Ones to watch

Marama Labs

Who? Marama Labs was founded by the three inventors of the CloudSpec technology, out of Vic Uni in Wellington - Dr Matthias Meyer (CTO), Dr Brendan Darby (CEO) and Professor Eric Le Ru.

Why? The CloudSpec platform is a revolutionary solution to the long standing challenges in winemaking of controlling and perfecting colour and phenolics profiles of wines. The sensors and software make it much easier for wineries to accurately monitor colour and phenolics of wines throughout the year, and helps bring objective data into conversations around targeting wine style. This helps wineries master their target styles each year.

How? Marama Labs has been heavily supported by the tech startup ecosystem in New Zealand, from Wellington Uni Ventures (the startup arm of Vic Uni), Kiwinet, Callaghan Innovation, as well as New Zealand's leading investors of WNT Ventures, NZ Growth Capital Partners, Quidnet Ventures and other angel groups.

Where? New Zealand, Latin America, Europe, Australia.

Landkind

Who? I'm Matt Flowerday, the founder of Landkind. We're a small but growing company, and I'm fortunate to work with such a passionate team to carry out our vision.

Why? We're here to help vineyard owners do more and be better with less. Landkind provides new ways for growers and farmers to map, manage daily tasks, and visualise data on their property. Landkind now offers a way for growers to assess their overall environmental impact through our Farm Environment Plan tools.

How? The idea of Landkind started 2017 as an extension of GPS-it, our sister company that specialises in precision land mapping. We've been developing our smart tools over the last few years and we've had great support working with partners such as Callaghan Innovation and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), and excellent feedback from our early-stage customers.

Where? Primary industries across New Zealand use our software and mapping services. We're currently working with Zespri, and Fonterra as well as a Bay of Plenty Catchment group to build integrated, pan-sector Farm Environment Plans. We are actively planning an expansion into the US and Australia.

HortPlus

Who? HortPlus is a New Zealand-based agricultural technology firm delivering digital solutions to the primary sector for over fifteen years.

Why? We provide Decision Support Platforms to enable more sustainable agriculture. Our core business is based on building weather-based digital tools that enable better spray and irrigation timing.

How? HortPlus has a strong working relationship with leading scientists and researchers in a range of institutions including Plant & Food Research, as well as experts in agrichemicals, entomology, crop monitoring, and irrigation. This means we are able to deliver the best extension and research directly to growers and agronomists.

Where? HortPlus technology is used by all major growing industries in New Zealand, along with corporate and research clients in Australia and further afield. The HortPlus team is based between Hawke's Bay and Wellington.