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NEM Blockchain Training event 26th & 27th July 2018 (2)EPIC Westport Blockchain Event We have Senior NEM members and Engineers from Malaysia holding a training event in Westport at the end of July. Its a really good opportunity to learn about developing in blockchain and there is also a have a go Hackday! You just…

Kiwi businesses that are on the path to expanding their export potential overseas are missing out on a wealth of potential if they overlook the Philippines, says one New Zealand based entrepreneur. Rachel Strevens, who is co-founder of cryptocurrency investment platform Invsta, says that few New Zealand businesses are harnessing the Philippines’ potential. Strevens was…

Join us to find out more about the 2017 Hi-Growth Launch Programme graduates. The evening will feature tradeshow exhibitions, presentations from the graduating businesses and keynote speech ‘Every brand has a story to tell. What’s yours?’ by renowned advertising guru Andie Spargo. Date: 28 June 2017 Time: 6pm to 9pm (registrations open at 6pm for a 6.30pm…

Sign up for more info or to attend a launch event in Christchurch, Wellington or Auckland Tune into the global launch, live from Paris on Friday, 6 July at 4:45am NZST Hi there, I hope your world is awesome 🙂 For the past nine years, my team and I have been working hard to produce TEDx…

Alexia is in Christchurch thanks to the generosity of EPIC Innovation, led by Wil McLellan and Colin Andersen. EPIC is committed to lifting participation of young people in technology and as a result of their support, Alexia is able to offer 10 Changemakeher workshops free to Christchurch. Alexia will be at Rangi Ruru 2.30pm – 3.30pm on Monday 2nd…

How Did She Make the Queen Laugh at An Awards Ceremony in London This Week? “You’re doing good work.” That’s what 19-year-old Alexia Hilbertidou was told by Queen Elizabeth at an awards ceremony in London this week. On Tuesday, this driven Kiwi received a Queen’s Young Leaders Award for her work founding GirlBoss where she encourages women…

A key member of one of NASA’s premier space programs will share his views on Space, the Antarctic and the technological revolution at an event in Christchurch this month. Zaheer Ali is the Science and Mission Operations Laboratory Supervisor for SOFIA, a modified Boeing 747 that carries a 38,000 pound, 100-inch diameter infrared telescope in…

WaiWatch, the winner of 8 teams competing at the Future City Activator Event recently hosted at EPIC by the Ministry of awesome (backed by Christchurch City Council and Canterbury Tech) are aiming to identify “Water Abusers” in an effort to combat the wastage of water through an innovative water monitoring system using readily available technology….

EPIC’s VR/AR Studio Corvecto partners with Assurity to help the New Zealand Customs Service redesign their airport layout in Virtual Reality BizEDGE Recently wrote about the use of Corvecto’s VR User Design Platform by Assurity Consulting’s User Research team, allowing them to evaluate multiple layout scenarios with a large group of test users filtered demographically….

I got yet another email from Burnside High’s pesky technology teacher Steven Rodkiss a month or so ago asking us to ‘help the kids’ again the other day. I tell you this guy just does not quit. The last time we crossed paths was when he got us to put together a ‘Dragons Den’ style…

Christchurch is the latest forward-thinking city to host Smart Seeds, a global innovation program for young talent to tackle the region’s most pressing challenges. The EPIC Innovation Precinct in Manchester Street was the venue for the Smart Seeds Launch Event during February. The city and region is known for its resilience and adaptability – something…

Our awesome partners are back with the FIRST C+J BACK FOR 2018! WHERE: The Greenhouse (146A Lichfield Street) WHEN: Tuesday 23 January, 12:30pm – 1:30pm Whilst EPIC undergoes renovations to make our event space awesome MOA will be at The Greenhouse until late February. This weeks awesome speakers are: Nicola Devine is the Creative Director at Tanker Creative,…

We are updating our events space to host even more exciting gatherings for you in future, while that’s in motion however we aren’t hosting any events until the renovations are complete (aiming for mid-February, confirmation will be provided!). In the meantime, here is an image of the event lounge taking shape.

