WNT Ventures has reached ten years of taking the crunchy stuff we call deep tech and helping turn it into companies and financial returns.

With successes like Foundry Lab, Mint Innovation and Carbon Crop in its portfolio, WNT Ventures has made an indelible mark on the country's deep tech scene.

The firm's managing partner, Carl Jones, joins the podcast to look back on an industry that has grown at a rapid pace and forward at where it might head next.

Plus, rocket catching, moon diving, and Peter Beck's take on what it would mean for Rocket Lab to win a massive Nasa Mars mission deal.

The Business of Tech is powered by 2degrees for Business.

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This week's guest, venture capitalist, founder of PhaseOne and former early employee of Canva Mahesh Muralidhar, shares invaluable insights into the necessity for New Zealand's software startups to expand into the lucrative US market.

He discusses the unique benefits of Kiwi founders on the global stage and some of the cultural things that might be holding them back.  

Plus, the Auckland teen caught smishing with specialised hardware and how China exploited backdoors that US telcos were made to leave open due to regulation.

The Business of Tech is sponsored by 2degrees for Business.

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Dr Michelle Dickinson, also known as Nanogirl, has been working on taking her passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to as many people as possible.

During covid, Dickinson was a key part of a team getting the word out about how to keep as safe as possible and for her efforts, had her personal details published online and received threats.

Undeterred, she has spent years building up her business demystifying tech for businesses, and promoting STEM as a career choice for young people across NZ and beyond.

But in the last year, cuts to funding of science initiatives across the country have left her concerned that fewer young people than ever will be given the resources, space and support to learn to love science.

The Business of Tech is sponsored by 2degrees for Business.

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"The question is, who supports the bill? Well, honestly, basically everyone."

That's what Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly said about the Customer and Product Data (CPD) Bill at its first reading, and sure enough, every other party representative followed with their support.

The CPD Bill is the legislative force that mandates the sharing of customer data by organisations, starting with financial institutions - in other words, open banking.

So what is it about the Bill that has earned cross-party support? What changes will it bring for people across NZ? And why is NZ's open banking rollout already looking more promising than the UK's and Australia's?

Fintech leaders Josh Daniell from Akahu and Adrian Smith from BlinkPay join us to answer those questions and more.

Plus, what happened at Soul Machines, and Minister Judith Collins' big plans to bolster AI uptake.

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The tech world was knocked a little askew when the Commerce Commission blocked a huge exit for local DJ software company Serato.

The ComCom said the acquisition by AlphaTheta would reduce competition in the space but many in the tech sector said the move could put fear into startup founders and venture capitalists thinking about targeting a lucrative niche.

We're joined by tech entrepreneur Tim Warren and competition law expert Hayden Wilson, partner at Dentons Kensington Swan, who lay out the pros and cons of the block, and what could come next for the deal.

Plus, Crowdstrike!

The Business of Tech is powered by 2degrees Business.

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The National Science Challenges, a decade-long experiment in funding mission-led science has ended and the research shows it was a resounding success. 

Emeritus professor Sally Davenport joins us to explain what was learned over that time and how we can keep the spirit of mission-led science alive.

We also discuss the report out of the Treasury showing NZ lags in artificial intelligence adoption, and the Government Communications Security Bureau's statement that it needs a much better national cybersecurity strategy.

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150 New Zealand executives were given Spark-funded scholarships for a four-week course all about learning how to use modern AI tools to boost business productivity.

We talked to two of them, NZME's Matt Martel and the NZ Institute of Directors' Kristen 'KP' Patterson, who explained what they learned from the course and how it shaped their thinking about AI.

They outline the business cases they developed during the course and how they have started implementing them within their organisations.

Plus, Australia's open banking woes, concerns over AI power carbon emissions, and MT Gox and Cryptopia bankruptcy updates.

In this episode, Ben refers to the remaining assets of Cryptopia as being $775,000 of $28m - please note this is what remains of the liquid assets used to fund the liquidation process.

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When you've had one of the most successful careers in business in New Zealand, what do you do next?

For Xero founder Rod Drury the answer is to spend days mountain biking around Queenstown, wing foiling when he gets the chance, and meeting with government and business leaders to get national improvement initiatives moving.

