CIE alumni honoured at 2025 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

Two University of Auckland alumni behind one of the world’s fastest-growing edtech companies have been named EY Entrepreneurs of the Year.

Alliv Samson and Hengjie Wang, co-founders of the education technology platform Kami, were recognised for their innovation, global impact and entrepreneurial leadership at the 2025 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, held in Tāmaki Makaurau this month.

While still university students, the pair became frustrated by the high volume of printing required for class. Available tools for digital learning were clunky and limited, particularly for collaboration. Sensing a gap, they set out to create something better.

Alongside fellow co-founders Jordan Thoms and Bob Drummond, Samson and Wang launched Kami in 2013. The platform transforms static classroom materials into interactive, accessible digital learning resources. Designed in close collaboration with teachers and students, Kami quickly found traction in classrooms. The business bootstrapped its way to profitability, with education emerging as the most impactful market early on.

That strategic focus proved prescient. Kami now supports 40 million users in 180 countries and is used in 92% of schools across the United States. Teachers using Kami report significant time savings, and the platform is credited with improving engagement for students with diverse learning needs. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, usage skyrocketed from seven million to over 35 million users in just two years.

Environmental impact has followed as a by-product of digital adoption. In 2024 alone, US schools using Kami reduced paper use equivalent to 346,000 trees. Kami has also grown its team to over 100 staff, expanded its AI-driven product offerings, and remains committed to inclusive hiring. Its influence was further recognised when TIME named Kami one of the world’s most influential companies in 2022.

In August 2024, US private equity firm BV Investment Partners acquired a majority stake in Kami in a deal that valued the company at over $300 million. The company has continued its growth trajectory, recently acquiring UK-based Book Creator.

“Alliv and Hengjie have shown that a clear strategy and the courage to lead can produce exceptional results,” said EY New Zealand’s Jason Macgregor, director of the Entrepreneur of the Year programme.

Samson and Wang will go on to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year event in Monaco in 2026.

Also recognised was fellow CIE alumna Kate Gatfield-Jeffries, founder of wellness company Moodi. Gatfield-Jeffries was named EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year for her remarkable trajectory in building one of Australasia’s fastest-growing brands focused on women’s wellness.

Moodi’s range of functional products is designed to support stress, sleep, focus and energy, and its Pre + Probiotic Sodas are now stocked in hundreds of supermarkets across Aotearoa. One in 25 New Zealand women now use Moodi products, and the company is on track to sell millions of cans of soda in its first year, with annual growth exceeding 300%.

All three founders share early connections to the University’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. Each took part in the Velocity entrepreneurship programme run by CIE while studying.

CIE director Darsel Keane says their success is a powerful example of resilience and self-belief.

“Our team is over the moon for our alumni to have this honour,” says Keane. “Earlier this year at our Velocity $100k Challenge, I spoke on stage about how Alliv, Hengjie and Kate all took part in Velocity and while making the finals for their respective years, did not win the Velocity competition. They forged ahead anyway and have come so far, exemplifying the importance of vision and resilience and how you should never ask for permission before breaking barriers.

“They’ve each since spoken about how their experience with Velocity has still been a very important part in their entrepreneurial journey and we’ve been grateful for them all coming back to speak and mentor the next generation of up-starts. We’re all cheering them on for their next successes and the next boundaries that they will break.”