Venture Lab is a four-to-five-month incubator programme offered by the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), designed to take your start-up to the next level. This pre-seed programme provides tailored support, guidance, and resources to help you secure your first customers and prepare for early-stage investment.

Participants receive:

• Dedicated mentoring and step-by-step guidance
• Access to venture development funding (upon milestone achievements)
• Workshops, advice, and support to navigate the challenges of start-up success
• Connections with industry leaders, the entrepreneurial community, and potential investors
• Mental and physical space to develop and grow their ventures

Through Venture Lab, you’ll gain guidance on accessing $40m of pre-seed capital through the University of Auckland Inventors’ Fund and the Momentum Investment Committee.

CIE’s programmes are free for University of Auckland students and staff. These co-curricular programmes help develop innovation and entrepreneurship skills alongside formal studies. While there are no formal assessments, participation may count towards the co-curricular recognition programme and the Distinguished Graduate Award.

When you join Venture Lab, you’ll become part of the vibrant CIE community, where we’ll:

• Connect you with mentors, successful start-up teams, and an extensive entrepreneurial network
• Provide access to educational resources that will challenge and develop your skills
• Support your potential by inspiring and guiding you on your entrepreneurial journey
• Enable your success by giving your start-up the tools to stand out, create value, and launch

The six-month incubator programme equips you with the tools, skills, and connections you need to grow your venture.

Being part of Venture Lab will enable you to:

• Build on your start-up plan and bring it to life
• Identify markets in New Zealand and internationally
• Develop effective business strategies
• Explore commercial models to achieve feasibility
• Identify your target market segments and engage with early-stage customers
• Sharpen your pitching skills to communicate your vision effectively
• Scope out and connect with potential investors
• Build specific capabilities through workshops and collaborate with other successful teams
• Be guided by a Venture Lab entrepreneur in residence to broaden your horizons
• Connect with the entrepreneurial ecosystem to gain the confidence to launch a real-world venture
• Work as an effective team, applying governance principles and understanding legal structures to support start-up growth
• Achieve tangible milestones such as securing pilot opportunities or developing functional prototypes
• Advance your venture to a stage ready for pre-seed or proof-of-concept (POC) investment

Key dates in the application process

3 June 2025 – applications open on the website
10 July 2025 – applications close at 2pm
18 July 2025 – successful applicants receive an invitation to pitch to a panel of judges
23 July 2025 – successful applicants present their venture plans to a panel of judges

Key programme dates for Semester Two

7 August 2025, 10am–2pm - Venture Lab kick-off
21 August 2025, 6–8pm - Workshop 1
10 September 2025, 6–8pm - Workshop 2
24 September 2025, 6–8pm - Midway workshop
1 October 2025, 6–8pm - Workshop 3
22 October 2025, 6–8pm - Workshop 4
12 November 2025, 6–8pm - Workshop 5
26 November 2025, 6–8.30pm - Final showcase
Weekly meetings with dedicated venture mentors

Andrew Steel

Andrew has over 20 years of experience working with start-ups across a broad range of industries. This includes full-time founder and senior leadership team roles, as well as directorships and advisory roles. He has supported the University of Auckland’s entrepreneurship programs for the last 15 years, through mentorship, judging, and guest lectures.

He is an active angel investor, investing directly into companies and via every Icehouse Ventures seed fund since inception. Several of his direct investments have come through University of Auckland channels including Kami, Biomatters, Strutfit, Zenno Astronautics, and Seascape Intelligence.

His business background extends beyond start-ups, including commercial roles in public and private companies with turnovers ranging from the ten’s to hundreds of millions of dollars. He is also a Chartered Director, holds a New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services, and completed an undergraduate degree in the fields of law and economics at Cambridge University.
 

Applications open 3 June 2025. Even before the applications officially open, you can start preparing a venture plan document for your submission. You will be required to provide it as part of your application.

When preparing your venture plan, please refer to the Venture Lab entry process.

If you have questions about the programme, please contact cie_programmes@auckland.ac.nz

The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship provides a world of opportunity to participants so that they can stand out and create value through innovative careers and start-up creation.

CIE is New Zealand’s leading University entrepreneurship centre, winning 12 international awards since 2020.