In 2024, nine teams took part in Creative HQ’s Climate Response Accelerator, joining a growing cohort of ventures working at the intersection of climate action and commercial opportunity. Over an intensive three-month programme, these founders tested assumptions, refined their models and accelerated progress that would typically take much longer to achieve.
Climate-focused startups contribute to job creation, attract investment and develop locally owned intellectual property while addressing emissions reduction, adaptation and resilience challenges. Their work reflects the increasing depth of Aotearoa New Zealand’s climate tech sector and its role in shaping a more sustainable economy.
These teams pitched at the final showcase to over 500 founders, scientists and investors, all gathered for the first-ever Climate Tech Summit Aotearoa. Hosted at the St James Theatre in Wellington, the capital pitched itself as a future global hub for hi-tech climate action. Read the full story here.
Investment news
Congratulations to Mara Bio, Good Grub Agritech and Aotea Energy who won a $50,000 investment each from Motion Capital during their final showcase at the Climate Tech Summit Aotearoa.
Meet the teams in Creative HQ’s Climate Response Accelerator 2024
Refib
Founders: Nelson Harper & Caleb Payne
ReFib is a cleantech company developing a technology and process to convert non-recyclable fiber (paper towels and other organic byproducts) into sustainable construction materials and insulation with viable end of life options. To date ReFib has recycled more than 1.8 million paper towels.
Website: Precycle.co.nz
Location: Palmerston North
Mara Bio
Founders: Steve Boggs, Mehrnoush ( Maya) Tangestani, Mark Balchin
Mara Bio are creating novel, versatile ingredients derived from fungi, by valorising food industry side streams with minimal environmental impact. Our waste-to-value technology re-imagines how energy and nutrient rich food production side streams are used – transforming them into protein rich, high-fibre, functional ingredients and bioactives for food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.
Website: Mara-Bio.co.nz
Location: Hastings
Lastmyle
Founders: Kris Sebro & David Kyle
LastMyle tackles the ‘last mile’ of the electricity grid, unlocking faster adoption of green energy and maximizing existing infrastructure in New Zealand. Our team of innovators is building a smarter electricity grid for a sustainable future.
Website: lastmyle.co.nz
Location: Taranaki
CarbonTrail
Founder: Tom Hallam
CarbonTrail makes it easy for you to understand, reduce, and share, your emissions by using data you already have in your business.
Website: Carbontrail.co.nz
Location: Christchurch
Aotea Energy
Founders: Tom Latimor, Tama Toki, David Carr, Zac Wesley Brown & Jack Stevens , James Hamlet & Jamie Wesley Brown
Aotea are building smart home and grid storage battery systems to accelerate the electrification of the energy grid at scale. These products will deliver energy security to home owners while alleviating congested low voltage networks, significantly reducing the infrastructure costs currently faced by electricity distributors.
Website: AoteaEnergy.co.nz
Location: Auckland
Good Grub Agritech
Founders: Leonardo da Silva Gomes, Jessie Stanley & Damien Fergus
We take food waste and through bioconversion by insects, upcycle this to valuable protein and biofertilizer.
We help reduce carbon emissions by diverting food from landfill and at the same time help to fix our broken food chain with sustainable protein.
Clean, Circular, Sustainable – for planet, plant and animal health.
Website: GoodGrub.co.nz
Location: Auckland
Biokū Technologies
Founder: Kushla Okano
9 billion people by 2050 means a whole lot of crap—literally. Our septic tank innovation slashes failures and serves up plug-and-play residential biogas for cooking and water heating. It’s a win-win for the wallet, a game-changer for the environment and a huge step forward in the global clean energy movement.
Website: Bioku.co.nz
Location: Levin
CoShop
Founder: Ira Bailey
CoShop is building a technology platform to reconnect local food producers with communities across Aotearoa – reducing the cost of food, food waste and climate emissions while also improving the resiliency and sustainability of our food systems.
Homely is a digital mortgage assistant that makes it easier for Kiwis to buy their home. Our cutting-edge AI simplifies the application process and empowers lenders to make swift, informed credit decisions. Homely’s marketplace levels the playing field, ensuring fair competition among lenders of all sizes and better outcomes for aspiring homeowners.
Website: coshop.nz
Location: Wellington
Variegate
Founders: Jade Chia & Michelle Barry
We need robust and resilient agrifood systems that cost the planet less. Variegate enables scalable, landscape diversification at pace by connecting agricultural communities, finance, emerging technologies and markets via our software platform and support services.
Variegate – integrated solutions for agricultural diversity.
Website:variegate.org
Location: Auckland & Marlborough
2024 Climate Response Accelerator parnters:
