Kea Connect

As a co-owner of three Wellington bars and a cinema, Jonny wanted the option to track the sales performance of his establishments when he wasn’t there, but discovered that there wasn’t any technology designed to do this.

“As an co-owner operator, the few days I couldn’t be on site I would be nervous about my businesses, wondering how they were going. I’d send a text to someone in my team asking ‘how is it going, what’s happening?’ and they’d often reply ‘good’ – but it didn’t give me the insight I needed on the sales. I searched for apps and technology that could track this for me, but it was all either too big, too corporate or too archaic.”

It wasn’t until Jonny attended a hospitality networking event and met individuals interested in developing a coffee ordering app that he realised there could be real demand for an all-encompassing hospitality system.

“We had coffee and a few more conversations, and they introduced me to Vaughan, the owner of the retail POS system Vend. We discussed collaborating to bring this idea to life for the hospitality industry. Vaughan loved the concept, and soon after, Bustle was born.”

For Jonny, the human element in the technology was paramount. Having been on the other side when till systems had technical issues, he wanted his team to have worked in the industry themselves so they could wholeheartedly understand their customers’ pain points.

“I’ve often experienced the frustration of waiting for a tech company to call back during a busy night when the till system goes down. Our priority is to have a team with a hospitality background who can communicate empathetically with our customers, understand their challenges, and promptly resolve issues. It’s Murphy’s law that tech fails in high-stress situations, so we emphasise we’re not just a tech company – we’re a hospitality company serving hospitality people.”

As Bustle gained momentum, Jonny decided to sell his bars and cinema to focus on it full time and hire a dedicated team. Soon they were growing their customer base nationwide and were eyeing the Australian market. Jonny moved to Melbourne preparing for an offshore launch when Covid hit and the hospitality industry came to a crashing halt. However this period provided Bustle with a unique opportunity to implement a click-and-collect solution called Regulr, leading to a surge in system downloads.

“All you needed was Covid to come along to stop people talking to each other face-to-face and we went from 500 downloads to over 150,000 downloads in four to five days, and went from around five cafes using Regulr to 800 cafes.”

One of the biggest challenges in Bustle’s journey has been marketing the platform and navigating the ever-changing technology landscape, especially without prior experience in the software industry.

“In hospitality, I took for granted that my venues naturally received publicity because we focused on good food and service, which people then talked about and recommended to others. In software, making a good product isn’t enough – you have to put a lot of effort into marketing, constantly telling your story, explaining why you exist, what makes you different, and how you can help people. Achieving that level of engagement is tricky. Another challenge is keeping up with endless tech improvements and the immense work required to make even a single button function perfectly for everyone.”

Jonny and his team had an itch to expand into other markets but had to wait until the pandemic eased off in 2022 before they could put that dream into reality. Thanks to connections made through Kea, Jonny embarked on a hospitality tour through the UK visiting 300 venues throughout seven cities in five days to get a gauge on whether Bustle would be a viable product.

“I started in London and went all the way up to Glasgow and Edinburgh catching trains and jumping off to spend an hour or so in each town. I was very fortunate that all the people I needed to talk to about my product were in cafes so I could easily walk in and have a chat – it wasn’t like I had to book in meetings. It gave us so much more credibility to know what our opportunity was in-market.”

These valuable conversations enabled Bustle to enter the UK market, and Jonny stresses that Bustle wouldn’t be where it is today if he hadn’t asked for help.

“It’s a learning journey and it’s ok when you start a business to have no idea what you’re doing. We all have to learn to walk and speak. The best thing you can do is reach out to people and ask for their advice – I’m still trying to improve on that even now, 12 years later. People forget how fortunate we are that Kiwi love helping each other, and that’s why Kea is such a success.”

Jonny’s advice for other Kiwi businesses looking to expand is to embrace the learning journey and to not be afraid of the idea of starting from scratch.

“Everything you thought about growing in a market is probably going to be different for this new market you’re looking into. Entering any new market is a big investment and will take twice, if not three times longer than you expect. We all say ‘no it won’t’, and then we experience it ourselves. You need to plan how you start all over again, be confident in your actions, and not let the feeling of starting from scratch hinder your growth.”

