Innovation needs more than founders

Innovation ecosystems often highlight the how founders build their start-ups. But behind many successful ventures are professionals helping companies navigate regulation, intellectual property and commercial risk.

Gemma Bell is one of them. Currently working as a Solicitor at Hudson Gavin Martin (a New Zealand law firm specialising in technology, media and intellectual property), Gemma’s work focuses on the legal risk and regulatory questions that arise when businesses operate in rapidly evolving technological landscapes.

Her path into the innovation ecosystem started while studying at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, where she completed a Bachelor of Laws alongside a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Sociology. Her studies sparked a curiosity in how technology influences society. "I became interested in having a career related to technology,” she says. “Through my degree, I was able to explore the intersection of tech, innovation and society and how society responds to new forms of technology.”

At the same time, internships with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and a boutique technology law firm exposed her to the policy and regulatory environments that influence and support innovation.

Bell’s involvement with the University’s entrepreneurship community began when she joined Velocity, the student-led entrepreneurship development programme delivered through the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). She initially joined the marketing team in 2018, and by 2020 she stepped into the role of CEO.

Coming from outside traditional business or engineering disciplines shaped how she approached the role “I was frustrated that the stereotype of an entrepreneur put off so many people from exploring entrepreneurship,” she says. “So, we created an Outreach and Engagement sub-team to reach students from other disciplines, including women, postgraduate students and Māori and Pacific students, to help them see themselves in these spaces.”

Her leadership coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the programme to pivot its offerings. “Everything was online, from our prizegivings, team meetings, to Launch Pad programme,” she says.

Maintaining a sense of community became a priority. The team introduced informal online events and new digital content to keep students engaged when campus life was largely remote. Bell believes this disruption prompted many students to think differently about problem solving. “In many ways Covid inspired people to think about the ways they could contribute to society,” she says. “People suddenly had the time and motivation to bring their ideas to action”.

Bell’s interest in innovation continued after university. In 2025 she joined an Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network delegation to Sri Lanka, where participants explored the country’s start-up ecosystem. During a visit to the Colombo-based accelerator Hatch Innovation, she felt right at home. “I could have been at CIE’s innovation hub, Unleash Space,” she says. “There was the same excitement of people working together to create something new.”

She was particularly struck by the way many ventures connected entrepreneurship with social outcomes. “One sentiment that Sri Lankan entrepreneurs shared is that while we strive to do well, we should also strive to do good,” she says.

Earlier this year, she returned to the University to speak at a Velocity professional development event. “I discovered Hudson Gavin Martin through Velocity,” she says. “It was a full circle moment to be back on the other side this time to share my journey so far. Velocity is such a special programme... I wholeheartedly believe in what it sets out to achieve.”