Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers world-class, award-winning education opportunities, free to all current students and staff of the University of Auckland. At CIE we will: - welcome you to our community,  - connect you with like-minded people  - give you access to educational resource to learn and develop - bring your innovative and entrepreneurial potential to life - inspire, excite and support your journey Learn more about our staff, students and alumni, who are making an impact and striving for a better world:

🎨✨ Check out this image of the CIE team, Ghibli-style! Have you explored GPT-4o Image Generation yet?  Ready to create your own AI-generated magic? Sign up for CIE’s free AI training in our technology training sessions - available for all The University of Auckland students and staff! You’ll learn more about a wide range of AI tools to support your professional and personal development. Sign up now: https://lnkd.in/dMFG9x7P OpenAI

🌺 Last week’s Pasifika Talanoa was a beautiful evening of storytelling, connection, and celebration. Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to such an inspiring space. We’re incredibly grateful to our amazing speakers who shared their journeys, insights, and wisdom: 🌊 Julia Arnott-Neenee & Nu’uali’i Eteroa Lafaele – Co-founders of FIBRE FALE, driving digital equity for Pasifika communities 🌱 Ra Beazley – Co-founder of Reserve Tāmaki (GI Business Hub), supporting Māori and Pasifika entrepreneurs 💡 Roschelle Marshall – Social innovator and advocate for Pacific entrepreneurship 🔥 Salā Marie Young – Entrepreneur and educator empowering Pacific-led organisations Fa’afetai tele lava to all who came through and shared in the talanoa with us. We’re excited to keep building spaces where Pacific innovation, culture, and community thrive. 💫 Velocity: The University of Auckland Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programme #UoA #CIE #PasifikaTalanoa

Darsel Keane, Director of CIE, has been appointed to the Auckland Business Chamber’s Tech Council, representing The University of Auckland in the Tech Council’s work shaping Auckland’s future as a global tech hub. The Auckland Tech Council is focused on CreativeTech, FinTech, and HealthTech, leveraging the city’s strengths to drive innovation and economic growth.    Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges says 💡 “𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘈𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘡𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/g_ZgBh2n University of Auckland - Newmarket Innovation Precinct, Andrew Fairgray, Stephen Kurzeja, Madeline Newman, Paula Browning CMInstD, Grant Frear, Tom Maasland, Andrew Radcliffe, Adrian Dick, Stephen Knightly, Darryn Melrose

We’re thrilled and honoured to be named a finalist for the NZ Hi-Tech Awards in the category of Best Contribution to the NZ Tech Sector. It’s a real privilege to stand alongside others doing amazing mahi to uplift and accelerate Aotearoa’s tech ecosystem. 💫 Our team at The University of Auckland Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) are passionate about empowering people to innovate, create and make meaningful impact — for Aotearoa and the world. Alongside CIE, The University of Auckland is home to a thriving innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem — developing talent, turning bold ideas into start-ups, and driving innovation for industry and society. UniServices plays a vital role in this, providing investment and support that brings ideas to life. Here are a few ways CIE has been contributing to the future of tech in Aotearoa: 🚀 Over CIE’s history, through programmes such as our Velocity: The University of Auckland Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programme, we’ve helped ignite 292 start-ups with alumni creating 3,760 jobs operating across 195 countries. Our start-ups span MedTech, AgTech, CleanTech and even Space! These include the founders of other NZ Hi-Tech Awards finalist companies such as Kami, @Toku Eyes and Kitea Health 💰 Our alumni have raised a staggering $4.2 billion in funding to date 🔧 We’ve activated two innovation hubs, including a 5G lab, with a team of paid student creative technologists delivering hundreds of technology training workshops every year including 3D printing, AI, VR, IoT and more. 🎓 Supported over 7,000 individual participants in 2024 alone with education and professional development for innovative careers and start-up creation. Our co-curricular offerings are free for staff and students of all faculties. 🌱 Introduced initiatives like Kurutao Māori Entrepreneurial Leaders programme, Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership, and the Solve It Innovation Sprint 👩🏽💻 Empowered the next generation of tech-savvy innovators through hackathons and start-up internships ✈️ Run an annual Vanguard Entrepreneurial Leaders Expedition to Silicon Valley, supported by Tony Falkenstein, ONZM, taking students to the world’s tech epicentre 📈 Earned a Net Promoter Score of 60 — over 3x the NZ tertiary education sector average 🌟 Recognised globally with 12 international awards since 2020, from places like the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the International Council of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, putting New Zealand on the world stage Ngā mihi to our incredible community of students, staff, partners, mentors, alumni and volunteers who make all this possible 🧡 Darsel Keane, Rod B. McNaughton, Kimberley Ansell, Naomi Bradshaw, Sandy Lin, Jean Michelle Bayron, Sean Kelly, Trevor McGurk, Maru Maxwell, Yaqi Zhang, YiFan Li, Jorela Romero, Nova Jackson, Liudmyla Beraud, Marissa Kaloga, PhD, Peter Rachor #HTANZ

