ASB Bank is following the wise words of 'nothing ventured, nothing gained', and is launching a new business innovation community to help SMBs carve out their success.

To help innovators, the company is launching ASB Venturers, a community designed for ASB business customers.

Kiwis are famous for embracing innovation and challenging the norm to create a better way of doing things. Every day we meet business owners across New Zealand doing just this, and we are humbled by their passion and effort that goes into striving for success," says David Bell, ASB Business Ventures general manager in a blog.

Bell says that the pace of which business is being transformed is 'breathtaking' and the company wants to help SMBs take advantage of it, which is how ASB Venturers was born.

Venturer partners will be involved in business optimisation, such as idea critique and capability testing before they go to market.

The company says that with this help, it aims to give businesses back one hour per day, or 32 business days per year.

Venturers will also use innovation principles in their own business as they become part of the innovation community. They will also be able to leverage other community members to make the most of a collective pool of knowledge.

Venturers must be the owner of a business with fewer than 50 employees, be digitally native, keen to expose their brand and ideally use cloud accounting software such as Xero.

The Venturers programme will last for one year, from September 2016 to September 2017.

Members will also be asked to fill in a short survey once a month, and to attend 2-3 group events at a local ASB hub, These group events will involve product testing, prototype development and networking opportunities.

Technology is challenging us to think differently, to reach deep into our culture of being brave and to work together to ensure the on-going success of business in New Zealand. Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Bell says in the blog.