He's pushed for the separation of energy generation and retailing, campaigned for more water storage across the country, worked to get an autonomous public transport system set up in Queenstown, advocated for the reduction of electronic payments fees, and spent days with Ngāi Tahu supporting environmental clean up.

In this rare interview, Drury goes deep into the why and how of all these, plus reflections on Xero, artificial intelligence, private funding of public infrastructure, and more.

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It's the fifth year for 2degrees' Shaping Business report that covers the state of business across New Zealand.

Once again, we're bringing you a deep dive into the report with a panel of eminent business figures.

This year, the panel includes 2degrees' chief executive Mark Callander, Deloitte partner Anna Fitzgibbon and Auckland Business Chambers chief executive Simon Bridges.

They cover business confidence, hybrid working, skills shortages, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and more.

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• Shaping Business 2024 - 2degrees
• 2degrees survey reveals surprising optimism in business amid economic gloom - BusinessDesk

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There are a lot of great things about NZ; our relatively small population is one of them. But if we want to be a major player in the global software industry, we need to be where the people are: the US.

That's according to Nick Lissette, founder and chief executive of NZX-listed Blackpearl Group, who features this week in an interview about thinking big and bringing the export dollars home.

Plus, Peter jetted over to Sydney to check out the latest line-up of Windows Surface laptops and find out what makes these Co-Pilot+ devices so special.

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News of the news media has been pretty grim throughout 2024, with cutbacks and closures dominating the headlines.

To many, this is a sign that the writing is on the wall for an industry that's been struggling since the heady paper-based days of the 1990s.

But Xavier English says those people are just looking in the wrong places.

English joins us to talk about five Kiwi companies he says are redefining what 'news media' means in 2024.

We also give our takes on Apple's big AI news and how it might change the game.

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As budget anxiety spreads across the nation, we're spending this week looking back at the good news in the tech industry in the last couple of weeks.

We're joined by David Downs - NZ's own tech industry cheerleader, relentless optimist and genetically modified organism - to discuss the NZ Hi-Tech Awards, NZ Story's See Tomorrow First initiative, and the potential for NZ as a base for CAR T-cell cancer therapy development.

We also hear from 2024 Hi-Tech Award winners Novolabs, ENVICO, Joshua Parsons, and Elle Archer.

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Can AI ever be truly trustworthy when the stakes are high? That's what machine learning and artificial intelligence researcher Jessica Zosa Forde hopes to achieve with her studies at Brown University.

She joins us to discuss her work on ensuring less common languages don't get forgotten - and how efforts with te reo Māori are leading the way. 

She also highlights the importance of transparency and accountability in these technologies as they become more pervasive in our lives.

Plus, an interview with HP's president of personal systems Alex Cho about how AI-powered PCs may enhance worker satisfaction and productivity.

The Business of Tech is sponsored by 2degrees for Business.

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The ministry of foreign affairs and trade (Mfat) mishandled millions of dollars in an attempt to shift its IT systems to the cloud and roll out Microsoft Office.

BusinessDesk's Dileepa Fonseka, who broke the story, walks us through what he learned in his reporting.

Then, there's huge potential for digital twins in Aotearoa New Zealand but our approach has been siloed and slow.

We learn what it will take to get started from Keri Niven, the digital practice lead at Aurecon and leader of the Smart Cities Digital Twin Maturity Taskforce.

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Mark Callander, CEO of our flagship sponsor 2degrees and Kiwi telco stalwart, joins us to talk all things telco.

He shares where 2degrees is up to in the Great Brand Merge, rolling out satellite to mobile connectivity, integrating AI into its business, challenging the electricity market, and more.

We also talk about the generative AI madness announced by Google and OpenAI this month.

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After spending time in Ireland, Simon Walker was amazed at how Ireland, especially Dublin, had pulled itself out of the doldrums of the 80s to become a world-class tech hub.

The CEO and founder of tech-focused marketing company Proposition brought those thoughts back to Aotearoa with him and, although there are many differences between us, he saw enough similarities that we could learn a thing or two.

Walker explains his vision for NZ's tech-based economy and the lessons he learned in Ireland that led him there.

Also, we talk about the Kiwi startup with its eyes on an NZX listing, the dire need for an NZ cybersecurity strategy, and Australia's investment into quantum and beyond.

