2022 Awards Finalists

Mrinali Kumar is studying towards a Masters in Food Technology at Massey University. At the end of her fourth year of her Bachelor's degree, Mrinali participated at start-up weekend in Taranaki, where she met her co-founder Jenni Matheson, who presented the idea of a cauliflower-based ice cream. Post competition, Mrinali and Jenni decided to create Kinda, and turn a benchtop formulation into a commercial product.

Kinda is making animal free foods taste better, by using Science, Technology and a bit of kiwi ingenuity. The first product range to market is ice cream, which uses a key ingredient utilising 93% less land, 81% less water, produces 84% less greenhouse gasses and 53% less nutrient runoff into the environment, compared to dairy milk. Kinda ice cream, has been created with an innovative formulation using cauliflower. This creates a creamier, dairy like texture with a higher melting stability then competitor products. Kinda doesn’t like food waste, so they have partnered with Social Enterprise - Perfectly Imperfect to utilize ‘cosmetically imperfect’ cauliflower and to add value to New Zealand growers.

Meat and dairy contribute 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, directly impacting climate change. 42% of the worldwide population are reducing their meat and dairy intake and opting for plant-based alternatives. Kinda has seen a global opportunity within the plant-based space for New Zealand to lead in.

Jonathan Ring, Zincovery / University of Canterbury

Zincovery – Decarbonizing Zinc recycling.

Jonathan Ring, Founder and CEO of Zincovery, has developed a disruptive technology to recycle zinc from furnace waste. One of its key benefits is the ability to produce zinc with 70% less carbon emissions than the existing recycling process.

Jonathan started the development of the ‘Zincovery' technology during his Master’s project with Professor Aaron Marshall at the University of Canterbury. Jonathan is committed to fighting climate change and protecting the environment from pollution. Current zinc recycling methods result in large carbon emissions and significant material wastage; Jonathan is determined to change that.

The Zincovery technology can recycle zinc and produce less than 1 tonne of CO2 per tonne of zinc (typically recycled zinc requires five or more) using an innovative, low-temperature furnace process. The technology has the potential to save isolated steel mills over $500,000 in transportation costs and reduce the landfilling of over 3 million tonnes of dust per year. The global market opportunity for the technology is estimated at over $10 billion per annum and growing.

Jonathan has taken his Master’s project from the lab to a start-up company in just two years and now manages seven employees. Under Jonathan’s lead, Zincovery has secured significant private investment, was awarded the prestigious C-Prize in 2019/20 and has customers lined up across multiple continents.

Dr Alex Risos’ is developing a revolutionary handheld pathogen scanning technology to help ensure access to safe water for everyone – The Waicorder.

E. coli in our waters is a huge problem, nationally and globally. Unfortunately, the current methods for testing waterborne pathogens are slow, costly, and incredibly tedious, leading to illnesses and economic losses.

This game-changing handheld device will be able to detect waterborne particulates as well as chemicals on-site. Water suppliers will be able to report water quality and react to contaminants more rapidly than traditional methods – with estimated project savings of 85% on direct water testing costs.

The Waicorder is being commercialised by RisosEnterprises, a spin-out company set up to commercialise the technology.

Dr Risos believes the Waicorder will enable healthier communities due to its ease of use and widespread monitoring. Just like barcode scanning technology revolutionised the industry in the 90s, he estimates that his technology will forever change how we assess water quality.

Dr Risos' drive to make safe drinking water available for everyone and challenge this status quo represents a billion-dollar opportunity for New Zealand.

Dr Richard Winkworth is the Founder and Managing Director of Ampersand Technologies Ltd, a start-up creating the next generation of anywhere, anytime genetic diagnostics for applications in horticulture, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.

Richard’s research at Massey University, a collaboration with Prof. Peter Lockhart, has explored the application of new DNA amplification technologies to genetic testing. Testing no longer needs to be expensive, time-consuming and performed in a lab; new approaches make tests that are cheap, rapid and portable a reality. Furthermore, testing at the point of need with results delivered in real-time is game-changing. This opens the door to applying genetic testing to a much wider range of targets and substantially improves our ability to predict, respond, and manage based on the results.

Richard launched Ampersand Technologies in 2021, attracting significant investment from Matū and Massey Ventures Ltd. Ampersand offers custom genetic test design, end-to-end diagnostic solutions, and a testing service.