Learn more about Bustle here www.heybustle.com

When he was a year old, Anvil’s father was diagnosed with polio which resulted in the deterioration of muscle in his left leg. Despite this, his father continued to pursue his dreams of becoming a powerlifting champion, starting his own gym, and raising a family. Growing up and witnessing his fathers resilience first hand gave Anvil the passion to want to make a difference for those living with a disability. A Mechanical Engineer with an Engineering Officer background with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Anvil launched Dennisson Technologies in the middle of the Covid lockdown.

“The lockdown gave me the opportunity to really delve into how I could best help my dad and others like him. Dennisson Technologies is focused on actuators, the part of a device or machine that helps it to achieve physical movements by converting energy into mechanical force. Actuators tend to be bulky, heavy, rigid and expensive due to their high complexity. But nature’s actuators are muscles. Muscles are powerful yet compact, lightweight, silent and flexible.”

Dennisson Technologies has patented a world leading technology called AURAFLEX, which is an actuator inspired by human muscle. The technology harnesses the power of smart material technology (materials that are designed to move or change shape as a response to external stimuli). When irradiated with bright light, it contracts pulling weight several hundred times its own within seconds. This contraction distance can be varied from 0-30% its length, enabling new functionalities within Soft Robotics and Wearable Technologies to become possible. But Anvil says being on the cutting edge of technology also means dealing with a raft of challenges.

**Founder Anvil Banez (middle) and the team at Dennisson Technologies.**

“It’s constant problem solving because of the level of technology. Sometimes we think we have one hurdle, and then we get into the crux of it and realise we actually have 20 hurdles. You just have to learn to thrive in the chaos. My mindset is that if things are going good and there’s no problems, we’re not looking hard enough.”

It can be hard to consistently face setbacks, but Anvil says his team overcomes this by having a shared vision and end goal as well as having their own personal motivations which allow them to continue to enjoy working on the projects even when things are going wrong.

“For me, my vision is my dad but I understand that’s not the same for everyone. I’m not getting my team to all help my dad, I want them to find their own purpose in the journey. It’s important to care for your team as not only employees but as people. Get to know them, have fun and crack jokes, understand their wants and needs, their weaknesses and how you can help with those weaknesses and uplift their strengths that’s key to staying focused long term.”

Dennisson Technologies has got to the stage where Anvil’s father has been able to trial one of the artificial muscle exoskeletons, however the technology needs further development. In the meantime the company is investing in ways which their technology could be useful to other markets such as adaptive fit (low-profile artificial muscles for clothing that can self-adjust to any body shape) and active compression (compression garments for sport). They now have key customers for this concept and have developed testing kits to pilot.

“One of the key use cases that was given to us was sport bras for female athletes. Every woman has a different body shape and having something that can adaptively fit to all of those differences is something we wanted to create. Our technology goes beyond having stretchable fabrics to something which is more functional and can auto-adjust to the body shape.”

Dennisson Technologies reached out to Kea to support their growth journey and Anvil says the connections he received really helped bridge the gap and allowed them to connect with some incredible global Kiwi who have given them invaluable insights and advice.

“Kea put me in front of the right people at the right time. I was able to connect with Directors of Innovation, Innovation Leads and different tech brands all who could support our journey or utilise our technology. Those introductions have led to some really valuable customer relationships.

“We are a country all the way at the bottom of the globe, to get a better appreciation of Kiwi all over the place doing some incredible things is just really inspiring. I felt really proud to be able to connect with all these amazing people who have been there and done that and are really willing to help get you sorted and encourage you to follow your own path.”

If you would like to test one of Dennison Technologies’ development kits, get in touch with Anvil Banez through Dennison’s website.

Founders and brothers-in-law Mark Neal and Daniel McLaughlin had ambitions to expand their brand offshore from the get go – Mark says they wanted New Zealand to be known as a producer of the world’s best spirits, and they will hopefully be the grandfathers of that tradition.

