News and Events
Check out what's happening at Creative HQ
July 2013
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
June 2013
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
June 20 - Wellington Gold Awards ... awesome night out celebrating what makes the TechCapital tick.
May 2013
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
May 21-24 - Speed, Smarts and Startups roadshow in the South Island with Laura Reitel and Lightning Lab. Events in Christchurch (Tues 21), Dunedin (Weds 22), Queenstown (Thurs 23) and Invercargill at midday on Friday 24.
May 15 - Lightning Lab Demo Day ... the largest startup showcase ever in New Zealand. More.
May 9 - Speed, Smarts and Startups roadshow with Laura Reitel and Lightning Lab in Hawkes Bay. Details here.
May 2 - Speed, Smarts and Startups roadshow with Laura Reitel and Lightning Lab in Tauranga at Craigs Investment Partners. Event sign up.
May 1 - Kick-off for Speed, Smarts and Startups roadshow with Laura Reitel and Lightning Lab in Auckland at the BizDojo talking Startup Acceleration, insider stories from TechStars and what startups can do to make it work for them. Event sign up here.
April 2013
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
March 2013
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
March 14 - First Boards Cocktail Event ... 5.30pm featuring rewardjunkie, GreenButton and NZVIF ... more details here
February 2013
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
Feb 14-15 - WEBSTOCK takes over town. Awesome lineup and free icecream.
Feb 16-18 - The third Wellington Startup Weekend, this time @ CoCA Massey University. Gonna be amazing. Sign up here.
January 2013
Tuesdays from Jan 15 - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
Jan 10 - The FT lists Wellington as a Tech Capital, showcasing 77 Pieces, alongside a collection of local startups. FT Online here.
Jan 1 -New Years Day! Another year of sensational startup action in the Tech Capital
December 2012
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
Dec 5 - Lightning Lab applications close - don't miss out, apply before 5pm here
Dec 11 - Creative HQ and MTV bringing the christmas party to town.
Dec 12 - Geeks on a Plane are in Wellington talking to startups, investors and Creative HQ.
November 2012
Nov 1,2 - Wellington hosts the Angel Association Summit ... whole lotta haloes in a happy place. Pitching, investment speak, global trends, and apparently some line-dancing later on.
Nov 5 - Super angel Nelson Gray in-house with Creative HQ, one-on-one startup sessions and all the secrets in a roundtable discussion.
Nov 9 - Fireside chat with JD Trask ... founder of Mindscape, uber tech brain, in-house talking tech and startups with the Creative HQ crew.
Nov 20 - Demo Day for Startup Sessions #2 - investor panel in house to review the Session Crew.
Nov 22 - AUCKLAND info session on Lightning Lab - details here
Nov 26 - TAURANGA info session on Lightning Lab - details here
Nov 27 - WELLINGTON info session on Lightning Lab - details here
Nov 29 - Investor pitching workshop, hosting US super angel Bill Payne alongside local angels
October 2012
Oct 23 - Startup Sessions #2 starts today. For more information or to enquire about getting a spot ... here
September 2012
NEWSLETTER #7 hits the newsstand, and it's all about money ... $$$!!! ... check it out here.
Sept 5 - What 'working' in a digital world means, with Gary Bolles, experienced startup founder and the man behind eParachute. Check out the slides here
En MEDIA - Ritzling nabs three nominations at NZ Food Awards... here / "FlyBuys for the small guys." rewardjunkie! - the new generation ... here
Sept 14 - Fireside chat with Eva Maria @CreativeHQ
Sept 19 - Lightning Lab launches. It's the future. Right here. Smart money backing smart startups. In a room. For three months. More here...
August 2012
August 14 - First Boards Event : Entreprenuers talking about thier boards. What it takes, what to avoid and what they found out. Starring Yonix, Optimal Usability, and Creative HQ's Steve O'Connor. In collaboration with Creative HQ, Wellington Employers' Chamber of Commerce and the Institute of Directors. Details here.
July 2012
July 11 - Day workshop with US market validation guru Dr. Rob Adams in partnership with IRL and The Icehouse ... details here
July 20 - Lean Startup meetup, with Michael Elwood-Smith giving the Lean Canvas tour. Slides here.
July 27-29 - Startup Weekend Wellington - 54 hours of startup fever, brought to you by Creative HQ, BizDojo and WebFund... more
June 2012
June 27 - Anne Barnett on what science and research tech startups need. Here
June 15-17 - Startup Weekend Auckland at the e-Centre ... more
May 2012
25 May - Good crowd at Fireside Chat with Richard Shirtcliffe, phil&teds marketing manager, startup founder and Newtown satorial luminary. Insights, intrigue and How-To-Conquer-The-World.
