Meet the Startup Dunedin Team

Our Team

Startup Dunedin is powered by people who care about founders, ideas, and this city. We’re a small team working alongside founders every day, making introductions, running programmes, and helping ideas move forward. We’re here to connect, challenge, and support you as you build.

Rachel Butler
(She/Her)
General Manager
Benoit Auvrey
(He/Him)
Startup Coach
Grace Esterman
(She/Her)
Programme Lead
McKenzie Dowson Chamberlain
(She/Her)
Communications Lead
Cait Stewart
(She/Her)
Community Facilitator
Jo Kirkwood
(She/Her)
Startup Facilitator
Lou Dog
(He/Him)
Welcome Party & Chief of Vibes

Our Board

Our board brings together experience from across business, education, and the startup ecosystem to guide Startup Dunedin and support its long term impact.

Amie Taua
Deputy Chair
Janine Kapa
Trustee
Scott Mason
Trustee
Jamie Reidie
Trustee
Mark Cartwright
Trustee
David Thomson
Trustee
Angela Davis
Trustee
Wade Pearson
Chair

Internal protocol process;

  1. Board members update the Board secretary of companies they own shares in.

  2. The board maintains a register of interests that appears as part of each month’s board papers. This information is publicly available on the NZ Companies Office.

  3. Board members will first disclose intentions to invest in Dunedin based startups which they have, in the first instance, became aware of via their involvement as a Startup Dunedin board member, to the Startup Dunedin board.

  4. The Startup Dunedin board will ensure that the investment opportunity is able to be classed as “public knowledge” within the investment community of Dunedin.

  5. The definition of “public knowledge” within the investment community is that the company in question can be categorised as having done any one, or more, of the following;

    • Has been involved or attended local startup events that are been open to the public. Therefore, the company and their founders have been available for networking opportunities by any member of the public who chooses to make the effort to network with them.

    • Has had media articles written about them.

    • Has circulated their investment deck within the local investment community and/or angel investment groups.

Board members follow this protocol in the event they wish to make direct investments in local startups.