We’ve invited some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most inspiring tech founders, leaders and creators, to chat about taking their tech to the world, and the challenge...
See Tomorrow First | Max Ferguson, founder and CEO of Lumin
In this episode, our guest is Max Ferguson, founder and CEO of Lumin; a software leader, providing accessible, safe and intuitive tech products that enable seamless collaboration in the workplace. Max was an engineering student in Christchurch, New Zealand, working on the city’s post-earthquake rebuild. He saw a mismatch between old and new workflows: on construction sites he’d draw on paper blueprints, and in the office he’d email around digital plans. From that, Lumin was born. Within a month, they had one million people using it – today they have ninety million.
In this super insightful chat we covered Lumin’s global-from-day-1 mentality which saw Max relocate to Silicon Valley very early on, followed by his choice to return to Aotearoa New Zealand to set up Lumin’s global headquarters in Christchurch. We talked about the cultural differences between the US and NZ when it comes to building new businesses, NZ’s world-class tertiary education system, and how to support talent to stay here once they graduate.
--------
32:09
See Tomorrow First | Simon Malpas, Founder & CEO of Kitea Health
In this episode, we talked to Simon Malpas, founder and CEO of Kitea Health — a medtech start-up that’s created the world’s most accurate implantable sensor for heart failure and hydrocephalus. The device is roughly the size of a few grains of rice and is capable of remotely monitoring changes to pressure and sending real-time, accurate information straight to the healthcare professional and patient.
This wide-ranging conversation covered Simon’s background in research and start-ups, the size of the global opportunity for Kitea Health’s world-first tech, the long pathway to commercialisation for medical devices, and the key ingredients to building a successful medtech company from New Zealand (hint: he tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata).
--------
22:47
See Tomorrow First | Mary Vance, Founder of Cemplicity
Next we’re joined by Mary Vance, founder and Executive Director of Cemplicity — a global SaaS platform for the healthcare industry. Cemplicity provides real-time patient feedback to improve clinical outcomes. It’s about using software for improvement, not just measurement. Mary founded the company alongside Nick MacDonald in 2011, and it’s now serving customers in 8 countries in more than 3000 healthcare facilities.
It was fascinating to hear Mary’s story, and to learn from her twenty-year journey scaling Cemplicity from New Zealand. Her approach to funding, governance, and setting up in-market was so clear-eyed and filled with insight. Enjoy!
--------
33:37
See Tomorrow First | Dave Rouse, Co-Founder and CEO of CarbonClick
In the next episode of the STF podcast, we sat down with Dave Rouse, CEO and Co-founder of CarbonClick.
CarbonClick is a climatetech SaaS platform that empowers businesses to integrate carbon offsetting in a simple, meaningful and transparent way, designed as a tool to support companies on their decarbonisation journey. Their vision is to inspire 1 billion clicks for a cooler planet.
In this conversation, Dave takes us through CarbonClick's journey from launching in New Zealand to bringing on global clients within their first month. We discussed how the company’s focus on transparency is a key differentiator that helps them build trust with their customers around the world, and how leaning into New Zealand’s reputation for care for the environment is helping CarbonClick to grow.
With plenty of plans for growth in the future, the future is looking bright for CarbonClick.
--------
26:39
See Tomorrow First | Alliv Samson, Co-Founder and CGO of Kami
We were delighted to have Alliv Samson, Co-Founder and CGO (Chief Growth Officer) join us to share Kami’s journey.
Kami is a New Zealand edtech company that is transforming the way students and teachers engage and collaborate with learning resources. Alongside her three co-founders, Alliv’s has grown Kami’s user base to more than 40 million people across 180 countries.
In this inspiring conversation, Alliv takes us through Kami's inception and how the founding team’s unrelenting dedication to meeting their customers’ needs has been a key ingredient to their success.
We discuss the big decisions they made during the pandemic which led to 1200% growth, and how they maintain a competitive edge as a New Zealand-based company with a global customer-base.
We’ve invited some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most inspiring tech founders, leaders and creators, to chat about taking their tech to the world, and the challenges and triumphs they’ve experienced along the way. From a gothic fishing game that's become a global hit, to a world leading medtech solution for gastric dysfunction; from beautiful brand tracking software, to a sustainable nanocellulose hydrogel derived from seaweed, and more... Join us as we discover how New Zealand technology is building a better tomorrow.
New Zealand