StartUp Weekend Taranaki turns ideas into potential businesses

Some of the groups working on their final pitches for the judges.

Entrepreneurs, innovators, and problem-solvers spent 54 hours turning an idea into a potential business.

Startup Weekend Taranaki is designed for entrepreneurs who want feedback on an idea, a co-founder, funders, or other support.

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This was the fifth time the event had been held in Taranaki and for the first time it was brought to Hāwera.

Event organiser Katherine Blaney says Startup Taranaki is about supporting entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinkers.

"One of the ways we do that is the Startup Weekend event."

The event started on Friday November 13. Individuals pitched an idea and then put themselves into a team based on the idea they like most. Seven teams were formed over the weekend.

The teams worked to progress the idea into a potential business with the help of business leaders and mentors. On the Sunday, seven teams pitched their final and polished ideas to Startup Weekend Taranaki's juding panel Eve Kawana- Brown (Massey University), James Donald (Yonder founder and Startup Weekend alumna) and Justine Gilliland (Venture Taranaki).

Nyree Saysell was one of the people who took part in the event. She says she enjoyed the collaboration over the weekend.

"It was a very positive way to work as there is a massive amount of knowledge that can be shared within the groups."

She says the weekend was beneficial.

"It was life changing in a positive way. There was so much networking and learning how to define problems and solutions."

Startup Weekend Hāwera had 35 participants, an 11-person organising team, 13 voluntary mentors and two facilitators.