The first cohort from the Doctoral Entrepreneurial Leadership Programme has enjoyed a life-changing experience.

Insights into the world of CleanTech entrepreneurship were shared at a recent networking event at the University of Auckland by visiting keynote speaker Ben Soltoff. The event was a collaboration between the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) and the University’s new flagship research centre Ngā Ara Whetū: Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society. In attendance were University students and staff as well as business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors.

StretchSense, a global leader in high-precision motion capture technology for the gaming and animation sectors, has recently completed a NZ$13.3m series A led by Par Equity, supported by existing investor GD1 and Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s national economic development agency.

The University of Auckland has been named as a finalist for the Entrepreneurship Education Excellence Awards by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). It is the only university outside of North America to be named as a finalist.

Delta Waterways, a student start-up from the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology has developed an innovative solution that uses high-tech satellite data to monitor waterways remotely. Measurements can be taken anywhere at a much higher frequency and generate hundreds of thousands more datapoints than the current hand sample method.

The Business School officially unleashed the 5G-powered technology hub Te Ahi Hangarau at an event celebrating a successful semester’s worth of beta testing of innovative curricular and co-curricular programme delivery. From the start of next semester, 5G-enabled technology education will become a regular part of the Business School’s education offering.

The Covid-19 pandemic created unprecedented mass social deprivation that we are only now beginning to understand the consequences of. Worldwide, a generation of young people have had living in an online world normalised. They are used to screens being their window to the world, experiencing life through social media, online games, and remote learning and are out of practice with in person communication. A University of Auckland student venture is now addressing this generations’ pain point of struggling to make meaningful friendships.

Imagine seeing a whirlwind rising more than a kilometre into the air. You’re not scared, though, any more than you would be at seeing a windmill. You know the slim vortex is going to be stable. Far from causing any damage, it’s generating power from waste heat at an industrial plant.

This is the vision of Vortex Power Systems, a Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland spin-out company that sees itself as part of a zero-carbon future. It may sound like a radical idea but it’s one with solid science behind it.

The University of Auckland Maker Club was named New Club of the Year at a glitzy University event at the Pullman Hotel, held in recognition of the more than 200 clubs on campus. The award recognised the Maker Club’s achievements in community building, with praise for their collaborations with multiple clubs on campus.

At the heart of the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is a community of innovative thinkers, problem solvers, and change-makers. CIE’s Engagement Coordinator Gemma Bramwell helps connect University of Auckland students, staff, and the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem with learning opportunities to enable them to realise their potential.