New Zealand’s first-ever Web3 hackathon was held recently at the University of Auckland Business School. It brought together developers, designers, entrepreneurs and students to explore how decentralised technologies could solve real-world challenges, and to compete for a share of a $30,000 prize pool! Over 48 hours, participants worked in teams to build Web3 solutions addressing everything from housing shortages and disaster resilience to digital identity and decentralised finance. Learn all about it - story link in comments: #UoA #CIE #Web3Hackathon The University of Auckland, The University of Auckland Business School, Web3NZ, Frank Bloomfield, ETHGlobal, Sean Kelly, Kellie Kennedy, Kevin Whitmore, Karthik Sivasubramanian, Darsel Keane, UniServices, Callaghan Innovation, Yaser S., Will Charles, @NZDD, WDCC - Web Development & Consulting Club, Binance, Lane Neave, Blockchain Club University of Auckland, GD1 (Global From Day One),Easy Crypto

Should university researchers own the rights to their discoveries? It could be a game-changer for innovation in Aotearoa. UniServices’ Will Charles speaks with RNZ about what a shift in IP ownership might mean for researchers—and the startups they create. Listen to the full interview – link in comments.

Auckland is looking to become the home for the new Advanced Technology Institute. Pam Ford, director of economic development for council-controlled organisation Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, says that Auckland is the innovation capital of New Zealand and cites the award-winning Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and UniServices as evidence of excellence. “We need some enabling infrastructure with the support of the city and Government; we need to attract investment and PhD students and provide better ways of connecting people with each other and encourage entrepreneurship; and we need good international relationships for the entrepreneurs to enter the markets… A lot of this is happening but we need to keep growing. “Innovation is our future; that’s where Auckland can really shine on the international stage.” https://lnkd.in/gwMGFXkk   The University of Auckland The University of Auckland Business School

Meet Dr Marissa Kaloga, the new Hynds Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at The University of Auckland Business School. With a background in community development and social justice, Marissa is passionate about making entrepreneurship more inclusive and accessible. She’s leading innovative courses in social entrepreneurship and the music industry, while also researching how Aotearoa New Zealand’s entrepreneurial ecosystem can foster belonging for all founders. Marissa’s also excited to be leading a new study funded by the Business School’s newest research centre, Juncture: Dialogues on Inclusive Capitalism. The study will examine how Entrepreneurial Support Organisations impact inclusive entrepreneurship. 💡 “We need a generation of changemakers, and I hope to be a part of helping them find their voices.”  Read more about Marissa’s work and research: https://lnkd.in/gQGC4pkQ The University of Auckland

🌞 Got an idea? Not sure where to start? Come along to Start-up Fireside Chats and connect with fellow aspiring entrepreneurs! Hear from Melitta Adam, founder of Melitta Skin, as she shares her journey from The University of Auckland student to start-up founder making waves in sun protection. 🗓 Thursday 27 March 🕕 6:00 – 7:30 PM 📍 Unleash Space, 20 Symonds Street 👉 Free for all UoA students & staff! 🎟️ Register now: https://lnkd.in/gHXz3J4N Let's chat, connect, and spark some ideas 💡 #UoA #CIE #StartUpFireSideChats