Professor Justin Hodgkiss has established an extensive track record as a leader in the commercialisation of deep-tech research. Prof. Hodgkiss’ research spans ultrafast laser spectroscopy, solar energy conversion, nanotechnology, and DNA aptamers, and he is highly published, highly cited, and has won awards for his knowledge creation. He has developed NZ-based ventures and supported the next generation of entrepreneurs to embark on their own commercialisation journeys.

Prof. Hodgkiss was instrumental in developing two Wellington UniVentures spin-out companies: Auramer Bio and Advemto. Advemto is initially targeting academic markets to address the complex operation of ultrafast optical spectrometers for measuring dynamics on femtosecond timescales. Alongside co-founder Dr Kai Chen, Prof. Hodgkiss’ team developed a unique rapid spectroscopy tool, enabling scientists to measure fast dynamics in proteins, as well as solar cells, LEDs, and photonics materials. The company is already exporting unique ultrafast optical spectrometers, and Prof. Hodgkiss has actively engaged in the invention and R&D to sales, as well as investor engagement and governance.

As Co-Director at the MacDiarmid Institute, Prof. Hodgkiss fosters the growth of young research entrepreneurs. Prof. Hodgkiss has helped develop an entrepreneurial culture through a combination of hands-on training opportunities, peer networks, and targeted funding for emerging entrepreneurs.

For over 40 years, Distinguished Professor Maggie-Lee Huckabee has been working with patients to effectively rehabilitate swallowing impairment. As a former clinician-turned-researcher and now start-up founder, Maggie-Lee ensures her research reflects patient needs and improves patient well-being.

In 2014, she founded the University of Canterbury Rose Centre for Stroke Recovery and Research (the Rose Centre). Here, patients are considered partners in research to inform new developments, all while receiving state-of-the-art intensive treatment.

Prof Huckabee and the Rose Centre’s biomedical engineer, Esther Guiu Hernandez, developed the Biofeedback in Strength and Skill Training (BiSSkiT) software and treatment protocol. In 2016, this software was commercialised, and well-received worldwide. Though, feedback from clinicians revealed that they loved the approach but lacked resource and were hungry for telehealth options.

Redevelopment of the initial device led to the BiSSkApp – an app-based biofeedback device for home use that uses a small wireless sensor under the chin to display a waveform on the app.  This allows patients to ‘see’ swallowing and refine motor patterns. Patients complete intensive training at home, with data transfer via a cloud facility to clinicians, who remotely supervise and adapt the treatment programme as needed.

Swallowing Technologies Ltd was incorporated in April 2021 as the commercial ‘arm’ of the Rose Centre, transferring technology from the laboratory to patients and clinicians who need them.  The company has grown to eight employees, who develop patient-driven technologies that improve patient outcomes.

Franck Natali is an Associate Professor of Physics at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

A long-time investigator with the MacDiarmid Institute, Associate Professor Natali was appointed to a two-year position in 2019 as Innovator-in-Residence at Wellington UniVentures.

In the last two years, Associate Professor Natali has discovered a new low-carbon way to manufacture ammonia. Ammonia-based fertilisers support 50% of the world's food production, and ammonia is one of the single largest chemical industrial processes on Earth, accounting for 2-3% of global carbon emissions.

Associate Professor Natali's new company, Liquium, was founded in 2021 to take this technology to market and aid global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

As a serial inventor to counter climate change, Franck also developed a portfolio of patents on memory elements for the next generation of energy-efficient supercomputers and data centres. In 2021, he and PhD student Dr Jay Chan licensed to their niche software tool to a US-based company. The tool, known as RHEED, calculates the electron diffraction patterns of crystals.

Acknowledging the significance of his research, Associate Professor Natali was accepted into the Breakthrough Energy Fellows Programme at the end of 2021 – the only New Zealander offered a place. The programme, founded by Bill Gates, supports developing and adopting new clean technologies that can help the world achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Evelyn Body - Uniservices

Unique combination of expertise resulting in exceptional outcomes.

Evelyn’s expertise as a lawyer, an Intellectual Property Advisor and commercialisation expert, combined with her technical background, makes her an effective one-stop shop for advice and execution and one of the most knowledgeable and experienced practitioners in the technology transfer and early-stage investment arena in Australasia.