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While the number of women in tech is increasing, senior technical roles are still too often locked away behind a glass ceiling.

On her way to becoming a senior platform engineer, Meena Satishkumar faced an array of challenges that almost drove her off the path she wanted to follow.

In response, she founded Tech Beyond Gender, an advocacy organisation that recently published research with some concerning findings.

Satishkumar talks us through some of that research, her experience, and what can be done to truly start to shift the needle toward gender equity.

Also, One NZ gets the nod from the Commerce Commission to acquire Dense Air and its spectrum, while 2degrees faces legal action over misleading claims.

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What is the purpose of the Callaghan Innovation? In the wake of the mandate to reduce headcount by about 7%, this was the question that Stefan Korn had to answer.

To answer it, he returned to the organisation's founding documents, looked at similar organisations overseas, and considered the unique position of Aotearoa New Zealand.

In this episode, Dr Korn discusses his vision of Callaghan's future and the thought process that led him to it.

Also, what do NZ's tech leaders say about the impact of AI on the workforce?

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Aotearoa New Zealand's startup and VC scene has a bit of a problem with some investors taking too much equity for their money, leaving founders with little incentive to put in the effort it takes to grow their businesses.

On top of that, using equity to attract talent is near-impossible when it just lands that talent with a big tax bill the day they start.

Rob Vickery, founder and managing partner of Hillfarrance Venture Capital, digs into this issue and outlines what he thinks should change to create a stronger and better startup ecosystem in NZ.

We also dig into the untimely death of Sunfed and what it says about the alternative meats industry, the wild story of Unity and Wētā Digital, and the huge success of Canva.

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Apple’s efforts to redefine the world of augmented reality with its Vision Pro have been slowly creeping across the globe.

In February, the device landed in the hands of the developers at Kiwi virtual reality games studio Beyond who developed Runaways, one of the first ever games for the ‘spatial computer’.

Speaking with Beyond co-founders Jessica Manins and Anton Mitchell, Peter digs into what it was like to work with the Vision Pro and where they see the technology headed next.

Plus, we chat about Ola’s exit from NZ and what we learned from the Commerce Commission’s latest broadband performance report.

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Being AI CEO David McDonald explains the huge aspirations for the newly-listed company and why listing on the New Zealand Exchange was a key step in those plans.

McDonald and his assembled team have a history of AI success underpinning the promise of future glory. The company's share price rocketed since listing, sparking a lot of attention and some criticism.

Is it tall poppy syndrome? Or just fair scrutiny for a listed company?

We also delve into Ben's experiment playing with a range of free-tier GenAI chatbots, unpacking the pros and cons of the seven he tested.

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What does it take to be a modern, competitive internet provider in 2024?

One NZ CEO Jason Paris has been focused on exactly that question for the last few years as he has transitioned Vodafone NZ into One NZ.

Now, one year since the official launch of the rebrand, Paris joins us to provide some insight into how the gears are turning inside one of Aotearoa's biggest technology companies.

Plus, more AI job displacement talk, and has Elon done enough with X to keep his own personality from sinking it?

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Finally, it's a fintech episode! With the Commerce Commission releasing a draft report that outlines all the ways our banking sector is uncompetitive, now is the perfect time to talk disruption in the world of financial services.

First, Dosh CEO and co-founder Shane Marsh weighs in on the state of the NZ financial services sector with a view on how we got to this point of staleness and lack of competition, with four Australian banks dominating the industry.

Then, Immersive CEO and co-founder Jerome Faury zooms out further to ask how NZ can avoid being left behind as the world of payments speeds ahead worldwide.

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In this sponsored episode, 2degrees chief technology and information officer Stephen Kurzeja talks about the intricate process of merging the systems of two large telecommunications companies: 2degrees and Vocus.

Kurzeja shares the thought process behind choosing what to keep and what to retire, where to add new products, and where to reign it in.

He discusses company culture, AI and maintaining a laser focus on customer experience during such massive transitions.

Plus, ComCom's call for better coverage maps and Australia's mulling of mandatory AI guardrails.

The Business of Tech is sponsored by 2degrees for Business.

