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Startup Dunedin Distiller

Accelerator

Dunedin · Pre-Seed–Seed · 13 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Startup Dunedin exists to make Dunedin the most entrepreneurial small city by supporting anyone who aspires to start a company locally. Rather than deploying capital, it focuses on easing the startup journey through connections, capability development, and community building. Its values center founders, embrace ideas from anyone and anywhere, and treat both success and failure as parts of innovation. It is a publicly funded ecosystem initiative of the Grow Dunedin Partnership, backed by the Dunedin City Council, the University of Otago, and Otago Polytechnic.

Invests inSector AgnosticNew Zealand

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Seed
HQ
Dunedin, NZ
Instruments
Grants
Last 12 months
1 investment
Portfolio companies
33

Team · 13 people

from the firm's website
Amie Taua· Chairin
Benoit Auvray· Startup Coachin
Cait Stewart· Community Facilitatorin
Grace Esterman· Programme Leadin
Pete Lead· Pitch coach / Host & Producerin

Pitch coach who hosts and produces the 'Before the Pitch' series for Startup Dunedin.

Rachel Butler· General Managerin

What they invest in

from 18 of 33 portfolio companies

SaaS ×6Consumer ×4Healthtech ×4Digital Health ×3AgTech ×2AI & Machine Learning ×2Circular Economy ×2FoodTech ×2

HQs:New Zealand×13

Who they back

founder profiles across 8 portfolio companies
75%
solo founders
6 of 8 mapped founding teams

Founding team size:solo founder×62 founders×13 founders×1

Portfolio companies · 33 tracked

alumni founders can tell you what the program is really like
Aftergameaftergame.coin

Aftergame is a platform for tabletop gaming enthusiasts to log game results, track their collections, and find other players at events and meetups.

B2B MarketplacesConsumerGamingSocialWellington, NZ

John BrentinEric PoulininChalene Scottin

Cheekyteacheekytea.co.nz

Cheeky produces non-carbonated iced tea-based ready-to-drink beverages with low sugar and low-calorie formulation for consumers in New Zealand.

ConsumerFoodTechNew Zealand, NZ

Oli

Chivecharitieschivecharities.nz

Chive Charities operates a platform that represents charities in New Zealand, aiming to present each charity in a clear and consistent way with information that is easy to find.

Impact & Social Good

CompanyHQcompanyhq.co.nzin𝕏

CompanyHQ operates a software platform aimed at supporting business governance and administration, with legally reviewed content made available to users.

Cloud ComputingEnterprise SoftwareGovTechLegalTechSaaS

Chris HopkinsinGreg Chiles(CFO)inLiam Donald(Chief Technical Officer (CTO))Ash Evans(Head of Development)Tobias Hopkins(Head of Marketing)Rosie Clark(Head of Legal)

Coralconecoralcone.com

CoralCone manufactures menstrual cups made from medical-grade silicone in New Zealand for menstruators seeking a reusable, eco-friendly alternative to disposable period products.

Circular EconomyConsumerFemTechDunedin, NZ

Yvette Shum(Founder)

Coursespycoursespy.com

CoursesSpy appears to be an educational platform that provides campus-specific course information for university students.

EdTech

Cue Gocue-go.co.nzin

Cue-Go is a New Zealand-based retailer of professional production equipment including lighting, audio, video, and effects gear.

Retail TechPalmerston North, NZ

DiBSdibsnz.com

DiBS provides a multi-purpose booking and management system for shared spaces, with features for room reservations, access control, machine monitoring, and community voting.

PropTechSaaS

Elixirelixir.nz

Elixir is a cloud-based practice management system for private medical specialists, covering patient communications, appointment scheduling, lab results, notes, and invoicing.

Digital HealthHealthtechSaaS

Co-investorsInnovacomMaelstromMysten LabsShima CapitalSQUARE ENIX

Ingenumingenum.co.nzin

Ingenum is a veterinary data science company that applies artificial intelligence and epidemiological expertise to surveillance and disease detection in agriculture and biosecurity.

AgTechAI & Machine LearningHealthtechNew Zealand, NZ

Dr Tom Brownlie(Founder)

Jeenksgroupjeenksgroup.com

Jeenks Group develops agritech solutions for managing the health of stored grain, actively monitoring conditions and keeping grain in motion to reduce spoilage from moisture, pests, and temperature changes.

AgTechHardwareIoTDunedin, NZ

Kaffelogickaffelogic.com𝕏

Kaffelogic develops and manufactures home coffee roasting machines, serving coffee enthusiasts globally.

ConsumerFoodTechHardwareDunedin, NZ

Chris Hilder(Founder & Technical Director)inJohn Robson(Co-Founder & Sales Director)

Next Farmnext-farm.co.nz

Central platform for on-farm monitoring, control and autonomous environmental responses.

Co-investorsPacific Channel

Oniworkoutoniworkout.co.nz

ONI Workout develops software for personal trainers and fitness professionals to manage and scale their businesses.

Future of WorkSaaSSports TechWellness & Fitness

Papernotfoilpapernotfoil.com

Paper Not Foil makes reusable and degradable hair foils made from stone paper, used by hairstylists as an alternative to standard aluminium foils.

Circular EconomyDirect to ConsumerE-commerce

Amanda Buckingham(Founder)

Real Wellth Healthrealwellth.health

RealWellth offers a "Doctor-Coach" care model that pairs integrative and functional medicine practitioners with health coaches to provide whole-person care.

Digital HealthHealthtechWellness & Fitness

Sahhasahha.aiin𝕏

Sahha provides behavioral archetypes derived from smartphone and wearable data, generating stable human-readable labels about users' sleep, exercise, and mental wellness patterns for personalization and segmentation.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDigital HealthHealthtechSaaS

Co-investorsAntlerAura VenturesGandel InvestNZVCR/GA VenturesSupermoon Capital+1 more

Scannablescannable.ioMar 2026

Scannable provides a platform for tracking equipment records and product traceability, giving safety teams and equipment owners centralized, up-to-date information on every piece of kit without manual data entry.

Advanced ManufacturingIoTSaaSWanaka

GENE DOWER(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsAura VenturesNZ Growth Capital Partners

Skillzeaskillzea.net

Skillzea operates gig work groups connecting people with local one-off jobs in New Zealand, organized by city (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill).

Future of WorkMarketplaces

Laura Bradley(Founder)in

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

AbalrohealthBaasistechBreinchildFirebugHeybarnLuniNutriblocksnzPlacetrackPureisolationSod MediaSpirenzSplitTrackabusWinely

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Startup Dunedin Distiller made?
Startup Dunedin Distiller has 33 tracked investments, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
What stage does Startup Dunedin Distiller invest at?
Startup Dunedin Distiller invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
What sectors does Startup Dunedin Distiller focus on?
Startup Dunedin Distiller focuses on Sector Agnostic.
Where is Startup Dunedin Distiller located?
Startup Dunedin Distiller is headquartered in Dunedin, NZ.
Who does Startup Dunedin Distiller co-invest with?
Startup Dunedin Distiller most often shares deals with Aura Ventures, Antler, NZVC, among 8 tracked co-investors.

Images

Startup Dunedin Distiller photoStartup Dunedin Distiller photoStartup Dunedin Distiller photoStartup Dunedin Distiller photo

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