2025 Awards Judges

Greg Sitters
Managing Partner at Matū Group

With over 40 years in business, Greg Sitters offers a wealth of experience spanning venture investment, executive management, corporate governance and deep tech startups.

As Managing Partner at investment fund Matū Group Limited, he channels his passion for investing in disruptive technologies that address some of the world’s major technical and scientific challenges.

Greg is also a co-founder of innovative startups Amaea, which specialises in molecular filtration solutions, and Mekonos, a medical device company out of research from the University of Canterbury.

Melissa Yiannoutsos
Innovation Fund Manager, Booster NZ

Melissa leads venture capital investments at KiwiSaver provider Booster NZ, where she manages the Booster Innovation Fund (BIF). The first of its kind on the NZX, BIF helps retail investors back early-stage companies advancing innovation in healthcare, climate tech, deep tech and more. Since listing in 2022, BIF has invested in over 40 companies, most originating from publicly funded research.

A recognised leader in science commercialisation, Melissa received the KiwiNet Commercialisation Icon Award in 2024 and was welcomed into the Life Sciences Hall of Fame. She brings both investor and entrepreneur experience, having built companies, invested in startups and played a pivotal role in establishing Aotearoa's first Angel Investment Network in 2002.

Nadine Williams
CE & Founder, Instinct Lab NZ

With over 30 years of financial and commercial experience, Nadine Williams has spent the last decade supporting deep tech companies and the science and research system in Aotearoa New Zealand.

As Founder and CE of Instinct Lab NZ, she works with world-leading scientists and engineers to build successful companies. Nadine has held senior roles at Callaghan Innovation, the Tertiary Education Commission and PwC, where she led R&D and government incentives.

Nadine has also been a director in a deep tech startup and provides coaching for deep tech executives, helping them navigate the journey of bringing innovations to market.

David Beard
Partner at Movac

David Beard brings deep tech expertise from multiple angles—as a General Partner with venture capital firm Movac, board director and former founder. Movac is New Zealand’s most experienced technology investment firm where David has been passionately involved over the last 20 years in 6 funds and over 50 investments.

David currently serves on the board of award-winning startups Mint Innovation, NanoLayr and RespirAq and has previously supported successful exits like PowerbyProxi, Timely and Coretex. He thrives on working alongside founders to scale world-class innovations and continues to lend his expertise through advisory and mentor roles across the startup ecosystem.

Adiraj Gupta
Entrepreneur & Founder, Sendd

Adiraj Gupta is the founder of Sendd, a no-code e-commerce and marketplace platform that charges merchants just 1% per transaction. Since its January beta-launch, Sendd has saved 155 small businesses more than NZ$30,000 in fees and grown, bootstrapped, into a ten-person team.

Previously, Adiraj has raised over NZ$5.5 million for his own startups and has angel-invested in ventures like Sharesies. He is the 2025 Entrepreneur in Residence at Victoria University of Wellington, Chair of Wellington’s Momentum Investment Committee, a Startup Weekend mentor, and an international speaker on fintech, future tech, and investment—championing accessible digital payments and story-led community growth.