University of Auckland alumna Ipshita Mandal-Johnson is the CEO of the Global Bio Fund, an impact fund with a world-leading approach to growing diverse entrepreneurs (especially women-led companies) addressing global challenges.

168 of New Zealand’s top secondary school science students explored their innovative and creative potential at Unleash Space, the University of Auckland’s innovation hub and maker space run by the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The students were participants of the 32nd Rotary National Science and Technology Forum.

A project that asks students of sustainability to develop an educational game has been developed as an engaging and innovative way to help students apply their learning. Students work in teams to design a game that teaches some aspect of sustainability to a chosen population.

Biological Sciences Honours student Gyoungsu Lee is using rapid prototyping technology to create a modern version of the traditional hurdy-gurdy, a stringed instrument originating from Europe and the Middle East.

An innovative online competition called ‘What’s Your Billion Dollar Idea?’ has provided Indian students with an opportunity to pitch their ideas to VCs and CEOs for the chance to win a virtual internship with top New Zealand companies and universities. The ultimate winner was Joel Joseph, a mechanical engineering and marketing student.

Teaching staff at the University of Auckland’s Business School have explored ways to incorporate virtual reality into their teaching, drawn to its potential for creating engaging and immersive teaching and learning experiences. They used the virtual reality game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes to teach human resources principles.

Kiwi start-up Mint Innovation has just raised $20 million to go global - funds that will allow them to build their first commercial biorefineries for extracting precious metals from electronic waste. Leading their research and development is University of Auckland alumnus Robert Staniland.

An innovative business idea developed by Manurewa’s home-grown entrepreneurs will benefit more than 2,000 Manurewa High School students through Ka Ora, Ka Ako, the Government’s healthy school lunches programme, starting in 2021.

The University of Auckland’s 40 under 40 list is created anew each year to inspire New Zealand with the stories of the University’s young alumni who are shining in their personal and professional lives. This year 22 of the 40 people featured in the list are alumni who have taken part in the Velocity entrepreneurship development programme.

Kara Technologies co-founder and CEO Arash Tayebi has just been recognised in the 2020 Meaningful Business 100, an award celebrating business leaders around the world combining profit and purpose to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; (4) Quality Education and (10) Reducing Inequality.