The Kiwi Innovation Network are pleased to bring you:
Rewa Ake – EndUser Discovery Workshop Series
Rewa Ake is a free online workshop series focusing on end user/customer engagement & Discovery for entrepreneurial researchers. Rewa Ake will help you elevate your idea and get out there to find your market.
This is an ideal workshop series for researchers who are considering or engaged with developing an idea to market-readiness and who want to get more out of their industry-engagement.
Venue: Online
Format: Three half-day sessions (9am-1pm) with homework
Date: 3rd, 4th September and 7th October 2025.
Registrations Close: 18th August 2025
Note: Places are limited.
Commercialisation might seem complex, but it really boils down to three core areas: End User/ Customer Connection, Operational Excellence, and Financial Health. Of these, End User/ Customer Connection is crucial because it helps you understand who will want your idea and, more importantly, who will pay for it- directly supporting the sustainability of the idea..
We know this can feel overwhelming. That's why KiwiNet has partnered with Ian Storie to offer an experiential, part-time, four-week online workshop series. This series is designed to make the customer discovery process clear and straightforward.
This workshop will guide you through the essential steps of customer-centric marketing, including:
We have designed this workshop series to maximise your experiential learning, and to allow researchers from around the country to participate. The more you put in, the more you take out. Over the four weeks, between workshop 2 and 3,there is an expectation for you to talk to 10, preferably more prospective end users to hear their insights.
Upon registration we will send out a summary of the program.
Led by external consultant Ian Storie & Seumas McCroskery (Stakeholder Engagement Lead KiwiNet) with special guests.
Ian Storie
Ian Storie is an independent consultant who has worked with both KiwiNet and SfTI for the past three years. Ian specialises in collaboration best practice and large account management having worked with hundreds of organisations and over 2,000 researchers, scientists, engineers and professional staff across ANZ, India, South Africa, USA, UK, Canada, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Ian has worked as a senior business development, client alliance and strategic marketing professional at organisations including General Electric, Siemens and CSIRO developing technology, research and engineering driven market segments including Education, Mining & Manufacturing, Agtech, Power & Water, Food & Beverage, Petrochemical & Refining, Healthcare & Pharma and Primary industries. Ian also has a long history of facilitating collaborations amongst Research Institutions, Multinationals, SMEs, State & Federal Government Departments, NGOs, NFPs and VC/start-ups globally.
This plan below is indicative of the style and subjects the workshop will cover, the facilitators reserve the right to make small changes.
8.45am-8.55am | Introduction to Rewa Ake program |
8.55am-9.10am | Customers, Problems, Ecosystems |
9.10am-9.30am | Defining “customers”, |
9.30am-10.00am | Uncovering customer “Problems” |
10.00am-10.30am | Breakout session |
10.30am-10.50am | Break |
10.50am-11.10am | Emotional brain vs rational brain |
11.10am-11.30pm | Recognising “confirmation bias” |
11.30am-12.20pm | Step by step process for customer engagement |
12.20pm-12.40pm | The Maori economy as an important ecosystem |
12.40pm-12.50pm | Conclusion of Workshop 1 |
8.45am-8.50am | Welcome back |
8.50am-9.10am | Translation Science to Business- knowing your audience |
9.10am-9.30am | Researching, identifying, prioritising and then engaging potential customers |
9.30am-9.50am | Speaking the language and understanding the priorities of non-researcher “customers” |
9.50am-10.10am | How best to communicate |
10.10am-10.30am | How to hold a customer conversation |
10.30am-10.50am | Break |
10.50am-11.20am | Breakout workshops |
11.20am-11.40am | Capturing, distilling themes |
11.40am-12.00pm | What's expected during the next three weeks (customer interviews, mentor meetings and dashboards) |
12.00pm-12.30pm | Breakout workshops |
12.30pm-12.45pm | Conclusion of workshop 2 |
During the time between day 2 and day 3 attendee requirements and the time resourcing (each week) to support the delivery of customer conversations is outlined below: remember this is putting into practice what's been learnt in Workshops #1 and #2.
At the end of week 3 prepare to give a 10 minute summary of your customer conversations (using dashboard tool (provided) as your talking slide)
8.45am-8.50am | Welcome back |
8.50am-9.20am | Dashboard time prior to presentations |
9.20am-10.30am | Breakout workshops |
10.30am-10.50am | Break |
10.50am-12.00pm | Breakout workshops into groups to discuss Key insights |
12.00pm-12.30pm | Program reflections and where to next? |