About
New Zealand is a vibrant, digital and creative hub but we have a small market and limited capital. To succeed businesses need to move with speed and precision. They need to be international from day one.
Accelerators give startups the power to do more, faster. With seed capital, mentorship, extra hands on and the chance to focus on business 24/7, ideas quickly become solid reality.
We set up the Lightning Lab because:
- Acceleration provides a structure that keeps companies motivated, moving with pace, aiming high and going for it hammer and tongs!
- Sustainable global success for companies in the digital space relies on swift and efficient execution of go-to-market strategy in the face of competitors with deeper pockets in larger better-connected markets.
- There is a need for a more efficient structured model for seed capital to build momentum and support in the early stage venture space.
- We wanted to inject energy into New Zealand’s entrepreneurial eco-system.
Who’s Behind the Lightning Lab
The Lightning Lab is a partnership between a founding group of professional investors, the Science and Innovation arm of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Creative HQ.
Our founding investors are Phil McCaw, Dave Moskovitz and Stefan Korn, Marcel van den Assum, Trevor Dickinson, Evander Management, K1W1 and Sparkbox Ventures.
We are the only New Zealand member of the Global Accelerator Network. This includes the five TechStars hubs in the US, Springboard in the UK, JFDI in Singapore and Start Up Boot Camp in Europe.
Historically, over 50% of accelerator startups accepted into these programmes are successful in raising capital in the next round of funding. It is a powerful network that provides companies with access to hundreds of the world’s best investors, mentors and entrepreneurs.