April 2012
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
26 April - Creative HQ to offer Bizspark Plus program to startups ... more
NEWSLETTER #6 - the latest on Creative HQ and science, Plug and Play's visit and How To Be An Optmist ... here
13 April - Lean Startup Meetup - at The Cross ... check in here
4/5 April - Futurist and technology evangelist Mark Stevenson is in town with Creative HQ to add international perspective to the Return on Science forum and a series of hookups with Wellington's entrepreneur set.
March 2012
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
19 March - Jody Bullen, Yonix founder, on "that startup moment" - here
14 March - CEO forum, first for the Year of the Dragon. TradeMe's Mike del Prete talks startup wisdom.
1 March - Gaming Bootcamp D-Day - demos and delirium for the teams on our inaugural Gaming Bootcamp, pics here
February 2012
Every Tuesday - Startup Head2Head @ 10.30am ... more
24 February - Science powerhouse MacDiarmid Institute joins forces with Creative HQ ... more
24-26 February - Startup Weekend Christchurch. Startup Weekend CEO Mark Nager joining the party. More here.
January 2012
23 January - The start of the Chinese new year. The Year of the Dragon. Want to be all about it in a Creative HQ t-shirt, themed as we do every year for the Chinese New Year? Click through here.
NEWSLETTER #5 - the latest on That Dragon, Tui's trip to vegas, and How To Be A Techstar ... here
December 2011
15 December - Rhinestone cowboys and cowgirls hit the Christmas Party to wrap the year in spurs and six-shooters.
15 December - The final CEO forum for the year. Getting together to knock heads, wrap the year and take a bit of thinking into Christmas.
November 2011
28 - 30 November - 10th Annual Science-based Incubators Conference, Auckland. The Technopolicy Network in co-operation with Incubators NZ and New Zealand Trade Enterprise is proud to present the 10th Annual Conference and Awards: 'Science Based Incubators as Connectors between High-Tech Clusters' at Sky City.
27 November and 1 December - Technopolicy Network incubation workshops as follows: Impact Measurement, Internationalising Business Strategies for Incubators, Resources and Funding.
16 November - GROW International joins Creative HQ
14 - 18 November - Global Entrepreneurship Week, a worldwide initiative to highlight, celebrate and promote entrepreneurship and innovative startup thinking.
4 - 6 November - Wellington Startup Weekend, the inaugural capital event in the international Startup Weekend lineup. Fifty-four hours, 100 entrepreneurs and a lot of coffee.
October 2011
27 October - Dash Tickets lands a deal with Ministry of Sound Australia to step out and up into the entertainment game ... more
23 October - The final of the Rugby World Cup! Eden Park ... 1987?
NEWSLETTER #4 - the latest on those monkeys on Springboard, Startup Weekend Wellington and How To Pitch to Investors ... here
11 October - Creative HQ named as one of six key priorities in Wellington City's draft economic development strategy looking out 30 years.
10 October - Creative HQ's Annual Report 2010/11 released
September 2011
23 - 25 September - Auckland Startup Weekend, 54 hours of startup entrepreneurship.
14 September - Wellington's BIG (business innovation growth) event at Parliament: the best and brightest from the capital including five Creative HQ companies - Yonix, Beek, Footfalls and Heartbeats, Wetox and Showcase
August 2011
31 August - CEO forum hosting Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown. Talking on start ups and entrepreneurs within the city's 2040 vision.
NEWSLETTER #3 - the latest on the Capital's future tech winners, what they do in San Fran about personal info management and How To Run A Startup Ecosystem by Rob Adams ... here
16 August - Newstalk ZB host Sean Plunket talks to Creative HQ chief Steve O'Connor ... listen here
13 August - Educa joins the venture portfolio, changing the way parents interact with early childhood education
11 August - designing marketing tools for a new generation: Showcase. The latest venture to join Creative HQ
July 2011
8 July - Creative HQ joins the Ice Ideas Conference in Auckland to launch 3000.org.nz - a step change in New Zealand's innovation commercialisation stratosphere
7 July - Wellington Market Validation Workshop with renowned US entrepreneur and author of A Good Hard Kick in the Ass Dr Rob Adams
June 2011
22 June - Employment Law Basics workshop presented by Cullen Law
NEWSLETTER #2 - the latest on what Sir Paul Callaghan reckons, Creative HQ's new superstar strategists and How To Win A Gold Award ... here
7 June - Dave Allison and Noel Brown join the business strategy team. View their profiles here.
2 June - Innate Brands starts with Creative HQ. Already running hard with their plans, Carolyn Press-Mackenzie and Stephanie Fifield are changing the game in their field. Have a look here.
May 2011
20 May - Silicon Valley Business School is in Wellington. Sponsored by Creative HQ, U.S. start-up superstar David Smith is taking a one day seminar on high-growth for start ups. More here.
