Innovate Ōtautahi blasts off on September 23 with the third annual Aerospace Summit

The most exciting week on the 2024 calendar for New Zealand’s future-focused startups and investors is just around the corner as Innovate Ōtautahi blasts off on September 23. 

The week combines three separate events from September 23 - 28, starting with an Aerospace Summit, followed by the Canterbury Tech Summit and finally, the Smart Christchurch Innovation Expo.

While successes across New Zealand’s thriving tech sectors are celebrated throughout Innovate Ōtautahi, the opening Aerospace Summit showcases one of the most exciting and fast-growing. 

Despite our size, New Zealand is in the top four space-faring nations globally, launching the fourth most rockets worldwide in 2022. 

With the $350 billion global space industry tipped to reach over $1 trillion by 2040, there’s obvious potential for Aotearoa’s aerospace industry to shoot for the stars in more ways than one. 

Caffeine caught up with Aerospace NZ Operations Manager Vickie Harman to hear about this year’s theme, the biggest draw cards and why you should get in quickly if you want to attend. 

“Everything is aerospace, from your cell phone to the map you use. It’s just what the future will look like,” Harman said.  

“The aerospace sector is worth more than two billion to the economy with the potential to grow so much more. It’s creating valuable technologies and high-wage jobs, and for investors, you want to get in now when it’s not too late. This is really the way forward.”

The two-day Aerospace Summit features focus sessions and presentations from over 50 expert speakers, connecting everyone from government agencies, industry giants, major investors, and aspiring founders. 

Those speakers include some industry heavyweights delivering key notes: Charity Weeden, Associate Administrator at NASA Office of Technology; Heidi Hauf, Global Sustainability Leader Chair at Greenskies; and Hidetaka Aoki, co-founder and director of Spaceport Japan.

“One of the big draw cards is our keynotes, such as Hidetaka Aoki, who isn’t just the co-founder of Space Port but also a partner of Global Brain, one of Japan's largest VC firms. He is a space superstar, and I think his insights will be invaluable,” Harman explained.

With an overarching theme of ‘Aerospace for Good’, this year’s summit will highlight opportunities for our already booming sector to continue growing both economically and sustainably. 

But it won’t just be the keynote speakers providing insights, with specialist focus sessions for founders and investors. Harman points to the investment and capital raising sessions being specifically beneficial for startups. 

“Hearing from other startups that have raised not just through VCS, they may have raised privately or in different ways and then have an opportunity to do a Q + A with them. That is going to hopefully create more opportunities for startups and give them fresh perspectives and ideas on how to raise funds.”

When asked for an example of a company blazing a trail for aspiring startups interested in the sector, Harman highlighted Kea Aerospace. One of its founders, whose real name is Mark Rocket, was also one of the original founders of Rocket Lab.

The company has developed a solar-powered unmanned aircraft capable of flying continuously for months. It collects data in the stratosphere that can be used for maritime surveillance, precision agriculture, and disaster management. 

And speaking to the theme of ‘aerospace for good’, while it’s up there, it has zero emissions.

“This is set to revolutionise how we’re getting data, communicating it, and feeding it back quickly. At the moment, that process can be very slow and costly, and this technology is really going to push those boundaries,” says Harman.  

But Kea is just one of many companies innovating in this area, from Dawn Aerospace, which pioneers green propulsion systems, to Zenith Tecnica, which innovates in low-waste space-faring materials. 

Harman says with only a few weeks to go until liftoff, it’s best to secure your tickets now. 

“Jump on our website to register, and you do need to get an add-on for the focus sessions. If you’re a startup, I would highly recommend doing that. It’s going to be very specific for you.” 

If you’re in a cash flow constricted period on your startup journey, Innovate has you covered. 

“We do have a startup price which is 50% less than the full price because we really understand that the startup economy can be a bit tough, and we want to make sure that they can be in this conversation and have the experience as well,” says Harman.  

As a special bonus for our readers, use CAFFEINE24 at checkout for $100 off GA tickets. 

They are selling fast, and focus sessions are often booked out in advance, so head over to the Innovate Ōtautahi website now to learn more about the full schedule and secure your spot.