Businessman and social entrepreneur Tenby Powell, who chaired the government appointed Small Business Development Group for five years, is leading a call for the new Government to establish an Institute for Small Business. The idea for a step up from government in support of small business is resonating in New Zealand and farther afield, says Powell,…

Google Research machine perception lead engineering director Tomas Izo will be a speaker at the biggest global tech summit ever held in New Zealand in Auckland on February 19 and 20. https://bizedge.co.nz/story/top-google-researcher-speak-auckland-digital-summit/  

The challenges facing governments around the world have never been more significant. Problems like global warming, cybersecurity and privacy are “big-picture” problems, but there are also the day-to-day challenges of digital transformation, citizen-centric government and participatory democracy that are faced by agencies in most countries. These challenges create a big market opportunity. https://bizedge.co.nz/story/govtech-accelerator-invites-startups-disrupt-public-sector/   

Written by Steven Moe, guest writer for TheSpinoff Social enterprises are everywhere right now. But what are they? And how do we make sure they are not just businesses exploiting a trendy term? Lawyer Steven Moe outlines how social enterprise can become a legitimate force for good. When the poet Robert Frost published his most…

The following article was originally published on Techday ChannelLife on 23rd November 2017. Kiwi technology needs to start selling itself smarter  – and realise its full potential – if it wants to become the nation’s largest export industry. That’s according to new research by Market Measures, which urges companies to ‘eat more of their own dog food’…

Kiwi tech companies urged to ‘eat more of their own dog food’ when it comes to selling Kiwi technology needs to sell itself smarter to realise it’s potential to become the country’s largest export industry, according to the latest Market Measures report. “We don’t face the same environmental constraints of the other two major export…

As the New Zealand governing coalition has finally been decided, now starts the real work to determine the policies and legislation required to implement their vision.  Their ability to deliver on this vision will have a lot to do with the alignment of the three quite different coalition partners – Labour, New Zealand First and…

STICKING TO THE PLAN HOW A NEW ZEALAND HI-TECH AWARD WINNER IS BUILDING A GLOBAL DIGITAL HEALTH BUSINESS Image: http://www.adherium.com/ In the third instalment of our Hi-tech heroes series, Concentrate talked to Garth Sutherland, Founder & Executive Director at Adherium, winners of the Most Innovative Hardware Product category at the 2017 Hi-Tech Awards. Developing medical…

INTO THE CYBER-WAR FRAY Andy Prow, founder and CEO of RedShield. In the second instalment of our Hi-tech heroes series, Concentrate talked to Andy Prow, Founder and CEO of RedShield, the company that won both the best product and best service categories at the 2017 Hi-Tech Awards. If you were choosing a global market niche…

KEEPING THE FAITH Having the courage to focus on a market sector and use innovative digital tactics to generate sales leads is core to the success of Pushpay, winner of the supreme award at the 2017 New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards, as well as Innovative Company of the Year. Concentrate talked with co-founder and CEO Chris…

Canterbury business Ethique is smashing the competition and their recent crowdfunding venture raised their goal of $500,000 in less than a day. “It’s amazing. I knew it would go quickly after 1,300 of our customers registered their interest, but I’m blown away that it went that quick,” says Ethique founder and CEO Brianne West. West…

SheEO is a leading global innovation in the female entrepreneur marketplace. Their radical new model to finance, support and celebrate female entrepreneurs has received global attention by capturing the hearts and minds of women around the world. Over 150 regions from Asia-Pacific to Latin America to Europe and North America have applied to replicate the…

The NZVRARA (The New Zealand VR/AR Association Inc.) has today released the first of two reports commissioned on the New Zealand VR/AR Ecosystem. The Report, titled ‘VIRTUAL GETS REAL: The Explosion of Cross Reality in New Zealand’ profiles a rapidly growing local industry that is predicted to contribute to New Zealand’s Digital Nation with annual…

It can take only minutes for a data breach to cause significant damage to an organisation and it can take months for the same organisation to identify and to respond to those threats. Almost half of IT executives want to detect an attack in progress while there’s still time to act, according to a recent RSA study….

Tech advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) might help New Zealand move toward a solution for helping feed the world which will require food production to double to meet a growing population demands. New Zealand IoT Alliance executive director Kriv Naicker says the new government needs to support the tech…

The New Zealand virtual reality and augmented reality (VRAR) industry sector’s forecast revenues are estimated to be worth more than $320 million within two years, a report states. The publication was commissioned by the New Zealand Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Association (NZVRARA), which is a part of the New Zealand Tech Alliance. The NZVRARA…

Many New Zealanders are buying into the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) as it is creeping into many walks of everyday life. New Zealand needs to actively embrace artificial intelligence at a faster rate as an extraordinary opportunity and challenge for New Zealand’s future, Artificial Intelligence Forum of New Zealand (AIFNZ) executive director Ben Reid…

It was big news in the Kiwi start up community last week when Apple confirmed it would acquire Auckland start up PowerbyProxi. And NZTech’s CEO Graeme Muller says that the deal is confirmation that New Zealand is on the right track to become a global tech story – and be known for our technology just like we…

Remember when you were a kid on the pulse of tech and everyone older than you was living in the stone age? Well, one day it will inevitably be you in the stone age and a Kiwi company is working hard to ensure that happens sooner rather later. OMGTech! recently announced its new program delivering…

Canterbury Tech is calling for nominations for the 2018 Canterbury Tech committee. There are three (3) positions to be elected. Voting will take place on 5 December or by proxy if you are unable to attend the AGM.    Each individual member or member company is entitled to one vote each. We hope to receive…

As we celebrate the next stage of the EPIC journey, it is great to see the support of the community, particular with the media recognising the significance of what we do. See below a summary of an article featured in bizEDGE NZ on EPIC’s latest announcement. The Christchurch innovation hub EPIC is celebrating the EPIC…

It’s our birthday! We are 5 years old this week and want to take the opportunity to thank all the businesses, groups and individuals that have supported us as tenants, by attending events or even just popping in for a coffee. It’s been a great ride and we are looking forward to the next 7!

