Getting started
Ko te amorangi ki mua ko te hāpai o ki muri
Outward success is reliant on success behind the scenes
We’ve helped thousands of researchers turn their ideas into impact.
Who Will Support You
Investment managers
A UniServices' investment manager will typically be your main point of contact helping researchers get their work market-ready, advising on investment through the University of Auckland Inventors’ Fund and helping secure additional funds to help companies grow.
Investment managers have a strong technical background as well as expertise in business. For example, if you have an idea for a medical device, you will typically work with an investment manager who has a background in biotechnology or a related field.
Additional support
You might also get support from various other teams and individuals at UniServices. These might include:
- Our Intellectual Property experts, who have legal backgrounds, particularly in patenting.
- Our Investment Committees, which can provide expert advice and connections to the tech and venture capital ecosystem across New Zealand and beyond.
- Our Contracts and Growth team, which can help negotiate and administer contracts in areas such as contract research and consultancy.
- Our Funds Advisor team, if further advancing your research is part of your entrepreneurial journey
Inventors’ Fund
The University of Auckland Inventors’ Fund, managed by UniServices, was established in 2016 as an early-stage investment fund positioned to transform University research, intellectual property and student ventures into high-growth global companies. Previously a $20m fund, it has now doubled to $40m.
We aim to partner early with staff and students to be the first investor into Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland spin-out companies. Accessible to current University researchers and students, the fund is open-ended and evergreen, meaning that returns from investments are reinvested into the next generation of companies and technologies that are addressing the world’s most challenging problems.
Investment Committees
UniServices runs two national programmes to connect research to world-leading expertise and access to capital.
Return On Science runs five domain-specific investment committees that bring together top science and technology experts with leaders in industry and investment. Researchers can pitch their entrepreneurial ideas to these experts and receive carefully considered advice, unparalleled access to connections in New Zealand and overseas, and often seed or pre-seed funding.
Momentum, a sister programme to Return On Science, also runs five investment committees, with the difference that they are based in regions across Aotearoa New Zealand rather than being domain-specific. They are also student-run and aimed at providing the best possible support to student entrepreneurship. Like Return On Science, the committees can provide advice, connections and potential access to start-up capital.
Investment Workshops
Got a great idea? We run interactive workshops focused on accelerating research ideas.
The workshops, which are usually thematic to bring together researchers in similar sectors, help you identify potential commercial value in your research and insight into how UniServices and the University of Auckland Inventors’ Fund can support its development. They provide sector insights and potentially connections with industry experts.
The workshops are optimised for working through specific ideas, so it’s best if attendees come with an idea already in mind. Don’t worry about disclosing it – the workshop is a confidential forum.
Companies that have been supported through this process include StretchSense, Tectonus and Cirrus Materials Science.
If you’d like some more information on these workshops or to see if there are any coming up, get in touch.
Easy Start-Up Document Suite
With our wealth of experience in helping companies get started, we have developed a free best-practice document suite to increase transparency and demystify the process of starting a new company. These documents have been used widely, saving you time and money, reducing your overhead and helping you focus on executing your business plan. These are the same documents we use at UniServices – and we've helped start more than 65 companies.
Thanks to Kindrik Partners for their kind permission to reproduce the original documents on which our Easy Start-Up Suite is based.
Case Studies
