people doing innovative stuff".

"If they get support to grow they'll create organisations, companies and products that will generate new jobs and new industries.

"Broadening the Bay of Plenty economy by selling knowledge to the world. Yes, it's bold and idealistic. But that's the inspiration for it all.

"It truly is all about the people and making connections that will deliver on the promise of long-term opportunity for everyone so those outsiders will say instead 'The Bay means business'."

Fellow entrepreneur, Tina Jennen, will be collating the data from the online survey for her MBA research project.

"We want to hear from the people how connected and entrepreneurial they are and where they have gaps that are stopping them moving forward," she said.

The survey and Ms Jennen's analysis will be used as building blocks for programmes to fill those gaps.

Visit www.bopin.co.nz to take part in the survey.