She has negotiated some of the largest deals, from Soul Machines US$7.5M initial investment round led by top tier VC Horizon Ventures to access agreements with major Australasian funds (MRCF and IP Group). Further, the development of best practice template agreements used widely by university start-ups, Evelyn has without doubt had a major influence on the research commercialisation landscape in New Zealand and – and beyond in her role on the Board of Knowledge Commercialisation Australia (KCA).

Her unique skill set, knowledge and experience make her a key go-to person in the translation of research to industry.

Michael Fielding - AUT Ventures

A versatile, empathetic, and inspirational teammate and leader

Whether it’s taking a research project into a spin-out company or license deal, or fostering a cooperative and innovative environment, Michael has proven that he is capable in many realms as a commercialisation professional.

In just four years with AUT Ventures, Michael has provided invaluable input for the organisation and the wider commercialisation ecosystem. This includes growing the capabilities of interns and other new employees, continuously looking for ways to speed up and improve processes, and successfully nurturing and launching AUT’s first deep-tech spin-out, RespirAq, which raised $1.5M. He is an eager connector across AUT and has consistently led the delivery of resources and workshops intending to promote researchers’ awareness of and interest in AUT Ventures and commercialisation.

As an appreciated team member and leader, Michael is always willing to participate and contribute where possible and share his knowledge and expertise with those around him. He is focused and logical in his approach to work, which is done with enthusiasm, determination, and a touch of creativity.

Stephanie Grant is Wellington UniVentures’ Intellectual Property Manager. She manages the organisation’s broad IP portfolio across all areas of technology, from immunological innovations to superconducting innovations.

Prior to Wellington UniVentures, Stephanie began her Intellectual Property (IP) career as a Patent Executive at Baldwins Intellectual Property, prosecuting over 600 patent applications. She gained extensive knowledge around intellectual property, particularly in the fields of chemistry and biotechnology.

Stephanie joined Wellington UniVentures in 2018. With IP underpinning everything at Wellington UniVentures, Stephanie’s role is to protect the high-quality research with commercial potential that is produced at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. By protecting the IP associated with research, Stephanie ensures that researchers and the University gain exclusive legal rights to utilise that IP for maximum commercial benefit and impact. An example includes successfully obtaining a granted US patent licensed to Wellington UniVentures’ spin-out Rekover Therapeutics.

Stephanie is also an active member of the New Zealand Intellectual Property Attorneys Incorporated (NZIPA), representing in-house attorneys on the council. This is the first time in NZIPA’s history that an in-house attorney has been appointed.

Filterlayr™, Another NanoLayr Innovation

FilterLayr™ Eco – The Bio-derived, Covid-Killing Air Filtration Media.

Ligar - Wintec Te Pūkenga & WaikatoLink

World-first commercial purification platform.

Ligar develops and manufactures world-first commercial systems which isolate specific molecules using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs). MIPs are ‘smart’ materials that can selectively capture and remove specific molecules from fluids. Ligar’s MIPs can be manufactured at scale, and its easy-to-use MIP systems can cost-effectively process large volumes of liquid – solving problems existing technologies don’t address.

Ligar’s technology can be applied to high-value molecules, and contaminants that may only be present at the part-per-billion level. MIPs can remove unwanted compounds, collect desirable high-value compounds that clients want in their products, and modify or rebalance flavours in beverages.

Ligar’s journey started in 2011 when Miruna Petcu, a Wintec-based chemist interested in developing commercial applications for MIPs, teamed up with WaikatoLink. With PreSeed investment from KiwiNet, Ligar’s MIPs were developed to proof of concept stage, and a spin-out company was formed. Nigel Slaughter, originally WaikatoLink’s General Manager of Commercialisation, has worked with Ligar since its inception and is currently Chief Exploration Officer.

Proudly headquartered in Hamilton, Ligar has built up an expert team that partners with global companies with the capability to commercialise the platform at scale. Ligar’s wine and cannabis processing systems are entering the market in 2022, and a wide range of opportunities are underway with commercial partners. Critically, Ligar has also achieved FDA, Canadian and New Zealand regulatory approvals MIPs that are intended for use in the processing of foods.