New business incubator set to help Kiwi companies grow marketing efforts

T'is the season for accelerator programmes, with the launch of a new incubator designed to help SMBs and Kiwi companies grow their marketing efforts.

Inbound, an Auckland-based SMB and marketing agency, is launching a growth accelerator that will be available to 50 companies around New Zealand, starting on November 7.

The selected companies will receive a year's worth of technology aid.

Using HubSpot's technology and resources, Inbound will be forming the growth incubator for businesses with more than $1 million in revenue.

Lead growth will turn visitors into return purchasers, website and sales integration for sales teams, as well as full implementation of marketing software HubSpot.

The company believes that New Zealand businesses are not taking advantage of inbound online marketing, and instead are relying heavily on offline marketing techniques.

"As a nation, we still boast a heavy reliance on offline marketing and there's a huge lack of data behind any strategic marketing decisions," the company says.

The company is also aiming to get five New Zealand companies on board to form a $300,000 scholarship programme for business owners.

The scholarship will be designed especially for startups, small businesses with less than $1 million in revenue and large businesses with revenue more than $1 million.

While Inbound has given no indication as to who the scholarship partners will be, the company is only taking interest from businesses so far.

"We're excited to be launching such a cutting edge programme and we hope to wake New Zealand up once more as one of the world's most innovative countries - I think we just need a little reminder of what we're capable of," the company states.