Startup Dunedin wins big at entrepreneurial ecosystem awards

The organisation was awarded Entrepreneur Support Organisation of the Year at the Global Entrepreneurship Network New Zealand (GEN NZ) Unconference and Awards in Wellington last night.

The award recognises the organisation providing invaluable support to entrepreneurs on their journey and is based on reviews from the organisation’s founders, how connected and supportive it is to the local community and wider ecosystem, high levels of collaboration, and prioritisation of its entrepreneurs.

Startup Dunedin Acting General Manager Grace Esterman says the national award is a “huge win” for the organisation as well as the city.

“This is a fantastic endorsement, not just of Startup Dunedin, but of the wider Ōtepoti Dunedin business sector and startup ecosystem which encompasses everyone from tertiary students with a business concept they want to test to high-growth startups scaling nationally and globally.

“Over the past year, Startup Dunedin worked with 174 founders and ran 135 events and workshops across Ōtepoti Dunedin. Thirteen high-growth startups went through the Distiller incubator, and 72 students completed Audacious, our entrepreneurship programme for Otago tertiary students.

Chair of GEN NZ Dave Moskovitz says: "Dunedin does an excellent job of combining academic excellence with entrepreneurial spirit. Grace and the team at Startup Dunedin use these superpowers to launch new businesses and careers that are impactful locally, nationally, and globally. And all of this on the smell of an oily rag, in true Dunedin style. I was really proud they won the Entrepreneur Support Organisation of the year award, because they totally deserved it."

Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker says the award shows just how important Startup Dunedin is within the local business community.

“As Council is one of the investors in the Startup Dunedin Trust, it’s great to see the organisation’s success and how it has become an integral part of our business ecosystem, supporting numerous aspiring entrepreneurs and helping those seeking to grow.

“Dunedin is truly uniquely positioned to develop, build and scale startups thanks to access to expert knowledge centres and talent pools within the University of Otago and Otago Polytech and trailblazers in niche tech, manufacturing and engineering showing what can be achieved from a city at the edge of the world.”

The GEN NZ Awards are designed to recognise the individuals and organisations that have made the greatest contribution to New Zealand's startup ecosystem, from the programmes supporting founders’ day-to-day through to the individuals making waves within the industry.

The awards follow other recent success for Startup Dunedin, including receiving the regional trailblazer award at the previous GEN NZ awards in 2024 and manager Rachel Butler being named the Otago Daily Times' 2025 Business Leader of the Year.

The Audacious programme was also nominated at the awards, in the Youth Programme of the Year category.

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