Those in the know are aware of how big of a deal Webstock is. After all, Aotearoa’s tech industry is the country’s third-largest export sector (last year it exported $6.3 billion worth of goods and services), it contributes $16.2b to the gross domestic product (GDP), and the industry has more than 28,000 firms employing almost 100,000 people.
Translation: it’s big. And competition is intense.
That’s where Webstock comes in – especially its ever-popular Start-up Alley.
In short, BNZ’s Start-up Alley is a celebration of New Zealand start-ups. It celebrates start-ups seeking to scale rapidly, those doing social enterprise work, and those seeking to establish themselves as long-term, sustainable businesses.
Oh, and you can win up to $20,000 cash plus a range of business support that’s basically priceless.
One prize is a start-up accelerator package. Aimed at tech businesses who have developed an innovative tech product and realise there is potential for growth and expansion beyond New Zealand. The ideal winner will have a working concept and will be considering plans to expand internationally, the size of the opportunity for the product will be much larger in an overseas market. What they are likely lacking is the funds and the connections to make it happen. Getting to the USA and in front of the right people is a seemingly impossible task, but one that would propel the business. To that end, $20,000 in cash, return flights to the USA to the value of $5,000, mentoring in New Zealand, and a BNZ banking package is up for grabs to help make this all happen.
Then there’s the second social enterprise kick-start. This is aimed at businesses who have a social purpose at the heart of what they do. The winner of this prize could be at any stage of their business, but are likely just starting out and looking for some help to get their idea off the ground.
$20,000 in cash, access to business mentors, BNZ Small Business experts, and a BNZ banking package are what await the winner.
Alright, so there’s that. But Webstock is so much more. After all, it’s meant to celebrate all that’s awesome about tech in Aotearoa, meet like-minded, innovative and ambitious folks, and inspire us all to work together for a better-connected, more awesome future.
If that’s not the definition of “sweet as,” it’s hard to know what is.
