PledgeMe has announced its second crowdsourced director in 2016 with Melanie Templeton joining the board.

“With over 100 applicants for our board position, we decided to take the opportunity to appoint two new directors”

“We announced Jessica Venning-Bryan last month,” says PledgeMe CEO Anna Guenther, “and are pleased to now introduce Melanie Templeton. She brings a diverse background in building commercial businesses across a range of industries, from award winning restaurants to online banks.”

“Her experience in financial regulation and online businesses will be of huge value to us as we expand into new areas of regulation such as our recently announced PledgeMe.Lend. Melanie has spent 10 years in online banking, and is currently interim group executive of Direct Banking for Rabobank Australia and New Zealand.”

For more on how to crowdsource a board member, read this.

Image: Melanie Templeton

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Spark has just announced that it will become the new naming rights, brand and technology partner for Vector Arena, starting late April 2017.

Spark has been developing ties to the music scene in the last two-years, having recently partnered with music streaming giant Spotify, and music festivals such as Auckland City Limits. 

Spark MD, Simon Moutter says the potential to take the venue to new heights with technology was huge.

“Seeing your favourite musician or entertainer appear on stage for the first time is an experience designed to be captured and shared with friends and family and the role of technology is key to that. That’s why we’re excited at the prospect of developing useful and amazing technology solutions for the venue to give New Zealanders an even richer and highly shareable experience.”  

Image: Simon Moutter

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Powerhouse Ventures will be helping to commercialise IP from Victoria University, following the completion of an MOU between PHV and Viclink, the university’s commercialisation office. The relationship is designed to further stimulate and support entrepreneurship at Victoria, create jobs and enhance Wellington’s regional development. PHV will play an active hands-on role, is currently discussing five start-up possibilities, exploring the possibility of investing in a significant holding of the Viclink portfolio and for a PHV representative to join the Vic Link board.

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Boutique Auckland craft liquor brand Jumping Goat has just received investment from Australian liquor distributor, Red Island Group. The group will provide financial and business support, to ensure that fast growth of the coffee-infused liquor continues.

“Whilst we work closely with all our supply partners, in the case of Jumping Goat we saw an amazing product with huge potential so we decided to go that step further into acquiring a shareholding” said Patrick Ale, founder of Red Island.

“Since its introduction to the Melbourne bar scene about six months ago, we have seen fantastic uptake in key bars and fast growth of sales due to the high quality and crafted nature of the product alongside the fun and quirky attitude of the brand”.

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Stephanie Gasperini has joined New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) as director of Better by Design. 

Based in Auckland, Stephanie is responsible for all aspects of NZTE’s Better By Design programme, which helps businesses use design thinking to become more innovative, efficient and internationally competitive.

“I’m excited that Stephanie is joining us at a time when more and more New Zealand businesses are embracing human centred design and looking to better understand their customer needs,” says services general manager Suzie Marsden. “Stephanie brings deep design experience to the role and has led significant design thinking projects for high profile New Zealand businesses as well as for the public sector”.

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?Wynyard Group has announced the successful completion of its one for four renounceable rights offer which will raise approximately NZ$30 million. The 35,320,446 new shares in connection with the offer are expected to be allotted and commence trading on 31 March 2016.

In February, the announced that it had received commitments for the purchase of the full $30 million of shares available under the offer. The existing shareholders and new investors who provided those commitments will take up all of the subscription shortfall at the same issue price of $0.85 per share. 

Read the offer document here. 

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