“You only have to look at New Zealand’s wine industry which is currently worth around two billion dollars in exports to see what is possible. Ten years ago there wasn’t a market for pioneering spirits, so we started out with an ambition to grow a global company from New Zealand.”

The co-founders were both aware of the emergence of a gin scene overseas and realised that global shifts to a more premium product hadn’t yet hit the Kiwi market.

“We noticed most liquor stores only offered a choice between Bombay, Gordon’s or Tanqueray. At the time we started out there was only one brand of gin being made in New Zealand, now there are around 230. We felt that New Zealand provenience, alongside ingredients would lend themselves to a premium product that would have global appeal.”

In launching their brand the brothers also wanted to challenge people’s perceptions of gin and the generalisations of those who were consuming it.

“We wanted to create a modern, progressive brand in the somewhat traditional gin category.
We put a lot of emphasis on the brand, ensuring it had a core purpose, alongside packaging
which would cut through on the shelf and backbar.”

**Scapegrace Distillery Founders Mark Neal and Daniel McLaughlin**

From humble beginnings

The duo started off by hand delivering bottles to bars in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown aiming to build their brand locally, it was a hard start and in those early years they found 10 people said no to every one person who said yes, however their determination paid off and as their brand grew they started to plan an export strategy which involved working around the globe to find the best distributors to represent their spirits.

During the early days Mark says what served the company best was having a clear purpose – quality above all else, this helped dictate decisions from a marketing, liquid, business and culture perspective.

“There is no victory in easy, and we’ve got pretty high expectations with our luxury portfolio
and that flows through the company in everything we do. Our bottle took about three years to
design, it doesn’t matter if you’re on a shelf in America or Argentina, you have about five seconds to attract a consumer’s attention, to part with that $80 on a product they have likely never tried.”

Staying true to quality

Staying true to quality has paid off for Scapegrace, the company was awarded the World’s
Best London Dry Gin among 600 entries from 90 countries at the 2018 International Wine Spirits Awards in London. This year, they also landed a major deal with leading UK supermarket chain Waitrose which has helped further expand their presence across Europe, a deal Mark says is hugely significant.

“Winning that award was a huge moment. It proved to us that our marketing, our bottles, and our sustainable processes – although not the easiest way to do it, was finally paying off. The deal with Waitrose was the holy grail. If you’re in with Waitrose you’re doing really well – but you have to continue to do well and it has to work for them – so it’s an ongoing process for us. We’ve put a lot of our energy, focus, investment and resources into this opportunity to make it work and this now means that our proud nation of Kiwi living in the UK can easily enjoy Scapegrace.”

Connections key to breaking into new markets

The founders say being introduced to the right people in the UK and making those strategic connections were key to their expansion and success. They would urge others to ask for help – saying it’s a surefire way to achieve your business goals faster.

“Kea Connect has been brilliant in helping us reach out to the Kiwi community in the UK and further afield. They were the first to introduce us to people like photographers, various suppliers and others who could really be an influence. Organisations like Kea bring you into their community and provide advice. Don’t be shy or worried about reaching out, being an open book is a great way to not have to figure it out all by yourself.”

What are the main challenges facing your business this year?

The vast majority of answers for this question could be grouped into three main categories: attracting talent, securing funding or investment, and adapting to changing technologies including the increase of AI.

When it came to staff businesses, they felt the biggest challenge was getting access to high quality staff and having avenues to recruit staff from. Last year, to support our community in this area, we launched Kea’s Job Platform. This site is specifically designed for businesses looking for people with global skills and experience and is a great way to showcase your role or business to returning Kiwi. If you are struggling to find the right person for your team, keep in mind that lately there has been a growing trend towards hiring people who have additional “softer skills”, such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership skills which can make a long-term difference in your team.

Did you know that Kea Connect can work with your business to showcase opportunities for funding and investment? Every eight weeks Kea showcases businesses to our international community – if you would like to be included in these updates please get in touch with us at [email protected].

