Brianne West will speak at this year's annual Icehouse event. Photo / Supplied
Brianne West will speak at this year's annual Icehouse event. Photo / Supplied
Ethical investment theme for Icehouse Event
Hawke's Bay business owners will have the chance to hear from two high profile business leaders, including the 2019 Young Entrepreneur of the Year, at this year's annual Icehouse event at The Old Church Winery at Meeanee, later this month. Brianne West was stillat university when she created zero waste beauty bar company Ethique from the kitchen of her Christchurch flat. In 2017 the business expanded rapidly following her presentation at The Icehouse Angel Investment Showcase. Now Ethique is stocked in 2500 stores in 14 countries around.
West was recently named Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 and was the winner of the 2019 Woman of Influence, Business Enterprise category. The Icehouse Operations manager Kate de Lautour said West's business journey so far was an inspirational one. The other speaker is Sam Stubbs who is the founder of non-profit fund manager Simplicity, the country's fastest-growing KiwiSaver provider. Started in 2016, Simplicity has more than 33,000 investors. De Lautour said Hawke's Bay was seeing an upsurge in innovative new businesses with a focus on protecting the environment and at the same time an increase in investors looking for opportunities. Tickets to the Talking Investment lunch on November 27 at The Old Church Winery restaurant are available online.
Forty talented secondary school students will be tasked to find answers to challenging questions posed by scientists/specialists at Powering Potential, taking place in Wellington from December 16 to 16. Among the group are two Hawke's Bay students Phoebe Laugesen, Year 12, Napier Girls' High School and Ramona Wainohu, year 12, Karamu High School.
Organised by Royal Society Te Apārangi in partnership Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Freemasons New Zealand, Powering Potential will bring many of New Zealand's most promising science students together from all over New Zealand to work alongside a scientist or specialist who will act as their a mentor over three days. The students will work in teams of five on a question submitted by their mentor. The students will then research, investigate and collaborate to provide recommendations. To be selected for Powering Potential, each student was required to submit an in-depth application and video, which focused on their own science strengths or how they have contributed to an area of science in their school or community. The students have been selected because they are serious about going on to study science at a tertiary level and have demonstrated a passion for science.
A new initiative from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment called "Kiwi Business Boost" is being launched in Hawke's Bay from November 11 to 21. The Kiwi Business Boost brings private and public sector together to offer businesses the chance to attend one-on-one expert sessions, participate in workshops and hear from other small businesses. Partners will include New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Hawke's Bay Business Hub, Inland Revenue, PopUp Business School and 30 more. The aim is to help businesses get the right advice at the right time, to become more productive, compliant, sustainable, healthy and inclusive.
There are so many useful topics covered in these completely free events and they are held in Hastings at multiple times throughout the day so you can find one that fits in with your schedule. They cover a huge range of topics, from managing social media, business planning, and cash flow, to tips on exporting and an introduction to GST. To find out more about these events head to the website.
A look at the week's business news in Hawke's Bay. Photo / File
Great turnout for 'Beyond The Peak' Investment Showcase
Connecting Hawke's Bay companies to potential investors and the capital they need for growth on the global stage was the purpose behind Beyond The Peak, an investment showcase for six fast growing and innovative Hawke's Bay companies, co-hosted by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), Business Hawke's Bay and Hawke's Bay Angels. Business Hawke's Bay CEO Carolyn Neville, says that it is exciting to see such a range of businesses from different sectors presenting.
"Many people think that Hawke's Bay innovation is all about primary production, but that's not the case. There is a thriving and growing tech community doing great things. It's vital that Hawke's Bay supports the development and growth of new businesses; that's why showcases like this are so important." NZTE GM investment, Dylan Lawrence said that NZTE was proud to partner with Business Hawke's Bay and Hawke's Bay Angels for Beyond the Peak.
Chairman of Hawke's Bay Angels Dean Prebble said the event was a great way for investors to find potential exciting ventures. "This was a great opportunity to broaden our investor community and generate more energy around the emerging Hawke's Bay high growth business scene. The Hawke's Bay Angel Investment Community has seen 16 businesses looking to raise capital in 2019. Eight have pitched at one of our investment evenings and three have successfully raised capital."
