So, Google have built a new quantum computer ‘Willow’ that, apparently, is a really, really big deal. For those of us who pay only minor attention to such scientific announcements, they usually sound like this: ‘Blah, blah, blah, squillions of times faster… blah, blah, blah, can do a quajillion equations in a zuggillionth of a […]
Humanity has come a long way from our first starry night musings about the nature of the cosmos and what it all means. Things really kicked off, albeit humbly in 1926, when Robert Goddard lit the fuse on what would become the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. It was a rickety 3-metre-tall contraption, made of thin […]
We’ve already got electric cars, how about planes too? A couple of years ago the Government said they wanted to decarbonise New Zealand’s transport sector and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Part of this was mandating government agencies to prioritise the selection of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) for new […]
Despite what some global political figures might suggest right now, the urgency of climate change has never been more acute. While there has traditionally been inertia when it comes to capital support for those working on the challenges, there is hope in a new wave of investors and venture capitalists with an ambitious focus on […]
Most serious surfers will tell you that Surfing is more than a sport; it’s a way of life. A way of life that transcends singular human achievement and skill into a symbiotic dance with nature, a relationship that requires respect for the water, an understanding of tides, wind, currents and the awesome power of the […]
This Laptop Is Too Tall We’re truly in the age of “how do we make screens bigger without making the rest of the thing bigger. That usually amounts to foldables, but scrollable are also making a break for it in the form of the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 by Lenovo. Simply slide your screen upward […]
My dream has always been to minimise the physical impact, both in terms of floorspace and focus of our home TV. But I’m also a big movie buff so at some point something needs to give. Enter the portable projector, the answer to all of my problems. Epson recently released the EF-21G, a stylish little […]
Steven Fernandez, the newly appointed creative director at US marketing consultancy New Ground, is not your typical entrepreneur. Splitting his time between New York and Los Angeles, Steven has built a career on the power of connection. His new role at New Ground, is more than just a creative role. It’s a transpacific bridge, linking the innovative […]
Greener sensors, circuit boards and other electronic devices are being developed by EU researchers to reduce unsustainably high levels of e-waste. To develop eco-friendly electronics such as sensors and circuit boards, Dr Valerio Beni is following the paper trail – literally. An expert in green chemistry at Swedish research institute RISE, Beni has switched his […]
In addition to generating clean energy, sea locations with turbines could be used to grow mussels, oysters and seaweed. Off the coasts of Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands dozens of wind farms whir away, helping Europe switch to renewable energy from fossil fuels. Some of those wind farms are also helping Europe do something […]
To truly take care of our planet’s health as well as our nation’s economy we need to take a multifaceted approach. Banning plastic bags and straws is all well and good but you can’t just sit around and wait for the world to get better after that. The planet doesn’t care if we’re trading carbon […]
Founded in 2007, Pie Funds has emerged as a pioneering investment management firm in New Zealand, setting itself apart through its unique approach to funds management and commitment to client success. Pie’s headquarters can be found in Auckland, New Zealand, but its global presence extends well beyond, with the investment team spread across its New […]
Voluntas Group has announced the launch of Voluntas Elevate, a new strategic advisory firm aimed at supporting tech founders who have been overlooked by the traditional venture capital model. With offices in Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong, London, and Los Angeles, the firm offers a comprehensive suite of services focused on sustainable growth, capital acquisition, and […]
New Zealand is behind the world in financial-technology (fintech) disruption. A statement that might sound counter-intuitive to the patriots among us who still remember Aotearoa being a pioneer in the roll out of EFTPOS 30 years ago. But this is the founding thesis of Mike Burke and Marty Kerr, co-founders and Partners of the only […]
‘Buy land, my boy, they’re not making any more of it.’ So said Mark Twain when discussing how the value of real estate rises with a growing population, but his observation is just as relevant today with arable land. As the world’s populace swells, so does the pressure on our agricultural sector to produce more […]
Recently we made a big deal out of the total market dominance NVIDIA has fallen into in the AI space for it’s GPU capabilities. They aren’t stopping there though. They’re also developing software called NVIDIA Avatar Cloud Engine, which allows developers to insert digital humans into spaces to be interacted with. Essentially they are creating […]
Farmers are up against the wall when it comes to numbers. Cold early mornings mustering. Fuel burned on quads moving stock. Staff retention and burnout. Finally the looming specter of keeping as green a business as possible and protecting waterways. All of it is a number on a chart, a sunk cost, a calculation to […]
My favourite kind of energy storage has to be a big ol valley full of water. But when dams and regular hydro aren’t available how do you store energy? There are plenty of options out there but this one company may have found the edge on all the competition with an energy storage solution that […]
It’s incredible how far humanity has come with plant life in our race to create crops that can keep up with our ever-increasing demands. This started with cross-pollination and breeding plants that were more suitable for consumption. Early fruit wouldn’t have been much better than potatoes by modern standards. Then in recent years, we’ve gotten […]
A few months ago, through a series of bizarre events, I sat in on a funding round pitch, listening to Startup hopefuls. I was struck by a few things. One, scaling is a bitch. Two, it’s heartening to see how many startups want to support our primary industries. I feel as though us $10 coffee-quaffing […]
There’s always a lot of chatter about what we can do to chill out on making greenhouse gases, it’s just so fun making them though, it’s hard to quit. One solution is hydrogen, the simplest member of the family of chemical elements. Unfortunately getting hydrogen is anything but simple. If you want to extract the […]
What better time to look toward the future than right now. We’ve been combing through the options and found startups that have the potential to change the way we do things in the future, as well as trends in business to watch going forwards. Meatable I hate to say it but the writing appears to […]