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Kiwi futurist Ben Reid joins the (award nominated!) podcast for a second time to talk about his new book, Fast Forward Aotearoa, which unpacks the path to a future of technological success and positivity for NZ.

Peter speaks to Ben Reid about what systemic changes need to be made to ensure the best outcomes for all Kiwis.

Plus, we talk about Chorus' investment in datacentres, Uber's big Aussie settlement, and why news outlets are making deals with AI companies.

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What exactly is sovereign AI and why would we want it?

Machine learning and artificial intelligence expert Kiarie Ndegwa has been in the trenches with the tech for a decade, including working on Te Hiku Media's bilingual te reo Māori/NZ English transcription tool.

Ndegwa shares his unique perspective on what it means to truly own AI and data and dips into the technical details to debunk the claims that only Big Tech can deliver the goods to power AI.

Plus, the government's promise to open up genetic tech soon, US and China IT cold war continues, and NZ's telcos' steps toward modernisation.

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Amazon and Microsoft have thrown around some big numbers about how their impending NZ-based datacentres will benefit the economy. But is it really that simple? Will Amazon and MIcrosoft's NZ public cloud regions be ready in 2024 as promised? Where do our local cloud companies fit in?

All of these questions and more are discussed on our episode today as we're joined by Don Christie, NZ IT industry veteran and the founder and managing director of Catalyst IT and Catalyst Cloud.

Plus, Ben talks about his visit to Rocket Lab for event celebrating the launch of NZ's first publically funded space project - MethaneSat.

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Ben and Peter talk to Spark CEO Jolie Hodson and NZIER principal economist Christina Leung about the recent research into how adopting more advanced digital tech can boost industry output by up to $26 billion, and increase GDP by 2.08% annually.

The pair unpack the report to explain what will it take among Kiwi businesses to realise these gains.

BusinessDesk senior journalist Cécile Meier also joins to answer some questions about her reporting on Hira, the government's embattled project to revamp NZ's IT systems for healthcare.

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Canadian journalist, host of the Tech Won't Save Us podcast, and former Wellington resident Paris Marx joins us to discuss the role that technology and the billionaires that control it play in mitigating the impact of climate change.

Plus, the role Aotearoa New Zealand can play in ensuring that emissions mitigation tech is effective at more than just turning a profit.

Plus, we talk about the cellphone bans in schools, cleaning up space junk, identifying methane leaks, and Australia's new Rocket Lab competitor.

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Since 1998, there has been a global moratorium on charging tariffs for digital services but that may soon come to an end, depending on what happens at the World Trade Organisation conference later this month.

Ben talks to BusinessDesk senior correspondent Dileepa Fonseka about his research into the matter, and what it might mean for Kiwi software companies looking to go global.

Plus, Peter and Ben discuss the need for sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure, the US’ plan to undermine Huawei, and Electric Kiwi’s criticism of broadband notice periods.

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After years of bringing together cloud products, adding a little engineering and business strategy magic, and then implementing and managing bespoke cloud services, Dave Howden is out to do the same thing with AI.

While an AI consulting and services business may not sounds as flashy as an exciting new platform, it's the kind of company that makes up the backbone of a major technological transition.

Peter speaks to Dave about why he decided to start his new company, SupaHuman, and what he's got planned for the coming year.

Ben and Peter also dig into the tech-based content from the Briefings to Incoming MInisters (BIMs) that reveal some of the inner workings and plans inside the public service.

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Already in 2024 we are seeing big tech companies like SAP point at AI as a reason to slash headcount, and it's likely we will see more of that to come. This week, technologist and educator Frances Valintine joins to talk about how to stay relevant in the age of AI, and what responsibilities businesses bear to their employees when it comes to learning.

Ben and Peter also share their thoughts on the topic, and look at some recent news stories and research that give a glimpse into an AI-dominated future.

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Tech reporter and commentator Rob O'Neill says he likes to "get down among the weeds" and in our first episode for the year, he does exactly that.

We speak to Rob, senior writer for Reseller News, about what he's seeing in his reporting on the IT industry in NZ, and his view of the future for all of the work that's been done on the now-dead water reform and Te Pūkenga IT transformation projects.

Plus, more AI talk, VR/AR, disinformation, and expecting the unexpected.

