Tāmaki Makaurau is preparing to put entrepreneurs, innovators and risk-takers in the spotlight, with Auckland Startup Week returning for five days of ideas, investment and business-building.
The 2026 festival will run from 12 to 16 October at GridAKL in the Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct and venues across the city.
After launching last year, Auckland Startup Week is returning with a programme designed to connect startup founders with investors, business leaders, researchers and experts who can help turn emerging ideas into high-growth companies.
This year’s theme, The Rebellion in Our DNA, is encouraging entrepreneurs to challenge established markets, disrupt traditional ways of doing business and explore new opportunities.
For Māori entrepreneurs and pakihi Māori, the festival provides another platform to build networks, find investment and showcase businesses capable of taking Māori innovation into domestic and international markets.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is among this year’s session hosts, strengthening the Māori presence within a festival focused on the future of innovation in Tāmaki Makaurau.
FROM AN IDEA TO INVESTMENT
Most events across the five-day programme will be free, with workshops, networking sessions and pitch competitions aimed at entrepreneurs at different stages of their business journey.
That could mean somebody considering whether an idea can become a business, an existing founder looking to scale up, or investors searching for companies with high-growth potential.
This year’s speakers include Facebook Marketplace founder Bowen Pan and entrepreneur Derek Handley, with further speakers expected to be announced.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown will also feature in an event moderated by academyEx founder and chief executive Frances Valintine.
Brown has been promoting the city’s startup community through his 100 Days of Startups social media campaign, showcasing local companies tackling challenges ranging from healthcare and environmental problems to energy costs.
The Mayor says entrepreneurs willing to take risks and build companies around solving real-world problems will be important to Auckland’s economic future.
The council wants Auckland to strengthen its position as a technology and innovation hub for the South Pacific.
THOUSANDS TURNED OUT IN YEAR ONE
Auckland Council’s Economic Development Office says last year’s inaugural festival showcased 135 startups and attracted more than 4,000 people across 32 events at 10 venues.
The council hopes to build on that momentum in 2026.
The festival is being delivered by the Economic Development Office alongside investment firms, entrepreneurs, universities, research institutes and corporate partners, with support from Auckland’s city centre targeted rate.
General Manager Pam Ford says the week is intended to celebrate entrepreneurship while giving founders practical opportunities to make connections that could help their businesses succeed.
CHALLENGERS WANTED
One of the centrepieces will be the newly named Challengers’ Expo at GridAKL on 12 October.
Selected startup founders will be able to showcase their products and services directly to attendees and potential investors.
Organisers are now seeking expressions of interest from founders wanting to take part.
Applications for the Challengers’ Expo close at 11.59pm on 3 September.
For Māori founders, particularly those developing businesses grounded in mātauranga Māori, technology, health, sustainability and solutions for whānau, access to investors and business networks can be critical when moving from a promising idea to a sustainable enterprise.
The wider challenge for Auckland is ensuring the innovation economy creates opportunities across its communities rather than becoming concentrated among those who already have access to capital and influential networks.
Auckland Startup Week provides one opportunity to open those doors.
Five days.
Hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors and innovators.
And potentially the next major New Zealand company waiting for somebody to back the idea.
The Auckland Startup Week 2026 programme is available at aucklandstartupweek.com.
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