The American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand has announced the finalists for the 2021 AmCham-DHL Express Success and Innovation Awards, celebrating success and innovation for companies doing business with the United States of America (USA). Three of this year's finalists feature alumni from the Velocity entrepreneurship programme.

The University of Auckland has been named by Newsweek as one of the world’s Best Maker Schools, alongside prestigious universities like Harvard, Cambridge, Yale and MIT.

CIE runs a wide range of free programmes and workshops designed to help students and staff of all faculties at the University of Auckland develop entrepreneurial mindsets and innovative capabilities. Helping students and staff make the most of the opportunities available to them is Programme Coordinator Jessica Schneider.

Software that started as a way for three University of Auckland students to collaborate on their study notes has recently hit 27 million users worldwide. Kami’s cloud-based platform allows educators and students to annotate, view, edit, and collaborate on digital documents from anywhere, transforming the way educators engage and interact with their students.

116 new and veteran game jammers came together at Unleash Space, the University of Auckland’s innovation hub and maker space run by the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), to participate in Kiwijam, Aotearoa’s own homegrown annual in-person game-jam.

The last year has been particularly hard for start-ups with even more uncertainties than normal to work around. The perseverance of the founders of auto-repair booking platform My Auto Shop has been rewarded with a new partnership with New Zealand’s largest auction and classifieds site Trade Me.

Representatives from each of the start-ups participating in the 2021 VentureLab incubator recently presented their learnings at a wrap-up showcase at Unleash Space, the University of Auckland’s innovation hub and maker space. Their presentations put on display an authentic representation of the rollercoaster that is starting a new venture.

Around the world, universities are grappling with a quantum leap in expectations of how education is delivered. With students used to lectures being recorded, they now expect greater flexibility in how they learn, and when they can enter the workforce. So how is the University of Auckland responding to changing norms?

Property Technology (PropTech) is a University of Auckland course that aims to guide learners to a practical understanding of digital innovation and entrepreneurship in property markets. PropTech students recently participated in experiential workshops at Unleash Space, where they explored design-thinking concepts and learned practical design skills.

The Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF) consists of global and local investors, entrepreneurs and changemakers who want to create solutions to global problems from New Zealand and make a lasting positive impact on the world. Their Fellows are also supporting aspiring university entrepreneurs through advising and mentoring students participating in programmes run by the CIE.