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In March of last year, Judith Collins was but a senior member of parliament for the opposition. Today, she is a senior member of the government, with more ministerial positions than any other member of the National Party government.

Collins spent a significant amount of her time in opposition learning about NZs tech sector, and wooing its members.

It was in March when Peter Griffin spoke to her to ask her thoughts on tech in NZ and what she would focus on if she made it into cabinet, which we played in our first-ever episode.

Listening back, one of the most interesting things is thinking about just how far we’ve come with artificial intelligence in less than a year. You can also hear the beginnings of one of Collins’ other portfolios – digitising government.

With the new Government’s first full year in power ahead, it’s a great time for us to replay this interview with the now-minister for space and see what could be in store for tech in 2024.

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We sit down with Dr. Will Reedy, who leads health for Accenture NZ, to discuss the transformative potential of AI in healthcare. 

Reedy explains how generative AI can enhance NZ’s health system, boosting both frontline and back-office operations and addressing workforce shortages. 

He also raises the ever-looming spectre of the need to truly aggregate resident's health data, a must-have if we want to realise the full potential of generative AI.

Plus, an interview with Jack Pugh, the NZ winner of the James Dyson Award for design, about his winning medtech device.

The Business of Tech is sponsored by 2degrees for Business.

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Jackson Henry is an Australian ethical or white hat hacker who we spoke to last year.

We only featured him briefly in episode 29 because he was guesting on a lot of shows, but our interview with him was a little different.

He spoke a little more widely about his career path and how he went from cheating at video games to being a part of the white hat team that breached the United Nations

He also delved into what cybersecurity means at different sizes of business, and how enterprises can entice ethical hackers to test their own systems.

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Back in July of 2023, now last year, Rocket Lab finalised its plans for recovering and reusing engines for its rockets.

Founder and CEO Peter Beck spared some time to chat about what that means for the company.

Plus, he spoke about how he saw the space industry in Aotearoa New Zealand, and where he thought we stood on the global stage.

Since then, Beck hosted the National Party’s pre-election space policy announcement, and the industry has made some significant strides.

Listening back to the interview is a timely reminder of the value the industry can bring to NZ’s economy.

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Mark Clare is the founding and managing partner at Clare Capital, a boutique investment bank that releases a regular tech insights newsletter.

We chose this conversation to feature because not only does Mark offer fantastic insights about listed companies and the public market, but goes wider than that.

He talks about the private capital market, about the value that a strong NZX can bring to the country, the benefits of selling to offshore companies, and what he sees as the industry’s biggest weakness.

Spoiler – it is not a lack of technical talent.

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It's episode 33, the final full episode for the year. To put a bow on what has been a full on year of tech news, we quickly recap the biggest stories from 2023 from across the world, and in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Then we speak to Merja Myllylahti, a senior lecturer at AUT and co-director of the universities research centre for journalism, media and democracy (JMAD). She recently published her book From Papers to Platform, which scrutinises how major digital platforms exert ever-growing influence over news, journalism, our everyday lives, personal rights and access to information.

Merjia shares her view on why it's so important for news media to break away from reliance on Big Tech and social media platforms and learn how to be independent operators once more.

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This week we look back at the NZ tech stock market in 2023 to get a sense of where priorities lie for those investing their capital into the industry, and which stocks to watch in 2024.

We speak to three financial markets specialists, Clare Capital’s founder Mark Clare, and Joshua Dale and Stephen Ridgewell from Craigs Investment Partners to hear about the positives and negatives of higher rates and constrained capital for tech.

Plus, they share what they expect to see as things start to warm up again next year.

We also discuss the NZ winners and losers on the NASDAQ and how AI has helped boost the big US stocks.

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Artificial intelligence exploded onto the scene in a major way in 2023, establishing foundations for a level of disruption that we don't yet fully understand.

In this episode, we speak to Simply Privacy's Frith Tweedie and Frankly AI's Matt Ensor about what we saw in the AI market this year, and where we might see it go in 2024.

We also share our thoughts about the new government's ministerial make-up, and what that might mean for NZ's tech industry.

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Easy Crypto CEO and co-founder Janine Grainger joins us to explain why she and her team decided to launch a locally owned wallet, and the NZDD stablecoin pegged to the NZ dollar, and backed 1:1 by funds in the bank.

