Charlotte Print is a current Bachelor of Law and Arts student, and the 2023 CEO of the student-led Velocity entrepreneurship development programme. She leads a volunteer committee of 30 students who organise a year-long programme of inspirational seminars, workshops and competitions for the benefit of hundreds of University of Auckland student and staff participants.

Twenty students and five staff will be the University of Auckland (UoA) Future17 trailblazers, taking part for the first time in a global education programme that focuses on sustainability challenges and bridges the worlds of higher education and work.

A new wave of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has the potential to revolutionise every aspect of life. The University of Auckland Business School has responded with agility, with teaching staff incorporating these new technologies into courses in time for first semester. Teaching resources have been created with the support of the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).

Some of the hallmark traits of an entrepreneurial mindset are resilience, resourcefulness and being solutions-oriented. All of these traits were on show from 2023 Summer Lab students and facilitators, who completed the four-week programme despite disruptions from two severe weather events.

Dr Justin Sung’s venture iCanStudy aims to train users to learn like a genius. His research-informed venture is a cognitive retraining programme that incorporates concepts of higher-order learning and self-regulated learning. Servicing over 10,000 learners around the world, iCanStudy was used in 120 countries last year. Designed to be interacted with for a couple of hours per week, the programme teaches research-backed methods to upgrade how efficiently users process information and learn.

This summer, hundreds of young Kiwi school students were able to spark their innovative potential with two programmes supported by the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE): the Rotary National Science & Technology Forum and the MindPlus Clubs Day.

Dr Ninna Granucci is a scientist and CEO of Green Spot Technologies, which ferments and upcycles natural food byproducts from food processing industries to produce highly-nutritious ingredients. It’s a circular economy venture, which aims to help reduce the amount of plant-based product that is annually wasted, currently estimated at 32% by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation. Green Spot’s responsible technology makes use of product such as brewery spent grains, winery grapes marc and beverage apple pomace while generating only clean water as waste. The resulting flours are high fibre (including prebiotics), high protein, rich in minerals and clean label.

Peter Rachor made his way to Auckland in 2019 to take up the inaugural position of the Hynds Entrepreneurial Teaching Fellow in the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). His aim was to embed innovation and entrepreneurship into curricula across the University. Originally from Michigan in the US with 20 years of entrepreneurship and innovation education under his belt, Peter moved to New Zealand for this opportunity, generously funded by the Hynds Foundation.

Chilean Biotechnology Engineer Maria Jose Alvarez is bridging the gap between the science and Venture Capital communities in New Zealand, helping deep-tech start-ups and first-time founders bring their ideas to life. Working as an Investment Manager at WNT Ventures, Maria Jose is dedicated to fostering the growth of the next generation of founders. Maria Jose is particularly passionate about supporting women and minorities in the VC community and in 2021 she was named a finalist in the Diversity category at the NZ Women of Influence Awards recognising her efforts and impact in this space.

Summer Lab, a four-week University of Auckland experience highlighting innovation and entrepreneurship education, is enjoying its day in the sun after winning a United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship award (USASBE).