Kiwi startups head to San Francisco for TechCrunch Disrupt

New Zealand startups are set to showcase their ideas and innovations at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this month.

The Kiwi startup founders, recent graduates of ecentre's Sprint Global programme, will join around 10,000 people interested in the startup and technology world at the TechCrunch Disrupt event.

A New Zealand Pavilion in Startup Alley, hosted by ecentre, will provide the opportunity for the startups to showcase their tech products, platforms and services at the event.

The startups showcasing at TechCrunch, as part of the ecentre's New Zealand Pavilion, include:

• Bee Intelligence: Software and technology for precision apiculture from bee hive to honey jar.
• Demandlytix: Real time consumer demand platform to help business planning.
• iLose: Weight loss app for coaches and their clients.
• Narrative Muse: An artificial intelligence company that engages audiences and predicts demand for women-focused content.
• PICMI: The seasonal staffing solution for hiring and working.
• Sparrows: Real time freight tracking, monitoring and alerts for the supply chain.
• Trickle: Maximising hospitality venues by tracking every drop of beer poured on tap.

Sparrows has also been chosen as a wild card from ecentre's New Zealand Pavilion to do a 60 second flash pitch on the Showcase Stage in Startup Alley.

ecentre CEO Jackie Young says, "We're looking forward to helping our dynamic Kiwi founders gain valuable market and business knowledge, make new connections, find new customers, and get media attention.

"Our New Zealand Pavilion will put our startups in the path of more than 10,000 attendees including leading technologists, investors, media and other influencers and business people who are interested in the startup and technology world.

Young says, "We've worked hard, alongside our fantastic ecentre community, to make sure our Sprint Global graduates maximise this fantastic opportunity. NZTE, KEA, Kiwi Landing Pad and Callaghan Innovation have delivered workshops on a range of topics, including: Doing business in the US, Networking in the US, and in-market resources and expertise.

To aid networking at TechCrunch, startup founders will use the CrunchMatch business match-making platform to help find and connect with people who can help them move their business forward, the company says.

According to CrunchBase, last year's Startup Alley exhibitors raised over $37M in seed and series A funding within four months after exhibiting at Disrupt SF.

Young says, "We're very pleased to have seeded the next wave of Kiwi startup success stories through our Sprint Global programme. By connecting founders to mentors, sector experts, investors and other resources in the startup ecosystem, we've been able to help accelerate customer acquisition and raise awareness of global markets to help them win on the global stage.

The Sprint Global 2019 programme is run with support from foundation partners Massey University and Callaghan Innovation, along with other partners and supporters including Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED), EY and Hudson Gavin Martin.