Pure Mama’s Lara Henderson and Bonnet’s Steph Kennard reflect on their successes

Bay of Plenty entrepreneurs Lara Henderson and Steph Kennard had a “rollercoaster” year. Henderson launched her pregnancy skincare products in the US, and the software platform for vehicle owners Kennard launched less than two years ago is now worth more than $4 million. They share the highs and lows of 2024 and what they hope for 2025.

Within two weeks of appearing on the shelves at upscale supermarket chain Erewhon in Los Angeles, Pure Mama pregnancy skincare products became the second-best-selling brand in body care across its stores.

Pure Mama co-founder and chief executive Lara Henderson says that was “incredible” after the Pāpāmoa company’s products debuted this year at four major American retailers, including Erewhon, described by Henderson as the “celebrity supermarket of LA”.

Pure Mama’s launch in America came after it partnered with Mecca – the largest beauty retailer in Australasia – in July 2023.

In January 2024, American socialite Kourtney Kardashian shared two of its products on her website, leading to website traffic going “through the roof” and “amazing” sales numbers.

Pure Mama co-founder and chief executive Lara Henderson.

Henderson said the company’s launch in the US was off to “a really great start”.

“Within just a couple of weeks, we’d moved to the second-best-selling brand in body care across their stores, which was just incredible, because you’re up against some amazing brands in the US.”

Henderson said 2024 had been a “rollercoaster”.

“As a small business, we’ve had to be very nimble and very fluid when launching into a market like the US. There’s huge learning curves, and we’re having to adapt almost daily [regarding] how we do things [while] still having a clear strategy in mind.

“It’s been very busy – there’s been a lot of travel. All of our team [members have] been working phenomenally and putting in incredible hard work and hours, and I think we’re just really gearing up for a big couple of years.”

Eight new products to launch in 2025

Henderson has “some really ambitious goals” for 2025.

“We have a strong pipeline of new product development coming – launching around eight new [products] in the new year, which is more than doubling our range.”

She said Pure Mama planned to further expand in the US across additional retailers, and nationwide online.

Pure Mama is a pregnancy skincare brand based in Pāpāmoa.

“We are also looking at significant growth in Australia ...”

In New Zealand and Australia, the company would be more involved at baby expos, she said.

“It’s been a long hangover from Covid to get people back out to those big baby expos ... but they’re back, and we’re really excited about going to those and taking our brand and products to the people.”

Vehicle administrative platform has ‘overwhelming’ growth

Mount Maunganui entrepreneur Steph Kennard launched her start-up Bonnet in March 2023.

Her business is now worth more than $4m, the founder said.

“Sometimes I’ve got to pinch myself.”

Bonnet is a platform through which users can enter their licence plate number and receive data from New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) regarding their vehicle, such as information on their warrant of fitness and road-user charges (RUCs).

The platform tracks and sends reminders and payment prompts for warrants, registration and car services, and digitises service notes.

Bonnet founder Steph Kennard. Photo / Alex Cairns

Kennard said the company had experienced “overwhelming” growth, with between 30 and 100 drivers signing up on average per day.

She said 20,000 vehicle owners registered in its first two weeks after media coverage.

“Nothing will ever feel like it did in those first two weeks ... it was just so beautifully overwhelming and it was just so well-received.”

As of November 7, the company had almost 70,000 cars registered on the platform – 60% ran on petrol, 31% diesel, and 9% were electric, she said.

Kennard said the events of 2024 had been an “absolute rollercoaster”, including the company doing its first pre-seed raise and NZTA launching an app through which people could access their licence and vehicle information.

Kennard said the company had to “differentiate ourselves” and “pivoted” to ensure the platform suited medium to small-enterprise business fleets.

It still had a “huge amount” of public users, she said.

Kennard said the goal by the end of 2025 was to “digitise the glovebox book”, which involved getting all service centres using its tool and reporting customers’ services and invoices, which would show within the customer’s profile.

“When you go and sell that vehicle, you’ll be able to lift and shift that whole digital record of that vehicle ... as well as keep a good record of everything that was actually done for your car.”

Another goal for 2025 was to create a platform to “centralise and digitise the vehicle ownership, no matter the brand”.

“If you’ve got a Ford and your partner’s got a Toyota, and then you’ve got a daughter that’s got another vehicle, you can essentially see all of the sensor points and it can predict the maintenance based off those sensor points.”

Sensor points included the odometer reading, fuel level or battery charge, and tyre pressure monitoring, she said.

Kennard said the company planned to expand into the UK, mainly due to its “stringent” compliance requirements.

This included compulsory 12-monthly checks and insurance. The UK was also looking to implement road-user charges similar to New Zealand, she said.

She said there was a “small” chance it might expand to California first instead.

“Where we decide to go really depends on the law changes with the road-user charges, and California is also looking to implement the road-user charges.”

The company was currently on track to go to the UK, she said.

“I’m excited from what we’ve done and I’m very excited for the future.”

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.