Tautoko Tech: The Māori-led medtech startup bringing equity and innovation to diabetes treatment
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Good morning, Caffeinators!
We seem to be on a medtech buzz this week with incredible innovation bursting from our shores. Today we’re diving deep with Tautoko Tech: The Māori-led medtech startup bringing equity and innovation to diabetes treatment.
We’ve also got the scoop on why Rocket Lab has been selected by NASA for a Mars study; a Kiwi wound-healing gel that just scored US $6.58 million; a rare interview with Rod Drury reflecting on life in the South after Xero; and Open AI’s latest voice mode features rolling out in NZ.
Keep the stories, emails, tips, and paid subs rolling team.
Shine bright out there today!
Lauren & the CAFFEINE team
Tautoko Tech: The Māori-led medtech startup bringing equity and innovation to diabetes treatment.
A Christchurch-based startup is using the mantra’ by Māori for Māori ’ to develop a low-cost, AI-powered, and user-friendly insulin pump to tackle inefficiencies and inequities in diabetes care.
Founded by Dr Jake Campbell (Te Rarawa), Dr Grace Walker (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngaruahine) and Connor Benton, Tautoko Tech aims to disrupt a diabetes care system which often overwhelms and overburdens both patients and medical specialists.
Driven by a mission to make advanced diabetes management accessible to all, the company is raising its first round of capital to make its insulin pump accessible in New Zealand and then to the millions living with diabetes worldwide.
Caffeine caught up with Dr Jake Campbell for this week’s startup spotlight.
What led to Tautoko’s founding?
Back in 2018, during my PhD, we were approached by an endocrinologist here in Christchurch who works with a lot of children and educates people on insulin pumps—taking people from the many injections and previous methods to the gold standard of diabetes care. And he came to us and said these devices are amazing but too complex. They take hours with the specialist educators training patients. And there’s also a vast equity gap in access. So he asked, can you make an easier one for us? A cheaper one? A better one?
Rocket Lab Selected by NASA for Mars Sample Return Study: Rocket Lab has been chosen by NASA to conduct a study on retrieving rock samples from Mars and bringing them to Earth, a mission that could revolutionise the understanding of the Red Planet. The study will explore a cost-effective and accelerated approach to Mars Sample Return, potentially reducing the current projected mission cost and completion timeline, which is expected by 2040. Rocket Lab’s innovative mission concept builds on its proven experience with planetary science missions, including delivering spacecraft for NASA's Mars mission. Results from the study could inform updates to NASA's Mars Sample Return Programme. Read more here.
Kiwi medical device company Chitogel secures US $6.6m investment: Wellington-based medical device company Chitogel has scored US $6.58 million ($10.7m) in investment over three years from US investor McGeever ahead of an $8m Series A capital raise. Chitogel sells a wound-healing gel, used post-operatively in endoscopic sinus surgery. It’s sold over 14,000 kits, mostly in the US. The company was founded in 2014 after 15 years collaborative scientific and clinical research. Great piece from Fiona Rotherham over at NBR here.
Rod Drury Reflects on Life After Xero: Advocacy, Innovation, and Outdoor Adventures in Queenstown: Xero founder Rod Drury, after one of New Zealand's most successful business careers, now spends his time in Queenstown enjoying outdoor activities like mountain biking and wing foiling. Alongside this, he engages with government and business leaders to drive improvement initiatives. These include advocating for the separation of energy generation and retail, promoting water storage in Southland, pushing for autonomous public transport in Queenstown, and working on reducing electronic payment fees. He also collaborates with his Ngāi Tahu iwi on long-term planning. In a rare interview, Drury reflects on these efforts, as well as Xero, AI, and private funding for public infrastructure. Access here.
💡 Careers of the Future
Icehouse Ventures are bringing Careers of the Future to Christchurch!
Come along to hear from the founders & operators leading some of Aotearoa's most exciting startups including Partly, Dawn Aerospace, Appetise, and Zincovery (all of which are currently hiring 👀)!
Network with the panelists and their teams to gain insight into what day-to-day life looks like when scaling a startup.
Details: 📆 Tuesday 15th October, 5 pm - 7 pm
📍 Foundation Cafe (Tūranga Library, Foundation 60 Cathedral Square, Christchurch Central).
🍽 Drinks & nibbles provided.
OpenAI Advanced Voice Mode: The real life version of ‘Her’ is getting terrifyingly close as Open AI’s latest voice mode features have rolled out for premium users in New Zealand. The update makes Chat GPT eerily life like in conversation and able to recall previous information from chats to tailor to your needs and personality. It’s like having an energetic, endlessly patient genius in your pocket willing to tell you anything you need to know at any moment. I find it shockingly helpful for breaking down complex topics in an easy, conversational manner. Like a very patient teacher who is expert in almost every field just waiting for your call ~ FH
When is it time to sell your company? - Great Interview from Tech Crunch with New York tech investor and serial entrepreneur Kevin Ryan discussing when founders should - and shouldn’t - think about selling.
Interesting excerpt:
“[Ryan argues] a lot of founders don’t think clearly when it comes to personal wealth from an acquisition, chasing ever-bigger numbers instead of settling for a life-changing amount of money. And by not settling, they often end up with zero instead.”