And finally if it’s technology questions or advice you are looking for, keep an eye on Kea’s event page, where we are working on a series of events where our community will share their thoughts and advice and answer your questions. We have two events coming up soon: our ‘What’s in Store for 2024?’ event and a tech-focused event for International Women’s Day featuring female trailblazers advocating for inclusion in their leadership and industry.

See our upcoming events here.

What are the three key areas you would like the most support in?

The answers to this question often mirrored the above as businesses look for support to navigate challenges ahead. We also had a number of people discuss the difficulty of finding funding specifically for pre-revenue companies especially when your product is not quite ready.

“We would like support to get in front of customers who understand that we are at a prototype stage, and are willing to work with us as we develop the product.”

A number of businesses are also looking for extra support to grow international networks and expand into offshore markets. Our Kea Connect service is the best way for businesses to grow their international networks and, most importantly, it’s free. Kea has a community of more than 800 solvers around the world – experienced Kiwi who are ready and waiting to connect you into key markets and distributors. This year, Kea will also have a focus on events and will be hosting a number of networking events globally which are a great opportunity for our customers to grow their professional networks.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Many businesses shared their stories with us about the help and support that Kea Connect has given them and also shared their advice on how to get the most out of the service.

“There is a clear ‘best practice’ method to engage Kea Connect to get better outcomes; we had an amazing experience when we engaged last year, and the connections remain valuable today; but the way I empowered and helped to target the connections made a difference.”

“We have just signed up to Kea so we are still understanding how we can utilise all the opportunities. This year we are very focused… so hopefully we will see some good outcomes.”

Thank you to all the businesses who shared their thoughts and advice, please keep an eye out for future surveys.

Entrepreneur Stu Potter isn’t driven by money or world domination, rather his passion to start a business came from a desire to create more opportunities for rangatahi in his hometown of Gisborne and showcase to the world just what Kiwi are capable of.

“I guess StardustME grew out of a want to do something that hadn’t been done before in New Zealand, and the desire to inspire others to think big. We were stargazing one night on a camping trip in Tairāwhiti, and we started talking about space and under-utilised payloads – which is essentially the empty space inside a rocket when it goes into orbit. I wanted to create a company with a focus on sustainability and innovation and the idea of sending people’s ashes into space seemed to tick both those boxes.”

The first company of its kind in New Zealand and one of only three in the world, StardustME takes a portion of a loved one’s ashes and encloses them into a specially designed memorial token, this token is then placed into a rocket, and generally orbits earth for around five years. During this time family members can track the ashes via an app. When the rocket re-enters earth’s atmosphere, it flares as it burns, similar to a shooting star, leaving no waste in space. It’s an idea that’s resonated with many Kiwi looking to honour their loved ones in a unique way.

“We’d come off the back of COVID and there was a high demand for cremation and a high demand for virtual ceremonies and memorial services. It was then I thought that space could be used as a continuum to connect people through technology. Through research and existing connections I had in the funeral industry, I realised that consumers were looking for different ways to honour their loved ones’ past.”

From concept to cosmos

Having a good idea is one thing but turning it into a viable business is another. Stu says It took years of research and development testing to, quite literally, get the company off the ground.

“As with anything related to space, there’s a long lead in time. You’re looking at a three to five year window of research and development testing, refining, compliance, and then you’ve got all the launch logistics.”

Creating a relationship with SpaceX and highlighting the success of a similar business in the USA, gave StardustME the initial leverage to prove the logistics were safe and the business proposal was viable.

“You can appreciate we had to show that we were dealing with families in a respectful way. It was a big challenge but it came back to our relationships with our partner the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand, and having host funeral sites both here in New Zealand and the States.”

Early on in his business journey, Stu’s belief in the StardustME concept was further validated when his cousin passed away.

“My cousin was living in Australia when he passed, but we grew up together in Whakatane. At the time our family couldn’t get his ashes back into the country because of COVID restrictions and therefore he was never able to get the memorial service he should have. I approached his family with the idea of sending his ashes up as our inaugural launch, and they agreed, now we can watch him weaving through the stars in the evening sky.”