19 May - An evening of celebration with our partners and supporters, entrepreneurs and innovation champs! Pitches from our new ventures and key note from Cameron Mehlhopt, co founder of Starnow.com
18 May - Gold Awards - Creative HQ WINS the Supporting Gold category. Woohoo!
10 May - Software expert Martin McKendry inhouse to talk turkey with our ventures
5 May - Hi-Tech Awards - Creative HQ and Morrison Kent attending in support of finalist Yonix
April 2011
14 April - Equity sharing workshop wraps perspectives from investors, entrepreneurs, lawyers and the finance guy around some options for high growth companies. Thanks to Greg Sitters, Melissa Clark Reynolds, Owen Gibson and Andrew Hudson.
NEWSLETTER #1 - the latest on 77 Pieces going global, Steve O'Connor on all things CHQ and How To Share Startup Equity With Your Mates ... here
12 April - MediaSense presenter Jon Leland is at Creative HQ to talk about social media and the history of internet marketing
5 April - Hyperfactory founder Derek Handley sits down with CHQ ventures to talk about the hard work and sheer luck it takes to make a big exit
4 April - Sean Davidson and AvanCert sign up as part of the Creative HQ portfolio
March 2011
9 March - Sam Knowles presents his ideas to the March CEO forum, with the key theme - know what you are good at and focus on it
3 March - i-Zonely joins the fold, aiming for the world with its online content protection and anti-piracy software
February 2011
21 February - Creative HQ welcomes PriceTech, smart people creating even smarter pricing and revenue management software
17 February - A panel of international and local investors size up and shake down five Creative HQ companies practising their perfect pitch
9 February - Talking innovation and investment with US investor Rebecca Lynn from Morganthaler venture capital firm in SanFran
1 February - The launch of the new Ministry of Science and Innovation (MSI) has Creative HQ presenting with VicLink and Wetox, showcasing the science commercialisation story
January 2011
25 January - A new website section goes live to wrap up some kernels of insight from within, a great resource for young businesses ... Creative IQ
18 January - Mobile4X founder Peter Blaikie joins Creative HQ to turn his foreign exchange mobile platform into a global provider of market alerts.
17 January - Creative HQ welcomes intellectual property specialist Dr Penny Gibson as executive-in-residence.
December 2010
24 December - We're taking down the mistletoe and heading for the beach. Back Jan 10 for a new year of building empires from ideas. Merry Christmas.
16 December - TIME WARP !!! Flash back to disco styles as our seasonal soiree sees Santa pull on platforms and flanel pants... 70s yuletide!
16 December - Creative HQ's last CEO forum for the year, introducing new tools for businesses to kick start 2011 with.
10 December - Creative HQ's board of directors gets together for its inaugural meeting
9 December - business incubator representatives from the Maldives check out Creative HQ and hear from hot young things Beek and TacPlans
7 December - a roomful of CEOs get together for a session on sales techniques, defining their essence in the market and blueberry and choc chip muffins with Jeremy Moore. In a nutshell? Use The Force.
November 2010
25 November - a handful of cool Wellington companies visit Creative HQ for a two-hour session on market validation - the Yellow Brick Road to commercial success
19 November - Beek product demonstration
18 November - Launch of the Clean Technology Centre of Excellence in Otaki. Wetox and Spectionz presenting
16 November - Bright Idea Final Awards - Junkie Inc, Footfalls and Heartbeats and MyInfoSafe win their categories.
12 November - Creative HQ outing to see the Social Network Movie
10 November - Bright Idea Competition pitches to innovation community. Junkie Inc, Footfalls and Heartbeats and MyInfoSafe presenting
8 November - Workshop with Ian Sobieski, US Angel Investor
1 November - Brain HQ workshop with international investor panel as part of Investment week
October 2010
21 October - Graduation for Gecko Press
15 October - Morning tea to welcome Creative HQs newest company Myinfosafe
12 October - Bright Ideas - Food & Beverage and Hospitality workshop
11 October - Creative HQ welcomes its newest company Myinfosafe
6 October - Bright Ideas - Fashion & Retail workshop
4 October - Centruflow Limited and Optimation Limited signed an exclusive partnership agreement to deliver Business Service Visualisation solutions to the New Zealand market and beyond.
September 2010
27 September - Beek showcases Bolton Hotel with virtual tour.
27 September - Vinacoms 'Winefinder' promotion in Wellington New World stores.
27 September - Yonix enters first phase of beta testing with the new Business Analyst Solution 'Calm'.
27 September - Dash Tickets selling tickets for La de da festival 11,000 tickets sold and 3,500 people camping on site for tickets.
24 September - Global Entrepreneurship Week Countdown Launch, Massey University tea gardens
15 September - Morning tea to welcome our two new companies, 77 Pieces and TacPlans
15 September - CEO stand up meeting
9 September - Bright Ideas - Unlimited Potential Co-Founder Matchmaking event
8 September - Bright Ideas - Execute: Go to Market Workshop
6 September - Bright Ideas - Build the Solution: Technical Workshop
1 September - Nick Schembri, co-founder of Dash Tickets names as president of Wellington Young Professionals
1 September - CEO stand up meeting
August 2010
30 August - Bright Ideas - Build the Solution: Strategy Workshop
25 August - Morning tea to welcome new company 77-Pieces
25 August - Bright Ideas - Know your Market: Validation workshop
23 August - CEO Dinner with BNZ CEO Andrew Thorburn
20 August - Technology and Innovation Expo held at Weltec, Petone
18 August - New company 77 Pieces joins Creative HQ
18 August - CEO stand up meeting
13 August - Ben knill of Beek named as finalist for the PATA Young Tourism Entrepreneur
12 August - Starnow.com CEO Cameron Melhopt names as finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year
6 August - Friday night drinks before heading to The Fierceness
5-7 August - The Fierceness, dance show
4-5 August - Sales Workshop for all CEOS
4 August - Steve attending the INZ Annual General Meeting in Hamilton
July 2010
28 July - New Zealand Internet Industry Awards
23 July - Friday nights drinks with the Creative HQ movie premier
21 July - CEO stand up meeting
21-23 July - Bizzone Business Expo, TSB Bank Arena
13 July - Summer of Tech, install fest
7 July - Information morning tea on Summer of Tech
7 July - CEO stand up meeting
6 July - CHQ presentation at Youth Parliament
June 2010
23 June - CEO stand up meeting
18 June - Lean start up at Sourther Cross
9 June - CEO stand up meeting
4 June - Pre Launch presentation from Junkie Inc, followed by drinks and nibbles
May2010
28 May - CEO Forum
26 May - CEO Stand up meeting and morning tea for new company - Safeshot
21 May - Friday night drinks
19 May - Wellington Gold Awards
13 - 21 May - Tui attending National Business Incubation Conference in Florida, USA
13 May - Informal lunch with Angel HQ members
12 May - NZTE workshop for all New Zealand incubators
3 May - NZTE Q100 Assessment of Creative HQ Incubation Programme
5 May - Investment Workshop for CEOs
April 21 April - Creative HQ hosts six Australian incubator managers
14 April - CEO Stand up meeting
9 April - Lean Start Up Meet and Greet. Find out more about the Lean Start Up Movement.
8 April - Media Training with Cabix Communications
March 2010
31 March - Key Messages Workshop for CEOs, perfecting the 30 second pitch. More information.
26 March - Morning tea with Award winning Games Writer and Designer, Deborah Todd & Interactive Education Guru Andy Hoffman
25 March - CEO workshop with Bill Payne, Creative HQ Partner Event
22 March - CEO pitch practice
18 March - Morning tea for Wetox
17 March - Dazzle Tickets named in top three for Launchpad 2010 competition
17 March - Market Validation Workshop for Creative HQ CEO's
15 March - Alan Hucks starts as our new Creative HQ Business Strategist
15 March - Pitch practice for CEO's presenting at the upcoming Creative HQ Partner event
10 March - Pitch Practice for FUN2bFIT and Dazzle for Launchpad 2010
8 March - Bill Payne, workshop with Creative HQ Business Strategists
8 March - FUN2bFIT and Dazzle Tickets shortlisted for the inaugural Launchpad
5 March - Company Presentation - Viewnz is going to take us through their latest release.
4 March - We are working hard on our entries to the Wellington Gold Awards. Last year we had 3 finalists and 1 winner.
3 March - CEO Stand Up Session - a new initiative from our CEO's to update on their progress, key achievements and learnings over the past week.
3 March - Creative HQ report back on our attendance at Webstock. Overall, it rocked - a great conference. We loved Eric Ries. One quote stood out "The lion doesn't wait for an RFP before it hunts the gazelle".
1 March - Creative HQ accepts its second clean technology business - Wetox.
February 2010
26 Feb - We have spent the last few days preparing our two entries for Launchpad 2010. Planet 2010 kicks off in Auckland 12-13 March.
24 Feb - Kickstand launches their pilot with Burke's cycles and gives the Creative HQ CEO's an overview of their cycle tutorials. If you are a keen cyclist - check the tutorials out at www.kickstand.co.nz
17 Feb - US Entrepreneur Eric Ries visits Creative HQ and shares his insights and perspectives on the lean start up. Check out Eric's blog.
12 Feb - Creative HQ heading to Webstock in force.
1 Feb - Creative HQ has accepted Card Junkie into the incubator.