Plus, we discuss the biggest tech story of the year, the ousting of OpenAI founding CEO Sam Altman, and why the news should matter to Kiwis and their businesses.

Note: When Ben said artificial generative intelligence, he meant artifical general intelligence.

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Toby Littin features this week’s episode to talk about the global success of Parkable, a company that started in 2015 as a way to connect drivers with people with spare carparks, and has grown into an international parking management platform with the likes of Meta as a customer.

Littin speaks to the changes a company goes through when it moves from start up to scale up, and whether it’s possible to remain a NZ-based company in the current investment climate.

We also discuss the latest tech news including the 18-year-old ethical hacker promoting good security practice for small businesses, and how Tokelau, a nation of 15,000 people, became a central to the world of international cybercrime.

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This week, Peter talks to stalwart of both the supermarket and telecommunications industries, Ernie Newman.

In the early 2000s, the government intervened to ensure that the monopoly that then-Telecom had on broadband internet industry didn’t last long. What can we learn from those efforts and where should we be putting out hopes for disruption? 

We also chat about the latest tech news including, the governments facial recognition failures, how much big tech is spending on cloud capacity, and OpenAI’s new GPT marketplace.

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Peter talks to Lawrence Gasman, the founder of news and research company Inside Quantum Technology, who says that quantum computing and the changes it will bring is now just around the corner.

Whether you’re a total quantum newbie or an industry stalwart this interview will give you something to think about.

We also dig into the latest tech news, including Supie’s downfall and the surprising ups and downs of Big Tech’s Q3 results.

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We're kicking off a series on AI in industries with a deep dive into AI in education.

Hengjie Wang, co-founder of ed-tech company Kami, joins us to explore how AI is transforming the classroom.

Wang explains how Kami currently uses AI to save teachers time and make education more accessible and engaging for students.

He also considers whether generative AI could be the foundation for a future of widely accessible, AI-driven learning aids.

Plus, Apple's latest products and upgrades.

The Business of Tech is sponsored by 2degrees for Business.

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This week we look into Tātaki Auckland Unlimited's plan to grow the city's tech industry, create high-paying jobs and attract more talent and investment to the region. One year into the three year Tech Tāmaki Makaurau strategy, how are things tracking? 

Tātaki's head of tech and innovation Marissa Brindley joins us to explain how the Auckland Council's economic development arm is helping startups make global connections, attract and retain more international talent, and encourage Māori and Pacific Island peoples into the industry.

We also ask: what’s going on with patient portal apps, what does it mean when Microsoft invests big money in a country, and is X’s $1 bot battle too little, too late.

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On this episode we chat with Emma-Kate Greer, 2degrees' chief corporate affairs officer whose duties include overseeing the telco's emissions reduction and sustainability efforts.

She shares why 2degrees has gone with science-based targets and how it plans to get there, offering a frank look at the challenges faced by the telecommunication industry.

Emma-Kate also offers some insight into where NZ Inc might need to focus in order to maintain our clean, green look into the coming years.

Also, we discuss which tech policies will be on the chopping block under a National government with Act behind it, and recount some of the promises the party made in the lead up to the election.

This episode was sponsored by 2degrees.

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With the 2023 general election just days away we have one last episode around tech and politics, this time looking at the fear that concerted and bad-faith social media campaigns are eroding the very fabric of democracy.

We're joined by Ximena Smith from the public interest think tank Brainbox Institute who digs into whether the outcome of democratic elections are really being swung by social media and all its algorithms.

We also dig into some of the latest news, including the National Party's space policy, agritech robots, and how AI is failing to live up to its promise.

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Whoever wins the vote at the election, it is going to be a very different government than we have had for most of the past six years. Part of that, is going to be overseeing the contuing digitalisation of business, government and pretty much every other part of our society.

One big project will be enabling digital identification for the residents of Aotearoa, a move that is working its way through the grinding gears of our own parliamentary processes with the Digital Identity Trust Framework Act.

The University of the Sunshine Coast's Dr Erica Mealy talks us through what's going on with digital ID in Australia, and some of the pitfalls that we should be thinking about as head toward it ourselves.

We also look at some of NZ's industry bodies and what they are looking for from the government as the election looms.

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