Crucial connections

Another challenge of launching the business was the cost. As a self-funded company, solid connections with like-minded companies was critical in turning conversation into mutual opportunity. This was where Kea Connect helped Stu to not only network with the right companies in New Zealand, but expand their horizons in overseas markets.

“Working in a small business can be very isolating, scary and lonely, and sometimes you just need someone positive and optimistic with a really good outlook to talk to. Kea Connect helped me to be more focused on where we are trying to get the business overseas.

“Kea connected me to the right people overseas that could give me their evaluation of how things are in the markets we wanted to enter without having to deal with all the costs that are associated with market research.”

Having successfully completed two launches and now validated in the New Zealand market, StardustME expanded to Australia in late 2023. Their focus shifted to becoming an export business, with plans to grow in Australia before exploring other markets.

Stu also aspires to bring jobs in the space industry closer to home and for it to coincide with the work StardustMe is already doing.

“I want to showcase that we can build a space community in Gisborne. I’m currently looking into how we can put that into action alongside StardustME.”

Kea Connect supported StardustME with connections in Australia, enabling them to officially launch their business there in late 2023.

Sapro-Tech’s Founder Keith Hudson strongly believes that the climate crisis is the biggest issue facing humanity and sustainability is the most impactful action we can take for our planet.

“We’re going forward two to four degrees in temperature by the end of the century. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) we should be shooting down greenhouse gases, but it is still going up and that’s really critical.”

With a background in science and technology spanning 20 years, Keith wanted to use his skillset to find a business solution that would address these very issues. Inspired by the native bush that surrounded his home in the Waitakere ranges, where various species of fungi thrive, Sapro-Tech was born. The company focuses on next generation materials using the amazing properties of mycelium, i.e fungi.

“I have a very ecological perspective. I realised that fungi are remarkable in the number of forms they have. The ones we are interested in are called polypores which tend to grow on dead trees. Fungi are fascinating in the structures that they take from slimes and corals to almost wood like structures such as artist brackets – this variety gave us inspiration to perceive that they could create new materials. I looked at opportunities in creating sustainable businesses, and this is where I thought there was the greatest opportunity in terms of intellectual property, my skills, and a gap in the market.”

**Sapro-Tech’s founder Keith Hudson analysing fungi in the lab.**

Navigating opportunities and scaling innovations

Sapro-Tech’s advantage lies in the way the company uses fungi to combine low cost plant-based products in novel ways and produce a range of materials.

“At Sapro tech we believe we can create products that have similar performance metrics and costs to current leather – and we can probably make a range of materials that even go into plastic-like materials.”

Sapro-Tech Chief Commercial Officer, Andy Hamilton says the main challenge is scaling their business so they can get to a point where consumers eventually prefer an alternative leather.

“There are other companies that are trying to find alternative ways to make a contribution – there’s mycelium leather, cactus leather, pineapple leather – it’s a significant trend. But, what manufacturers and brands are struggling with is obtaining supply of these materials in a form and a price that is just as good, if not better, than real leather.”

Sapro-Tech nearing the end of their second generation of material. The pivotal point for market readiness is expected to emerge in the fourth to fifth generation which Andy says brings a distinctive challenge, how to establish a market presence and engage with potential consumers/partners when your product is not yet available for distribution.

“Often you can only engage with the market when you have something to show them, our challenge is that we haven’t yet finished the second generation of material and we generally aren’t ready to show people those materials. Therefore, how we communicate the possibilities of the product is really important.

“That’s where Kea Connect has been really great. They have helped us with introductions across the world and we have been able to meet people who are also committed to sustainability and are interested in potentially partnering with our brand.”

“It’s important to be clear in the way you communicate/engage with the market – we’ve learnt it’s less about us and more about them. Be consistent. Communication has a big part to play in the openness from the other side.”

**Chief Commercial Officer Andy Hamilton (far left), the Sapro-Tech team, and founder Keith Hudson (far right).**

Kea Connect supported Sapro-Tech with connections in Europe, the United States and New Zealand – some of these connections are now looking to partner with Sapro-Tech in the near future.

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