Emerge Announces $12 Million Funding Round to Accelerate Fast Banking for Kiwi Businesses
News from the NZ startup ecosystem, straight to your inbox.
Welcome to a new week, Caffeinators!
Big news to start your Monday with Emerge announcing a $12 Million funding round to accelerate fast banking for Kiwi businesses.
NBR also wraps the top 10 business deals of the past year; we’ve got the winners of the 2024 NZ Food Awards; Brooke Roberts is our ‘Founder in 5’ this morning; we’ve got a round-up of the latest hot tickets you need; and meet the former CEO who announced his prison sentence on LinkedIn.
It’s all here. Enjoy that sweet first sip of whatever your caffeine hit is this morning and keep the news coming our way.
Lauren & the CAFFEINE team
Emerge Announces $12 Million Funding Round to Accelerate Fast Banking for Kiwi Businesses: Today, Emerge, the New Zealand fintech startup, announced a $12 million Series A funding round aimed at revolutionising business banking in the country. Co-founders Jamie Jermain and Jovan Pavlicevic created Emerge to address slow, outdated banking systems that have long frustrated Kiwi businesses. Their fully digital solution allows companies to open accounts in just minutes, eliminating paperwork and delays. Backed by investors such as Altered Capital and Icehouse Ventures, Emerge is on track to become New Zealand's first challenger bank, helping businesses streamline operations with speed and efficiency. With hundreds of companies already signing up each month, Emerge plans to use the fresh capital to accelerate growth, expand its team, and prepare for its next steps towards becoming a fully registered bank. More here.
Dealmakers 2024: NBR looks at the top 10 deals announced in the year ended June 30, 2024: The NBR has collated a selection of large and interesting business deals of 2024, showcasing key mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships across sectors like tech, agriculture, and health. Including companies like FirstCape, Bostock Group, and Volpara Health Technologies, the list reflects high-impact transactions that shaped the market between mid-2023 and mid-2024. For more details, visit NBR's Top 10 Deals.
New Zealand Food Awards 2024: Celebrating Local Innovation and Dedication: The New Zealand Food Awards 2024 honoured top product innovations, with standout winners like Love Muscle Ltd and Vutter by Feliz Wholefoods, which claimed the Supreme Award. Other winners included Chantal Organics, Goodman Fielder, and Sassy Apples, showcasing the passion and hard work of Kiwi founders. The event highlighted the best in food innovation over the past 12 months. Thanks for sharing Nicola O’Rourke. For full details, check out the official media release here.
This week we’re chatting with Brooke Roberts for our Founders in 5 series — five questions with NZ’s startup leaders. Brooke is a Mum of two and Co-founder & Co-CEO at Sharesies. Her hit of choice is an Earl Grey Tea.
What do you wish you had known before becoming a founder?
How important the foundations we were building back then were so vital (values, share split, team work). So good we are flourishing from such a solid start.
What's the most useful advice you've ever received [and followed]?
Where there is a will, there's a way.
And the worst? [Followed or not]
You'll never get to 10,000 customers.
What do we need to do to take the NZ startup ecosystem to the next level?
More capital in Aotearoa.
What's the hardest thing about being a founder?
Being across all the things (it's also what makes it super fun and rewarding too).
Explore New Zealand’s Growing Insurtech Landscape: Join the Aotearoa New Zealand Insurtech Event on 17 October to discover the results of new research on the insurtech landscape and hear from rising startups and data solution providers. Companies like Cove Insurance, Dataly, Intellimin, JAVLN, RedBook, and Quashed will share insights on their product roadmaps, capital-raising experiences, and innovation stories. The event will be held at AcademyEx, 99 Khyber Pass Rd, in Auckland from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. More info and register here.
NZGDC 2024: Celebrating 20 Years of Game Development Innovation in New Zealand: The New Zealand Game Developers Conference (NZGDC) 2024, taking place from October 17-19 at Tākina in Wellington, focuses on "Game Dev Evolution: From Past to Future," marking two decades of the event. It brings together professionals from game development and screen industries to discuss innovations, network, and reflect on the industry’s growth. More info and register here.
Growth Jam: How We Won the World – Tech Companies’ Path to Global Success: Join Growth Jam on Thursday, October 24, from 1:00-5:30pm at the Harbourside Function Venue, Wellington, for an International Edition featuring top marketing leaders from Canva, Xero, Storypark, and more. They’ll share insights on selecting international markets, launching globally, and lessons learned. The event includes rapid-fire presentations, Q&A, and networking. Stay for post-event drinks, nibbles, and a special pitch night with AngelHQ showcasing Wellington's next high-growth startups. Essential for anyone in tech or growth roles. Register here.
Ryan Salame, the former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, isn’t letting a seven-year prison sentence for fraud prevent him from letting people know he will remain on the grindset. On Thursday, he took to LinkedIn to announce his new position as “Inmate” at medium-security prison FCI Cumberland. It’s one of the few entry-level positions that doesn’t really require any experience. Look for Salame to update his LinkedIn in the coming years to let us know what working in the mess hall taught him about B2B sales, how hard it was for him to fire the first person from his startup gang, and how cigarettes are the new crypto ~ Morning Brew.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Want to get in touch with a news tip, a slice of feedback or just to chat? Email hello@caffeinedaily.co