2021/22 UCE Summer Startup Programme participants announced
02 November 2021
The UCE Summer Startup Programme is back again for another year, with 32 inspiring students taking part across 23 incredible ventures.
The 2021/22 cohort features a huge range of ideas, which we are excited to watch progress over the 10 weeks of the Programme. Read on to meet the ventures, and make sure you’re following UCE on our social media channels to keep up with all the Summer Startup news.
A Dam Good Idea - Holly Millar (Bachelor of Product Design)
Safe sex products are not always easy to access or are cumbersome and not fit for purpose. A Dam Good Idea is on a mission to provide options to keep everyone safe and provide vulva owners, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community, with better alternatives for personal protection (starting with redesigning the dental dam) and provide better access to all who need these products.
Bambax Industries Ltd - Callum Windley (Bachelor of Engineering with Honours) and Cameron Bartley (Bachelor of Product Design)
Bambax Industries Limited is determined to create commercially feasible and sustainable food packaging as an alternative to single use plastics. Their idea utilizes natural bamboo cellulose fibres, in combination with biopolymers, to create 100% biodegradable paper pulp packaging with extended shelf life capabilities.
Bayuble - Maggie Peacock (Bachelor of Product Design) and Zoe Rookes (Bachelor of Commerce)
Bayuble creates home-compostable packaging solutions from food waste, starting with fruit stickers.
Beyond the Birds and the Bees - Jessica McQuoid (Bachelor of Health Sciences)
Beyond the Birds and the Bees utilises app technology to extend relationships and sexuality education for young people in Aotearoa. The app provides a safe space for young people to access reliable information related to sex, sexuality, gender identity and healthy relationships in an interactive and culturally appropriate way.
Cashew - Alli Kennedy (Bachelor of Commerce)
Cashew is a gamified app-based learning experience that develops users’ knowledge about investing in shares to reduce the barriers to investing wisely. Cashew’s vision is to empower users with fun and easy to learn information about the share market, to improve their financial prosperity.
Effortless - Alison Kindley (Bachelor of Product Design)
Effortless is an exciting new way to enjoy a no-fuss cocktail at home. Their cocktail bombs fizz into a swirl of colours and flavour for you to enjoy with your favourite spirit and water.
Everyday Science - Daniel Richards, Jack Fraser and Matthew Clark (all Bachelor of Teaching and Learning (Primary)
Everyday Science is an online science education learning tool for primary schools in Aotearoa that supports teacher planning and confidence, student achievement, and ecological citizenship.
Harvest Huts - Oscar Webb and Toby Gaire (both Bachelor of Product Design)
Harvest Huts produces recycled tents with waste plastics. Through partnerships with New Zealand festivals, they aim to sell their products to festival-goers to reduce the amount of waste left behind at these events.
Inkiest Co - Te Ana Lee Smith (Bachelor of Health Sciences)
Inkiest is a stationery and productivity business with a range of products, from physical planners to an electronic planner within an app.
Koa Health Co. - Jack Hassell (Master of Science) and James Ensor (Bachelor of Arts)
Koa Health Co. aims to change the student wellness culture. They aim to create an affordable and accessible dietary supplement designed for the specific needs of students who are stressed, lazy, and missing Mum’s healthy cooking.
Linkfluence - James Clifford (Bachelor of Commerce)
Linkfluence facilitates organic connection between businesses and influencers. This allows businesses to find the perfect influencers, and influencers to land campaigns they are passionate about.
Loxie - Lachlan Dixon (Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce)
Loxie is a student-run marketing agency that facilitates efficient access to the student demographic by employing student creatives.
Mātauranga - Anneke Lockhart (Bachelor of Product Design)
Mātauranga triages nurse education into an online module based system, where modules are recommended based on regional health disparities.
Oasis Orbital Systems - Mekdim Tesfaye (Bachelor of Commerce)
Oasis Orbital Systems leverage bleeding edge space technologies to deliver an immersive orbital experience. Our mission is to give humanity a fresh new perspective of our beautiful planet and build awareness around the effects of human activity.
PSS Beauty - Paige Sullivan (Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce)
PSS Beauty is a premium false lash brand curated to be displayed, with artistic packaging and long lasting, luxurious lashes.
Rewrap - Jayden Friend (Bachelor of Commerce)
Rewrap creates reusable pallet wraps for closed-loop supply chains. The wrap replaces traditional plastic pallet wrap, helping to reduce the amount of plastic waste in supply chains.
Silk Road - Jacob Young (Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce) and Joel Kong (Bachelor of Fine Arts)
Silk Road is a luxury clothing brand which focuses on collaborating with contemporary artists. Their mission is to breathe life into NZ's art scene and change the way art is enjoyed and traded.
SportsDSF - Matthew Bertschinger (Bachelor of Engineering with Honours)
SportsDSF is an online platform that simplifies sports administration and promotes interaction. It offers administrative, scoring, draw creating, and fantasy league platforms customisable to different amateur and professional sporting bodies.
StateShifter - Dwain Allan (PhD in Human Interface Design)
StateShifter helps success-hearted NZ SME owner-managers get clarity, sanity, and control over their lives, by giving them the power to de-stress quickly, simply, and easily.
SynapseGo - Laura Cullen (Bachelor of Nursing (Ara Institute of Canterbury)
SynapseGo is a multifunctional digital wristband that allows for better patient and scheduling management for nurses on the ward. It facilitates the tracking of patient data, emergency information, tips and tricks for assessment, as well as education regarding medications and conditions.
The Power Hub - Elliot Neville (Bachelor of Commerce)
After noticing so many poorly designed off-road and campervan electrical systems and a lack of off-the-shelf solutions, The Power Hub has set out to build a centralised, safe unit that can power all the accessories required to tour and camp comfortably in your 4WD or campervan, complete with a coffee machine or hot showers!
Tron Riders - Abdullah Naeem (Master of Engineering), Faraz Hussain (Bachelor of Science) and Humayun Khan (PhD in Human Interface Technology)
Tron Riders’ mission is to prevent cycle and skateboard theft while making it safer and more enjoyable to ride. They will accomplish this through a GPS tracker, alarm system, and LED lighting interfaced through a mobile app.
Te Reo Pūrākau Oriori - Manakore Rickus-Graham (Bachelor of Arts)
Te Reo Pūrakau Oriori will be a paperback, audiobook and app published and produced by natural Māori speakers that highlight the rapidly expanding intersection of Te Reo Māori using voice-first technologies. This will provide resources for parents and whānau for the pēpi in the wharetangata, and newborns to connect to the world of Te Reo through song and phonological learning and expression.
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