Forty-six startups from around the world have been selected from a list of over 1000 applications to form the next cohort at Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), it was revealed today. Taking up their places for the nine-week program at the DFA’s headquarters in Emirates Towers, entrepreneurs with cutting-edge technologies will be partnering with various government-run…

Smart Seeds involves multi-disciplinary teams of young professionals generating fresh ideas to tackle complex challenges facing their city. In 2018, GHD is bringing Smart Seeds to Christchurch.   Check out a short highlights video from the 2017 Wellington programme to see what Smart Seeds is all about.   For Expressions of Interest or further information,…

The Kiwibank Fintech Accelerator has opened their applications and they are looking for 10 extraordinary startups to participate in the programme. The programme supports startups advancing innovative applications in payments, financial literacy, security, insurance, identity regulations, lending, investing, or asset management. They may be using technologies such as blockchain, AI, machine learning, bots and cryptocurrencies…

The 2018 Hi-Tech Awards will open for entry at the beginning of December and  the occasion will be marked with special launch events for people interested in entering the Awards. This year there are three launch events in Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland – save the date. Details are: Details for our Wellington event: When: 5pm…

Your website is such an important part of your business. Websites today have multiple roles such as customer service reps, training providers, quality monitoring teams, order takers and sales and marketing staff. For the average B2B tech company, your website plays a crucial role at different stages of the sales process. So, what can you…

Social enterprises combine entrepreneurial spirit with a strong dose of ‘heart’ as they work to make a real difference in our world. And it is not just part of a temporary trend. The 1,600 people who assembled last month in Christchurch at the Social Enterprise World Forum demonstrate that. Social enterprises often operate as limited liability companies, but…

Concentrate has been represented at Inbound before, but it was my first opportunity to witness it first hand, and I did not know what to expect. Except, maybe, an under-the-hood view of the platform, learn some tips and tricks about marketing tech… What actually awaited me was a festive atmosphere, a cornucopia of talks and…

We’re proud to announce that EPIC tenants MTech Games won the Champion Canterbury award in the Professional Services, Small to Medium Enterprise category. MTech Games was created to explore the possibilities for virtual reality in the rehabilitation/medical space and beyond.  They are currently focused on helping new powered wheelchair users through the tough transition to…

From 1998, the popular yellow electric shuttles ran every 10 minutes on a set loop around the central city, until the February 2011 earthquake. The hop on, hop off service was free to use. In August 2016, the Greater Christchurch Public Transport Committee, which includes staff from Environment Canterbury (ECan), the Christchurch City Council and the NZ…

This is the monthly update from Memia Labs; for more information about any of this, please contact them at labs@memia.com My new band: Me + AI Believe it or not, my first career choice was to be a pop musician. (Admittedly not a lot of demand for melodic punk-folk cross between The Pogues and Violent Femmes – we…

The recent announcements around the new Central Library highlight key technological features showing the effort to move the city forward in the world. Following the 2011 earthquakes there was much talk about shape the city should take through the rebuild. One such idea was to create the “Silicon Valley of the South”. While we aren’t…

The Christchurch Tech Story has been developed to amplify Christchurch’s reputation as a technology innovation hub, helping to attract talent and funding. Photos, infographics and banners reflect our “connected, world-class and creative” messaging, helping the city’s tech sector become better known for developing innovative products and services for global niche markets. Please check out and…

Social Enterprises in New Zealand: A Legal Handbook, now available   Parry Field Lawyers have just released the book: “Social Enterprises in New Zealand: A Legal Handbook”.   Written by Steven Moe, the book features an introduction by Alex Hannant, the CEO of Ākina, and more information is here http://changeforgood.parryfield.com/2017/09/11/social-enterprises-in-new-zealand-a-legal-handbook/ or it can be requested as an…

Media Release                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            18 September 2017 NZ Teen in Global Competition to Create Super Happiness A global challenge with big prizes and massive opportunities has a single Kiwi as one of its 15 finalists announced today. The Singularity U / Project Heha Super Happiness Challenge is looking for solutions to help people achieve true…