New Zealand Cleantech Mission

[Phil Anderson]
What's cleantech? Well we're talking about environmental technologies and anything that's maybe going to have a positive impact on climate change where technology is involved.

So, we had a report written a couple of years ago and it really highlighted the fact that we are a long way from these markets, we're a long way from where the emissions are, and also the capital.
So, we formed this partnership called the Cleantech Mission- a whole lot of agencies working together. And one of the things that we've done is make sure that our companies get offshore.

We went out and spoke to everyone to understand well where do you want to go? What are you trying to achieve? And it was really clear that the entrepreneurs wanted to go up to America and Europe.

[Michael Maunsell]
Yeah look it's been great coming to San Francisco. We've had a lot of fun but also a lot of hard work as well. And then actually aligning with the Australians and working alongside them I think has been really a great idea and actually something very productive that we should think about continuing in the future.

[Alex Cappy]
So, this is my first time attending Verge, and it's been an incredible place to meet people who are like-minded, working on things that bring our planet forward, help ensure our survival, always important. And we're here really to connect with investors as well.

[Jessica Venning-Bryan]
Being at Verge is such an awesome opportunity to connect with all sorts of incredible people doing cool stuff in the energy space. There's heaps of investors here but also heaps of founders, and it's so inspiring being surrounded by people who are on a massive mission to change the world.

[Laura Reitel]
So electrification is underway now, in a major way, also in parts of the traditional economies such as energy, transportation, utilities and other sectors. And that's driving a lot of market growth, which is great for our kiwi climates and cleantech companies. Because now the market is truly ready for their products and services.

[Michael Maunsell]
Coming to the US market, we can't be the normal kiwi sort of reticent- somewhat apologetic about what we're doing. We've got to be upfront, we've got to be bold, and we've got to- we got to talk a big game.

[Will Barker]
So being part of the New Zealand Cleantech Trek, we've visited the Verge conference in San Jose and the Cleantech Group's conference here in Chantilly, France. And broadly, I guess the biggest takeaway for me is that investment is on the up- and now is a good time to be raising money from the private market. So, I'm pretty excited about what 2025 is going to bring.

[Trevor Stuthridge]
So the treks are being managed by Callaghan Innovation and they're a really critical partner to us. How they provide us with Summer interns, they provide us with grant funding, they provide us with a network of connections into the New Zealand ecosystem and beyond.

[Björn Heijstra]
So LanzarTech developed the technology in New Zealand and it's a great incubator for technologies, for ideas- there's not a lot of regulation, right. You can do your own thing in New Zealand, it's great. But once you need to go to the next scale, you need capital, you need people, you need industry. You need to find a partner, that's essential. If you're trying to do it alone, it'd be very long road. Try and find a partner overseas that needs your technology and is willing to invest in your technology. That search is essential, that search is very difficult, but it's just door knocking, conferences overseas.

[Phil Anderson]
The important thing about coming away to somewhere like this is New Zealand is a long way from the markets, it's a long way from the money as well, and you just have to keep showing up. I keep hearing it over and over again, you've got to be in the market, you've got to have a presence. So, that's why we're here.

[Shaun Seaman]
I do think it's important to be physically present in these events. It is tiring and difficult from New Zealand, but it's absolutely worth it to look the person in the eye. A sample is the best way to do it, I'm a big believer of show don't tell. Put them in their hands and you create a completely different relationship when you're in person. I think it's fair to say without Callaghan Innovation we wouldn't have gotten to where we are right now. The funding is one big one, that obviously helps, but then there's been so much help in terms of research. We've done some research projects with them, and then also some mentorship has come through them. So, from our point of view, it's so critical to where we are at this stage. I'm so thankful for it, so everyone else who hasn't got Callaghan's support, just lean into it, try and get it. There's so much support available, and it's really really helpful.

[Paul Booth]
As part of the journey we've been on, we've managed to build a really strong partnership with the Callaghan team and with NZTE and- you know, there's some really exciting opportunities to come here. And for us, being on the trek with them, seeing the exposure they're getting, seeing the benefit, seeing the markets they're getting exposed to has been a valuable real validation for us around what we're doing. And I think um yeah, we're going to be happier with the outcome.

[Jo Durcan]
It has been absolutely amazing being part of the Cleantech Trek 2024. At ASB, our purpose is to accelerate progress and the only way we are going to accelerate progress in the sustainability sphere is to back and support and enable these amazing cleantech innovators that are doing so much great work to driving us toward a lower emissions economy.